Yakima Valley to Benefit from $78,000 CARE Grant Aimed at Reducing Toxic Risks

Yakima Valley residents will be better able to protect themselves from toxic chemicals thanks to a $78,006 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today, Elin Miller, EPA’s Regional Administrator, announced that Northwest Communities Education Center (NCEC), located in Granger, Washington, has been awarded the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) grant.

Working with Yakima Valley community members and community-based organizations on environmental education and occupational safety concerns, NCEC and their partners, will use this CARE grant for their - - El Proyecto Bienester (The Well-Being Project). El Proyecto Bienester will explore many issues facing the rural, ethnically diverse Yakima Valley community including: hazardous waste disposal; pesticide exposure; livestock pathogens; air pollutants, including backyard trash burning; composting; wood-burning stoves; and private groundwater well testing and treatment.

“CARE grants, are about empowering communities, especially those with environmental justice concerns,” said Miller. “El Proyecto Bienester (The Well-Being Project) will help NCEC and their partners find solutions to toxic pollutants and find ways to minimize people’s exposure to them.”

Founded in 1975, NCEC is a nonprofit, community-based organization that promotes social reform and environmental justice by providing health information, educational advancement, and economic development to over 10,000 consumers each year.

EPA’s CARE program, originally launched in 2005, has grown from a network of 12 communities to nearly 50 projects. This year EPA has provided $4 million to fund CARE projects. The common theme of CARE projects is to help community groups build collaborative partnerships at the local level between residents, businesses, organizations and local and state governments.