EPA has recently awarded sixteen grants to recipients within New England, totaling more than $1.5 million, for programs that protect wetlands within the region.
The grants are part of EPA’s Wetland Program Development Grants in New England. The grants were awarded to agencies in each of the six New England states, the Penobscot Indian Nation, the University of Massachusetts and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. The biennial grants cover two fiscal years (2013-2014) to allow recipients to make better long-term strategic decisions about program goals.
“EPA is pleased to provide grants that will support vital research, assessment and training to help protect wetlands in New England, ” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office . “ Healthy wetlands are very important for the environmental benefits they provide to our communities. Wetlands help minimize the damaging impacts from floods, they help purify and protect drinking water, and they provide habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunities for citizens.”
The grants can be used by recipients to build and refine any element of a comprehensive wetland program.
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Press Release, January 8, 2014