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EPA ADMINISTRATOR WHITMAN HONORS 47 CITIZEN, INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT GROUPS FOR INNOVATIVE EFFORTS TO CLEAN AIR

Release Date: 03/05/2002
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Environmental News

For their outstanding and innovative efforts in helping clean the nation’s air, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today honored 47 local and state governments, industries and citizens groups at the second Annual Clean Air Excellence Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

“It is a great honor to congratulate these trend-setting businesses, municipalities and civic organizations that are demonstrating valuable leadership in protecting air quality in the United States,” said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. “To achieve our goals, EPA has sought to engage the imagination of everyone who cares about clean air – and tonight’s winners have answered that call. These awards make it clear that they have done so with the kind of creativity and innovation that we need to be successful.”

These awards were established to recognize both individuals and organizations for using innovative ideas to improve air quality across the country, showing once again that government and industry working together can achieve a healthy environment without sacrificing economic growth.

From a Clean Fuel Bus Campaign in New York City, to North Carolina’s “Air Adventures” puppet show, to the development of a sustainable, mixed-use community in Los Angeles, today’s award recipients offer the best examples of clean air leadership from across the country.

The Clean Air Excellence Awards program was established in 2000 at the recommendation of the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee (CAAAC), a senior-level independent policy committee that advises the agency on implementation of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The CAAAC selected today’s winners out of 112 entries.

The five categories of awards and awardees:

CLEAN AIR TECHNOLOGY
Metropolitan Transit Authority New York City Transit Department of Buses, New York City and metropolitan area; CSX Transportation, Inc., 48 contiguous states and Canada; Orbital Engine Corporation, Inc.,Tecumseh, Mich.; Intel Corporation, worldwide; Lehigh University, Georgia-Pacific Corp., and Gibson Technologies, Inc., Brunswick, Ga.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT/RE-DEVELOPMENT
Playa Capital Company, LLC, Los Angeles, Calif.; Con Edison and Clean Air Communities, Bronx, N.Y.

EDUCATION/OUTREACH
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Northeast U.S.; Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Sacramento, Calif.; Hearth Products Association and four regional affiliates, Great Lakes region;
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, Flagstaff, Ariz.; North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Division of Air Quality, N.C.; Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Austin, Texas; Palm Tran, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Minnesota E85 Team, Minn.

REGULATORY/POLICY INNOVATIONS
Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Ind.; Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and partners, Puget Sound region, Wash. state; Merck & Co., Inc., Elkton, Va.; City of Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Department; Los Angeles, Calif.

TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY INNOVATIONS
Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Construction Authority; Los Angeles County, Calif.

For further information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/oar/caaac/clean_award.html or contact Paul Rasmussen at EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation at 202-564-1306 ([email protected])

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