Amata Welcomes Over $750,000 in EPA Investment from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming this week’s announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of waste management investment in American Samoa from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which Amata supported to improve local infrastructure and related services. The BIL, officially named the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was passed by Congress and signed by President Biden on November 15, 2021.

The highlight of this week’s announcement is $753,755 in an EPA grant for American Samoa, which is American Samoa’s share of over $1.9 million for the three Pacific territories, as part of a nationwide total of $73 million for this program. This is the first round of funding from the new grant program, Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program.

“I appreciate this EPA investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve our territory’s collection and recycling abilities,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Thank you to the American Samoa Power Authority team involved in this effort to keep our islands clean and beautiful.”

The EPA is hailing this funding which will advance the American Samoa Power Authority’s ability to establish, increase, expand and optimize collection and improve recycling infrastructure in the islands. A project team will develop solid waste management plans, establish transfer stations to collect recyclables in the islands and at the Futiga Landfill, collect recycling data, and conduct public outreach and education.

The grants support the implementation of EPA’s national Recycling Strategy devoted to keeping materials, products, and services in circulation for as long as possible. The Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program works with President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.

The BIL provides $275 million total from fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2026 for grants authorized under the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, a bipartisan Act passed in 2020 to be the largest investment in recycling in 30 years. The recycling grants are supplemented through EPA’s annual appropriations from Congress.

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