U.S. EPA Pacific Southwest Region

06/08/2026

Did you know: Healthy coral reefs protect coastlines and prevent loss of life from storms, tsunamis, floods, and erosion?

🪸 Coral reefs and surrounding oceans provide habitat, feeding, spawning, and nursery grounds for over 1 MILLION aquatic species! 🐳

🏄 In EPA Region 9, oceans provide recreation and tourism opportunities like fishing, scuba diving, and snorkeling 🤿, contributing billions of dollars to local economies.

🌞 Help us celebrate our coral reefs on World Oceans Day!

➡️ Click here for more info: https://www.epa.gov/coral-reefs

06/06/2026

📢 For our friends in the Pacific Islands and Hawaii.

⛑️Prepare your emergency kits for this year’s hurricane season!

⚠️ Key safety tip: Always use portable generators OUTSIDE and as far away from the building as possible. Do not put them near doors, vents or windows near where people sleep. Carbon monoxide buildup can be lethal ☠️ in minutes!!

📈 Check out the Central Pacific Outlook to see what the National Weather Service is forecasting in 2026. https://www.weather.gov/hfo/hurricaneOutlook2026

06/05/2026

🙌 EPA has announced a settlement with the Wilbur-Ellis company related to federal safety regulations – the company’s facilities in California and Washington are now back in compliance with chemical reporting requirements!

📋 The company paid a penalty and submitted revised chemical data reporting that better protects facility workers and nearby communities.

➡️Click here to learn more: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-returns-chemical-company-compliance-toxic-substances-control-act

06/02/2026

🔥 Pacific Southwest: As the summer heats up, smoke from wildfires can impact air quality.

Be ⤵️

S – Stay Informed: Check the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map (created w/ U.S. Forest Service). 📲
M – Minimize Exposure: Limiting outdoor time, wear a well fitting N-95 mask when needed. 😷
O – Optimize the Air: Set your HVAC or AC to recirculate clean air. 🔁
K – Keep Supplies: Extra air filters for your home, N95’s, and essentials. 🧰
E – Establish a Clean Room: Seal leaks and run an air filter. 🏠

📹 Credit: U.S. Wildland Fire Service | Santa Rosa Island Fire, May 2026

05/20/2026

🐝 most native bees in the Western United States 🏜️ nest underground? These solitary species often work in cooler temperatures earlier in the day.

On World Bee Day, we here in the Pacific Southwest honor all our pollinators from ground nesting bees to Hawaiian yellow faced bees found only in the Pacific Islands 🌺. Protecting pollinators means protecting our future🌍.

➡️Click here to learn more: https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection

05/19/2026

🥳 Congrats to Amador Water Agency Financing Corporation on their $58M EPA loan! 👏

This investment will improve several drinking water treatment plants 🚰, increasing the capacity and reliability of drinking water for Amador County, while protecting nearby waterways, including the Mokelumne River watershed. 🌊

EPA’s flexible financing will reduce the project’s costs (to the tune of ~$3.8M! 💰) The project will also create around 248 local jobs during and post-construction. 💪

👉 Learn more here: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-58-million-wifia-loan-upgrade-aging-drinking-water-infrastructure-0

Amador County California

05/18/2026

⏩ From to green spaces! 🌲 A new park is coming to South San Francisco!

Recently, EPA joined The City of South San Francisco – Government to break ground on a project that will transform a former auto shop + parking lot into 🔁 a vibrant community gathering space. 💚

🤝 Thanks to EPA Brownfields funding, this property was assessed and deemed safe for reuse – unlocking additional investment for a new playground, plaza, trees, and additional green space. 👏

EPA’s Brownfields program helps communities transform underutilized spaces into places where Americans can safely live, work and play. 🙌

05/15/2026

We are proud to showcase the environmental stewardship of our nation’s children and educators! Join us in congratulating our awardees – including, here in the Pacific Southwest, a student-founder of Growing Green and a teacher at Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary School, both based in Arizona -- for the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) and our President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA)! For more information on our Arizona winners, visit: https://www.epa.gov/education/presidential-innovation-award-environmental-educators-piaee-winners and https://www.epa.gov/education/presidents-environmental-youth-award-peya-winners

Summaries of winners of the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators, and links to winners of past years.

05/15/2026

What do sea turtles 🐢, monk seals 🦭, corals 🪸 and condors 🦅 have in common? They are all unique endangered and threatened species in EPA’s Pacific Southwest region!

On this Endangered Species Day, peek into EPA’s strategy to protect these vital resources.

➡️ Follow the link to participate: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-seeks-public-comment-draft-strategy-better-protect-endangered-species

05/13/2026

Cleaning up the past, building Navajo futures. 💪

Recently, EPA Pacific Southwest joined Navajo Nation EPA 🤝 in Gallup, NM, to celebrate the 35 Navajo community members who graduated 🎓 from EPA’s Superfund Job Training Initiative held on Navajo Nation! 👏

⏩ After an intense two weeks of training, graduates earned the skills and certifications to fill upcoming jobs at abandoned uranium mine cleanups across Navajo Nation (as soon as June 2026)!

EPA remains committed to leveraging our contracting authorities to create safe jobs and business opportunities on Navajo. 💚

25th Navajo Nation Council
U.S. EPA South Central Region