AI-Summary – News For Tomorrow
Ten Delaware environmental projects will receive $348,777 in 2026 through the Community Environmental Project Fund (CEPF), funded by environmental violation fines. A 2025 law increased the portion of fines returned to communities from 25% to 40%, prioritizing projects within two miles of violation sites. Since 2004, CEPF has awarded $4.41 million to 119 projects, with past grants supporting environmental enhancement, recreation, and pollution mitigation. The grants aim to reduce pollution, improve environmental conditions, and create recreational opportunities. A list of the 10 funded projects is available at de.gov/cepf.
News summary provided by Gemini AI.
Ten Delaware projects will receive a total of $348,777 in 2026 through the Community Environmental Project Fund, or CEPF, administered by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
Under state law, DNREC sets aside a portion of fines and penalties from environmental violations and returns that money to the communities where the violations occurred. The grants support projects that reduce pollution, improve environmental conditions or create new recreational opportunities.
A new law passed in 2025 — House Bill 210, the Pollution Accountability Act — increased the share of penalty funds going back to communities from 25% to 40%. It also gives priority to projects located within two miles of a violation site.
Since the program began in 2004, CEPF has awarded about $4.41 million to 119 projects across Delaware. DNREC says 37% of past grants supported environmental enhancement, 33.6% created recreational opportunities and 29.4% focused on pollution mitigation.
The list of the 10 funded projects is available at de.gov/cepf.
