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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><img width="83" height="119" style="width:.8645in;height:1.2395in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D8DE62.BE694180" alt="DEM-logo-small"></span><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p style="margin:0in;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;color:#00457A">Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#00457A">235 Promenade Street | Providence, RI 02908 | 401.222.4700 |</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0070C0">
</span><a href="http://www.dem.ri.gov"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0066FF">www.dem.ri.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0070C0">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#00457A">| @RhodeIslandDEM</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#0070C0"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">CONTACT:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">
<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Mike Healey, DEM: 401-258-0787 Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:Michael.Healey@dem.ri.gov"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#0066FF">Michael.Healey@dem.ri.gov</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#0066FF"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">DEM RECOGNIZES RHODE ISLAND WINNERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">OF EPA ENVIRONMENTAL MERIT AWARDS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">PROVIDENCE, RI – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today is glad to recognize the six Rhode Island recipients of the
</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-awards-six-environmental-merit-awards-rhode-island-recipients__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!JfauUP_2-lNDDHodhOCuw2mOPQBhOzS02ZGVi8jR9IolnDGRu2sVYgew4H80lerV2aPqvYNYab4tk7lmCneqIsxLLWjB_zVq9cE$"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#0066FF">United States Environmental Protection Agency’s
Environmental Merit Awards</span> [epa.gov]</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">, given to those
<span style="color:#1B1B1B;background:white">who have made outstanding contributions to protect New England's environment. Awardees include four individuals and two organizations:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#1B1B1B;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;background:white">Judith Swift, retiring director of the URI Coastal Institute, a leader and interdisciplinary collaborator whose work over decades helped
power the cleanup of Narragansett Bay<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow">George Loomis, with the URI Cooperative Extension, who leveraged the latest scientific knowledge to advance the
field of onsite wastewater treatment systems<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;background:white">Meg Kerr, a fierce environmental advocate who served for many leading organizations including the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and
is particularly passionate about pollinators<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;background:white">Brian Byrnes, Providence Parks and Recreation’s deputy director, who has helped improve water quality in watersheds statewide by showcasing
green infrastructure at the Providence Stormwater Innovation Center<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;background:white">The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, a key DEM partner in meeting the carbon-reduction mandates of the landmark Act on Climate law and,
in 2021, loaned more than $54 million to finance clean water and drinking water projects, supporting thousands of jobs; and<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1B1B1B;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;background:white">WaterFire Providence, the visionary arts organization led by Barnaby Evans and Peter Mello whose displays on the Providence River draw
hundreds of thousands of visitors to the capital city every year and has been an exemplar in using public art to unite people to try to solve difficult urban problems.
<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><br>
“EPA is proud to recognize and congratulate Rhode Island awardees, for their great accomplishments and their continued efforts towards combatting climate change, bringing cleaner air and water to neighborhoods, and ensuring our underserved communities’ voices
are being heard,” <strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;font-weight:normal">said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash.</span></strong> “Their ingenuity and commitment truly make a difference in our New England communities.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">“DEM’s almost 400 employees join me in offering our enthusiastic congratulations and thanks to everyone that’s being recognized by EPA Region I this year,” said DEM Director
Terry Gray. By making excellence their habit, the individual and institutional honorees have made a difference – and made Rhode Island a cleaner, greener, fairer, better place to be.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0066FF">Michael J. Healey | Chief Public Affairs Officer</span></b><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F4E79"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#212121">Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management</span><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#212121">235 Promenade Street, Providence RI 02908</span><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#212121">401-222-4700, X277-7273</span><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#212121">Email: </span><a href="mailto:michael.healey@dem.ri.gov"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0066FF">michael.healey@dem.ri.gov</span></a><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#212121">Web: </span><a href="http://www.dem.ri.gov/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0066FF">www.dem.ri.gov</span></a><span style="color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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