BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The U.S. Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Thursday, Oct. 19, that Southern University has been selected for a grant nearing $800K for a pollution prevention project.
The grant will help Southern University fund a project to limit water pollution from industrial facilities.
Southern will collaborate with Louisiana State University to manage workshops and onsite water quality assessments. According to a news release from EPA, the focus area will be on East Baton Rouge and New Orleans East.
“This grant will assist the Ag Center in ensuring that underinvested communities have access to clean water and air through educating manufacturers on solutions to reduce hazardous substances that are released in the waters of East Baton Rouge and New Orleans East,” said Dr. Orlando F. McMeans, Chancellor-Dean of the Southern University Ag Center and the College of Ag.
According to the EPA, the programs’ goal will be to continue to advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which strives to offer 40% of the comprehensive benefits of defined federal investment to disadvantaged communities.
“The Southern University team designed a project that will leverage EPA programs like Safer Choice and help mitigate the air and water pollution that these communities experience,” said Dr. Earthea Nance, Regional Administrator.
Click here to learn more about the proposed projects.
