Virtual Public Workshop Scheduled for Nov. 16

Delaware communities adversely affected by environmental pollution can now apply for Community Environmental Project Fund (CEPF) restoration grants for the 2023 grant cycle through the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

The CEPF was created by the Delaware General Assembly in 2004 through legislation that authorized DNREC to establish a grant fund by withholding 25% of funds collected as penalties for violations of environmental regulations. These funds are returned to the communities where violations occurred through competitive grants to nonprofit organizations in support of community environmental projects.

Grants are available to affected communities to fund restoration projects that result in:

• Reduced pollution
• Enhanced natural resources
• Enhanced recreational opportunities

IRS tax-exempt organizations are eligible for CEPF grants of up to $25,000. These groups include civic and community organizations, educational institutions, counties, municipal governments, state agencies and quasi-state agencies. The application deadline is Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. The projects funded in this grant cycle can begin on July 1, 2023 and should be completed by June 30, 2024.

To assist applicants with finalizing their applications, DNREC will hold a virtual public workshop focused on the CEPF program at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. Connection information for the workshop is posted at de.gov/dnrecmeetings, and at de.gov/cepf. Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required for participation.

Recent CEPF mitigation projects benefitting Delaware communities adversely affected by environmental pollution have included: a project to improve aquatic and terrestrial wildlife habitats surrounding major waterways, a native tree canopy restoration planting due to storm damage, a food waste reduction program through composting, an educational project about environmental damage caused by improper disposal of cigarette butts that also encourages beach cleanups, a living shoreline installation at Thompson Island in the Inland Bays, a park beautification project on the Route 9 corridor, a community project to establish sustainable green spaces, community gardens and recreational areas that support healthy living in Northeast Wilmington, and a brownfield remediation project to convert a vacant lot into a playground for pre-school children, a basketball court for school age youth and an outdoor classroom in Wilmington’s Southbridge community.

The grant application, workshop details and more information about the CEPF are available online at de.gov/cepf.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov, Joanna Wilson, Joanna.wilson@delaware.gov.

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SEAFORD – The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship’s Reclaim Our River (ROR) program, in partnership with the Delaware Nature Society and the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, will host two free presentations on pollinators and gardening for clean water at the Seaford Library Feb. 6 and March 20. Both presentations start at 6 p.m. at the library located at 600 N. Market Street Extended, Seaford, DE 19973.

The presentations will address how, over the last 20 years, the monarch butterfly population worldwide has declined by 90 percent – a critical environmental loss since plants depend on pollinators such as butterflies to reproduce. They also will focus on how pollinators enable flowering plants to help purify water and prevent erosion through roots that hold the soil in place and foliage that buffers the impact of rain as it falls to the earth.

All who attend and participate will receive free milkweed seeds along with information on activities that support clean water by ROR partnership members. Attendees also will learn about this year’s 2017 ROR-Nanticoke Series which again offer numerous opportunities to have fun around the water and learn surefire techniques for keeping our waterways clean, according to Philip Miller, DNREC Nonpoint Source Program, Division of Watershed Stewardship.

The Feb. 6 pollinator presentation will be given by Mike McFarlin, who has single-handedly raised hundreds of monarch butterflies each summer in an attempt to repopulate Delaware’s monarch population. His presentation will delve into this majestic butterfly’s migration routes and the impact humans have on their environment. Mr. McFarlin will also discuss his experiences looking for eggs, raising the monarch from eggs, feeding them, and ultimately releasing the developed butterfly.

The second presentation March 20 will be led by Alice Mohrman from the Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, and will focus on gardening for clean water and butterflies. From Ms. Mohrman, participants will learn how to invite pollinators, birds and butterflies to your yard, deck, patio, or balcony. Also provided are tips on how to landscape your yard, big or small, with attractive native plants which support wildlife habitat while helping to reduce pollution in our waterways. Ms. Mohrman also will demonstrate a few easy steps toward creating a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

For more information about both presentations, please contact Alice Mohrman at 302-422-0847 or alice@delawarenaturesociety.org. For more information on the Reclaim Our River program, please contact Philip Miller at 302-739-9939 or Philip.miller@delaware.gov.

The Reclaim Our River – Nanticoke Series is devoted to bringing monthly events, workshops and recreational activities to the Nanticoke Watershed. The series offers participants fun opportunities to connect with Delaware’s waterways and provides important information on water quality that can help in protecting aquatic resources.

Media Contact: Philip Miller, DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship Nonpoint Source Program, 302-739-9939; email: philip.miller@delaware.gov

Vol. 47, No. 23

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Aimed at thwarting impacts of pollution from upwind states carrying into Delaware

DOVER – Delaware is taking action again to reduce detrimental impacts of poor air quality coming into the state from upwind sources, with DNREC seeking to have the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency find that the Homer City, Pa. Generating Station is emitting these air pollutants in violation of the federal Clean Air Act (CAA).

As with CAA 126(b) petitions filed last summer by DNREC against the Brunner Island power plant in York County, Pa., and the Harrison Power Station near Hayward, W. Va., the Department argues that Delaware’s air quality is often adversely affected by unhealthy ozone created from pollutants emitted in upwind states. DNREC contends that air pollution generated within these upwind states carries into and pollutes Delaware’s air, causing asthma, respiratory disease, and other public health problems for Delawareans, and also causes the state’s non-compliance with federal air quality standards – and will continue to cause these problems so long as sources such as the power plants petitioned against by DNREC continue emitting pollutants, particularly nitrogen oxide (NOx), without consistent use of modern anti-pollution controls.

In its petitions, DNREC has noted that more than 94 percent of the ozone levels in Delaware are created by the transport of air pollutants from upwind states – a stark contrast to what occurs within the state’s borders, where DNREC has worked with power producers and manufacturers and the public to sharply reduce Delaware’s own emissions.

“Yet again we are petitioning the EPA to act on the fact that our ability to achieve and maintain health-based air quality standards is severely impacted by sources outside of the state of Delaware,” DNREC Secretary David Small said. “Our position has been corroborated by EPA’s own modeling technology: That Pennsylvania and West Virginia and other states’ emissions significantly impact Delaware. We are petitioning EPA to reduce that impact and the associated health threats impacting Delawareans through harmful ozone that comes from outside our borders.”

As in the aftermath of each CAA 126(b) petition filed by DNREC, Sec. Small said that Delaware continues to assess the impact of other generating stations and power plants in the upwind states. The petition points out that the facilities cited for upwind air pollution manage to skirt EPA jurisdiction because some of the states do not have regulatory requirements for the power plants’ installing highly-effective NOx emissions controls, while still other upwind states do not require the facilities to consistently operate existing NOx controls at high levels of efficiency, and in this case states allow power plants to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements using long-term averaging of emissions that do not address the impact of transported pollution on the short term (8-hour) ozone standard.

Section 126(b) of the Clean Air Act requires that within 60 days after the EPA’s receipt of any petition (and after a public hearing), the EPA administrator will make such a finding as requested, requiring the Homer City Generating Station to limit short term NOx emissions to levels that are protective of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS in downwind areas such as Delaware, or will deny the petition.

Vol. 46, No. 397

Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

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Wilmington, DE – Governor Markell applauded today’s Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate cross-state air pollution from coal-fired power plants. The Governor has helped lead an effort by Eastern states to petition the EPA to require that Midwestern states reduce emissions that are blown across state lines.

 “Today’s Supreme Court decision represents another important step to combat the dirty air pollution that enters Delaware from other states, which unfairly harms the health of our people and our economy,” said Markell.

“Through efforts to clean up power plants and work with every industrial facility in Delaware, we have seen huge reductions in air pollution produced by our state, especially over the past five years. However, more than 90% of our dirty pollution comes from out-of-state sources, and the impact often results in air that does not meet healthy standards. Despite this, new facilities in our state are required to meet much more stringent regulatory requirements than facilities in the very states that are causing our air quality violations.

“We continue to be committed to doing everything we can to reduce harmful emissions in our state, but we also demand a level playing field and today’s ruling brings us closer to that goal.”