U.S. EPA South Central Region

Today, alongside @SecKennedy and @HHSGov, we are reaffirming our commitment to Making America Healthy Again by upholding National Primary Drinking Water Standards on PFOA and PFOS while enhancing practical implementation and following the clear requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. ✅ Ensuring safe drinking water for communities ✅ Supporting drinking water systems across America ✅ Following the law and securing a commonsense implementation timeline ✅ Providing transparency and gold standard science to MAHA Learn more: spgv.io/60128pxA

At the national Superfund Directors meeting in Chicago, EPA Regional Administrator Scott Mason met with leaders from across the agency to talk about best practices in #Superfund cleanups, emergency responses, and implementing Administrator Zeldin's #PoweringtheGreatAmericanComeback initiative. Pillar 1 is clean air, land and water for every American!

This #NationalRiverCleanupDay, we’re highlighting the Bayou Bonfouca #Superfund site cleanup in Slidell, Louisiana. Protecting our rivers doesn’t stop after the cleanup – it takes continued work to make sure those efforts hold up over time. Since 1991, nearly 100 million gallons of contaminated groundwater have been pumped and treated at the site. Cleanup at Bayou Bonfouca has also supported real community progress – including the grand opening of the Slidell Municipal Marina, recognized with EPA’s Excellence in Site Reuse Award. #CleanWater for every American is an integral part of EPA’s #PoweringtheGreatAmericanComeback initiative.

We are sampling sediment for mercury as part of a study to better understand how the Alcoa/Lavaca Bay #Superfund site is recovering. The study is part of a five-review review of the cleanup. We will follow the science, pursue answers, and hold ourselves to the highest standards to protect human health and the environment. Learn more about the site near Point Comfort, Texas, at epa.gov/superfund/alco…. #FromtheFieldFriday

Today, Chairman Wright and the RRC hosted the @EPARegion6 All States Quarterly Meeting, bringing together federal and state environmental leaders from across the South-Central Region.

EPA continues advancing cooperative federalism with our state partners as we assembled more than 50 officials across 12 agencies in 5 states for our quarterly meeting in Austin, TX. Special thanks to Chairman Wright and the Railroad Commission of Texas for hosting us at your offices. Together we can better protect our environment and public health while growing the economy. @ArkansasEE @louisiana_DEQ @LouisianaDCE @NMEnvDep @OklahomaDEQ @okcorpcomm @OERBOK @OKWaterBoard @TCEQ @txrrc @TWDB @TXOGA

Cleaning up the past, building Navajo futures. 💪 Recently, 35 Navajo community members graduated from EPA’s Superfund Job Training Initiative program. Now they’re ready to fill upcoming jobs at abandoned uranium mine cleanups across Navajo Nation! 👏 We’re committed to leveraging our contracting authorities to create opportunities on Navajo.💚 @EPAregion6 #SuperJTI #NavajoNation #Superfund #WorkforceDevelopment #CooperativeFederalism #GallupNM

This week, TXOGA met with @EPAregion6 Administrator Scott Mason! We are grateful to the EPA for recognizing oil and natural gas as an asset, not a liability. As a global leader in energy production, Texas is fueling American progress every single day and proving that we are the gold standard for innovation and reliability. #txlege #txenergy

For years, opportunities for advanced building and domestic manufacturing were met with unnecessary red tape and impediments that slowed our nation’s economic development and permitting projects to a halt. Today, by proposing to redefine “Begin Actual Construction” and clarify preconstruction permitting requirements, EPA is moving to allow the reshoring of manufacturing and begin building the infrastructure necessary to generate power and data center production. More here: epa.gov/newsreleases/e…

Today, EPA announced the launch of its Permitting Authority Map, an innovative tool useful for identifying which regulatory agency has the authority to issue permits corresponding to EPA’s permitting programs under environmental statutes. Access the tool here: epa.gov/permits/epa-pe…

#ICYMI, Regional Administrator Scott Mason was busy last week, sharing the cornerstone of EPA’s environmental policy in the Trump Administration: protection that empowers rather than restricts, regulation that clarifies rather than complicates, and an approach that recognizes the environment and economy as partners rather than adversaries. #PoweringtheGreatAmericanComeback

There is no finer place to see EPA’s priorities in action than the @GM plant in Arlington, Texas! Protecting and bringing back American auto jobs while protecting the environment and growing the economy – we can do all of these at the same time. #PoweringtheGreatAmericanComeback @EPARegion6 @EPARegion10

The Trump Administration is working to restore the ecological health of the #LakePontchartrain basin. It not only encompasses the most densely populated region of #Louisiana but also serves as one of the largest estuarine systems in the Gulf of America. 🌊 Read up on the basin and share your comments on the draft restoration plan! Learn how to comment here: spgv.io/60178RpX

EPA had a fruitful day at the Día del Niño/Day of the Child Community Fair in Alamo/Donna, Texas. We shared information in English and Spanish with more than 70 community members about polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish caught at the Donna Reservoir and Canal System #Superfund site. We appreciate @HidalgoCountyTX Precinct 2 and ARISE Adelante for inviting us to help raise awareness about this health risk! America’s future generations deserve to grow up surrounded by a safe, clean, and protected environment. Learn more about the site at epa.gov/superfund/donn….

#MaytheFourth Be With You! Check out this amazing photo from the Tri-State Mining District Superfund sites! This mine subsidence pit gives off some serious Sarlacc vibes. (Star Wars fans know what we mean!) These pits happen when shallow underground mines collapse and the ground sinks in. EPA keeps our communities safe by fencing these spots, filling them with mine waste and concrete, and covering them with clay and soil. Once they’re stable, boundary markers go up so everyone knows the location. It’s not from a galaxy far, far away, but it’s a powerful reminder of the importance of restoring and protecting our neighborhoods. 🌎✨

Pillar 2 of our Powering the Great American Comeback initiative ensures the Trump EPA is prioritizing ways to unleash American energy dominance to provide economic relief for Americans and bring commonsense rulemaking back to government. EPA's announced guidance today clarifies current federal regulations allowing oil and natural gas producers to continue routine flaring of associated gas at new oil wells in limited circumstances after the May 7, 2026, phase out deadline. This action directly responds to industry concerns and, according to @ENERGY, allows for continued oil production to reduce gasoline prices across the country. More here: spgv.io/60118u57

It was a pleasure to meet with Col. David W. Dake, District Commander of the Galveston District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers @SwdUsace. Regional Administrator Scott Mason and Col. Dake discussed environmental priorities and projects throughout the Texas coast, focusing on a cooperative federalism approach. Engagement with other federal agencies strengthens our relationship as we continuously work together to ensure clean air, land, and water for all Americans.

Regional Administrators Scott Mason of @EPAregion6 and Emma Pokon of @EPARegion10 toured the 5.75 million square foot General Motors Arlington, Texas, facility, engaging with @GM leadership on operations, innovation, and protecting and bringing back American auto jobs. As part of EPA’s #PoweringtheGreatAmericanComeback initiative, we are proud to support this vital driver of the U.S. economy while advancing common-sense protections for public health and the environment.

Our Powering the Great American Comeback initiative includes making the United States the AI capital of the world! As EPA Regional Administrator Scott Mason said at the American Data Centers Forum in Houston, “We’re adapting to the artificial intelligence era by addressing concerns and working cooperatively with partners to find common sense solutions and harness new and emerging technologies.”

While tremendous progress has been made in reducing children’s exposure to lead, the Trump EPA understands there is still much more work to be done. We have taken an all-hands-on-deck approach to tackling this issue head-on to ensure communities and states have the funding and resources necessary to reduce lead exposure.