U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator, David Fotouhi, visited Nome this week to hear from local leaders about contaminated sites, bulk fuel projects and energy needs in the Bering Strait region. The visit came a day after Fotouhi presented to the Resource Development Council in Anchorage.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ben Townsend
Welcome to Nome. To start, what brought you out to Western Alaska?
David Fotouhi
Well, thank you for having me on. I'm spending a few days here in Alaska. This is my first time in the state. I've been on the job at EPA now for about a year, really excited to be here in Alaska.
I'm a very visual person. I need to understand issues by hearing them directly and seeing them with my own eyes, and I really wanted to get out to Alaska because I know that the state has unique opportunities, but also some unique issues. And so from my perspective to do my job at EPA, I really wanted to see Nome, I wanted to see the Bering Strait region in person, and really understand and hear from folks locally about some of the issues facing these communities.
Ben Townsend
You attended a meeting this morning (June 18) at Kawerak. What were some of those things that you heard from the community?
David Fotouhi
We just wrapped up a really good meeting with the folks at Kawerak, as well as with the Denali Commission. We had a great conversation about a whole host of important issues for the region, including contaminated sites, and some of the efforts that EPA is partnering on with Kawerak and local communities on addressing contaminated site issues. Whether that's abandoned barrels or asbestos, other environmental issues, where we're partnering or providing funding for that good work to happen here locally.
We also had a really good conversation about some of the upcoming projects dealing with bulk fuel and fuel storage, and some of the work that EPA is funding through grants and teaming up with the Denali Commission to provide funding in places like Wales is just one example here where we're providing funding to expand their their bulk fuel capacity. So a really great meeting this morning, and look forward to a lot of continued engagement with Kawerak and with other communities here in the area.
Ben Townsend
There's many contaminated sites across the region, many of which are former military sites. Those go way back to the Lend Lease program the military operated during World War II. Many of those have still not been fully reclaimed, they've been leaching toxic chemicals into the soil for decades. What assurances can you provide to Western Alaskans that cleaning up these sites will continue to be a priority or a focus of the EPA?
David Fotouhi
It is absolutely the core mission of EPA to address contaminated lands across the country. It's something that we're investing in at EPA headquarters nationwide, including in Alaska. We've launched a new initiative called Superfund Solutions that really aims to expedite the cleanup and expedite the remedy process for contaminated sites nationwide, specifically here with the sites that you're referring to.
We're constantly looking for ways where we can provide technical assistance, where we can help with sampling and monitoring, so that folks know whether there's an issue in their community or whether it's safe to to gather food or have their kids play in a certain area, and so we can provide that type of that technical capacity. And we've been partnering with Kawerak and others to help with that. And as you said, it's an important partnership where we need to work at different levels of government to address these contaminated lands, and it's something that's a priority for this administration, and for EPA specifically.
Ben Townsend
It seems to me like a theme of this presidential administration is deregulation. In many ways, regulations are intended to protect human health and safety. But an argument that I've heard is that regulation can also get in the way, it can slow things down. In your view, what is the purpose of deregulation? In a place like Western Alaska, that is really sensitive to the environment around it.
David Fotouhi
From our perspective, we have to protect human health and the environment while also fostering economic growth and reducing the cost of living for every American, and that's something that we think we can have both. We don't need to choose.
When we look at what is the right approach to regulatory requirements, we need to make sure that we're not imposing burdens on economic growth and development and communities that is not going to bring with it tangible environmental benefits or human health benefits. When we look at different requirements that have been put in place, including a number of requirements from the last administration that made it more difficult to improve energy infrastructure to create jobs, we're looking at that very carefully and trying to take a common sense approach that leaves in place and enacts regulations that protect human health, protect families, keep children from being exposed to lead, reducing other types of chemical exposure, really, the core mission of what we're striving to do. And achieving that in a way that doesn't doesn't hinder the economic growth that will raise the standard of living and reduce the cost of living for everyone in our communities,
Ben Townsend
You were just in Anchorage touting coal power plants. This is something that was invented in the late 19th century. It's known to produce harmful pollution that can cause asthma, heart disease, cancers. Many communities in Western Alaska have been promised, and in the last couple of years, had funds rescinded for cleaner energy sources like solar and wind. Why is now the time to be pushing coal as a means of producing power?
David Fotouhi
From our perspective it's critical that we have a constant supply of base load power, and coal is one element of providing a reliable amount of base load power in an affordable way. We have a host of stringent regulations that apply to coal-fired power plants and require those plants to operate at a very high level and remove pollutants from their emissions.
The Clean Air Act is being fully implemented by EPA, and those regulations are still in place for new and existing power plants. Now, at the same time, we're not going to provide special favoritism for certain types of renewable energy. What we're going to do is level the playing field and ensure that whether it's natural gas, whether it's coal, whether it's hydro, or some other type of energy generation, that we are setting out regulatory requirements that are common sense, are understandable, and can be met, and importantly, protect human health and the environment in the communities where those facilities are operating. So that's how we've approached it, and we know that power demand is going up, and we know that we need continuous, reliable base load power to meet it, and coal is one way to achieve that.
Ben Townsend
What's the message that you're taking back to D.C. following this trip to Alaska?
David Fotouhi
I'm taking back a lot of messages. I'm taking back stories that I've heard on this trip about how important it is for Alaska in general and for Nome in particular, and this area to have economic growth and opportunities so that folks who grew up here and were raised here are able to, if they want to stay and raise their families in this area, or to retire here.
I'm taking back messages about the importance of environmental conservation and the importance of the land to the people who live in this area, but also that when it comes from the perspective of the federal government, that the trust that we're seeking to build with the local community needs to be earned, and that that's something that develops over time.
It's not going to be a quick fix, and so part of what we're trying to do is listen and understand the perspectives of a local community, understand how important it is for the natural resources here, and how that drives both economic opportunity and the way of life of people in this area, and to understand how, in some cases, the federal government needs to get out of the way and reduce regulatory burdens that don't make sense, and in other cases the federal government needs to step in and provide additional support to foster those economic growth opportunities.
Ben Townsend
Have you had any surprises since you landed here? It's your first time experiencing Nome, what stuck out to you?
David Fotouhi
Well, as someone who grew up in Oklahoma, where it's very flat, the vistas in both in Anchorage and here in Nome have just been stunning. It's completely blown me away about just how beautiful the natural landscape is.
Obviously, the people here feel so closely tied to the land, and that comes through in my interactions with them, and it's not really a surprise. It's something that I had heard about, but it's really been reinforced by my conversations with the folks at Kawerak this morning and others. So it's just been a very meaningful trip so far, and like I said, it helps inform the decisions that we have to make and the requirements that we have to carry out at EPA. Having seen firsthand communities like Nome.
Ben Townsend
I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here. And thank you for spending some time with me.
David Fotouhi
It's been a pleasure. Thank you for having me on.
