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Smithsonian Institution: Fossil Footprints Reveal That an Ancient Human Relative Was Larger Than Previously Thought and Traveled in Groups 1.4 Million Years Ago
WASHINGTON, July 28 (TNSjou) -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
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Fossil Footprints Reveal That an Ancient Human Relative Was Larger Than Previously Thought and Traveled in Groups 1.4 Million Years Ago
Newly Described Trackway in Northern Kenya Preserves a Snapshot of How Individuals of an Ancient Hominin Species Interacted With One Another
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Ancient footprints preserved along the shores of Kenya's Lake Turkana are reshaping scientists' understanding of one of humanity's extinct relatives. A paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of
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WASHINGTON, July 28 (TNSjou) -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
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Fossil Footprints Reveal That an Ancient Human Relative Was Larger Than Previously Thought and Traveled in Groups 1.4 Million Years Ago
Newly Described Trackway in Northern Kenya Preserves a Snapshot of How Individuals of an Ancient Hominin Species Interacted With One Another
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Ancient footprints preserved along the shores of Kenya's Lake Turkana are reshaping scientists' understanding of one of humanity's extinct relatives. A paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy ofSciences describes a set of fossil trackways made by a group of ancient human relatives that were moving along a lakeshore more than 1.4 million years ago.
An international team of researchers from the U.S. and Kenya analyzed a trove of fossilized footprints that were left behind by a troop of eight Paranthropus boisei hominins, first discovered nearly 50 years ago in northern Kenya by Kay Behrensmeyer, senior research geologist and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Behrensmeyer's team initially discovered the trackway in 1978 and is studying how the local geology preserved so many ancient footprints at the site.
The study was led by Kevin Hatala, an associate professor of biology at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and an associate researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
"Each site represents a snapshot of our past, and we are quickly building a photo album with several different windows to hominin anatomy, locomotion, behavior and environments during the Early Pleistocene," Hatala said.
The newly described track site provides one of the most detailed snapshots yet and emphasizes the global importance of paleoanthropology sites around Kenya's Lake Turkana according to Purity Kiura, a researcher at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi and co-author on the new paper.
"The discovery of these fossil footprints along the margins of Lake Turkana reinforces the region's global importance in understanding human evolution, preserving remarkable evidence of how our ancient relatives lived 1.4 million years ago," Kiura said. "It further strengthens Kenya's position as one of the world's leading paleoanthropological landscapes and highlights our responsibility to protect this irreplaceable heritage."
Behrensmeyer has conducted field work in this region since 1969. During the 1978 field season, some of her Kenyan colleagues were excavating a trench to examine different geologic layers when Behrensmeyer noticed a deep, rounded indentation in the rock--a hippo footprint. The crew excavated that layer and carefully brushed off the surface, revealing a pair of hominin tracks pressed into the ancient sediment.
The find was particularly exciting to Behrensmeyer because footprints provide insights into ancient human behavior that are often difficult to glean from fossilized bones and fragments.
"The special thing about footprints scientifically is that they preserve an instant in time," Behrensmeyer said. "They also allow people to relate to these fossils much more easily than an isolated piece of bone or jaw."
It would take several decades for scientists to understand the true extent of this fossil trackway, which was named GaJi10. After Behrensmeyer and her team studied the initial footprints, the site was buried in sand to protect it for future study. In 2016 and 2023, the team returned and revealed many more footprints preserved on the same layer. In total, the GaJi10 site preserves 21 footprints that were left by eight individuals, as well as tracks of numerous hippo, antelope and other animals.
The team used volcanic ash in the surrounding rock to date the trackway to the Early Pleistocene around 1.43 million years ago. At the time, the shores of Lake Turkana were inhabited by a range of animals, including crocodiles, elephants and two different species of ancient human relatives, or hominins: P. boisei, a stocky species with heavy-duty teeth, and Homo erectus, a potential direct ancestor of humans today.
In 2024, members of the research team, including Hatala and Behrensmeyer, described a slightly older trackway in the area that preserved prints from both species of ancient hominins, revealing that the two inhabited the same habitats for hundreds of thousands of years.
"We can't say how the two different hominins interacted on the mudflats, but we know they were both here at this time," Behrensmeyer said.
The team analyzed the anatomy and movement patterns of the GaJi10 fossil footprints and determined they were made by Paranthropus. The conclusion was surprising because the tracks were similar sizes to those left by H. erectus, which was long thought to be significantly larger than Paranthropus.
"The sizes of the footprints indicate human-like body sizes--up to 6 feet tall and around 165 pounds," Hatala said. Resizing Paranthropus provides evidence that two similarly sized hominins inhabited the same environment at the same time.
The new track site also reveals that adult male Paranthropus sometimes traveled in groups.
"The fact that eight, mostly adult male, P. boisei individuals seemingly traveled together as a group, without females or children, hints at a complex social structure in this species," said Neil Roach, a researcher at Harvard University who is also a coauthor of the new paper. "They may have lived in large groups, where males competed for mates, but also tolerated each other at times for safety in a dangerous environment."
The newly described track site is among hundreds of footprints that have been discovered along the eastern shore of Lake Turkana. These footprints were deposited over more than 100,000 years, and Behrensmeyer thinks that better understanding the geology that preserved the footprints could shed light on why local hominins frequented this lake margin environment.
The team is returning to Kenya later this year to continue investigating these fossil footprint sites. The prospect of new discoveries continues to excite Behrensmeyer.
"I never dreamed when we found these in 1978 that it would develop into such a large assemblage and provide such widespread insights into the ecology of these hominins," Behrensmeyer said.
In addition to Hatala, Behrensmeyer, Kiura and Roach, the study included authors affiliated with Rutgers University, George Washington University and Stony Brook University. The research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Turkana Basin Institute (Kenya and Stony Brook University).
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About the National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is connecting people everywhere with Earth's unfolding story. It is one of the most visited natural history museums in the world. Opened in 1910, the museum is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the world's most extensive collection of natural history specimens and human artifacts. The museum is open daily, except Dec. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit the museum on its website, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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View journal here: https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2530996123
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/fossil-footprints-reveal-ancient-human-relative-was-larger-previously-thought-and
NAM Outlines a Path to Align Health Financing Toward System-Wide Reform
WASHINGTON, July 27 -- The National Academy of Medicine issued the following news:
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NAM Outlines a Path to Align Health Financing Toward System-Wide Reform
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The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) today released guidance on how to align the U.S. health system's financial incentives to achieve improved access, affordability, and better outcomes for every individual and community. The paper highlights the structural drivers of misaligned incentives and opportunities for discussion across the U.S. health care system.
According to the paper, prevailing payment structures, particularly fee-for-service,
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WASHINGTON, July 27 -- The National Academy of Medicine issued the following news:
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NAM Outlines a Path to Align Health Financing Toward System-Wide Reform
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The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) today released guidance on how to align the U.S. health system's financial incentives to achieve improved access, affordability, and better outcomes for every individual and community. The paper highlights the structural drivers of misaligned incentives and opportunities for discussion across the U.S. health care system.
According to the paper, prevailing payment structures, particularly fee-for-service,reward volume and intensity of services rather than prevention, coordination, or long-term outcomes. The result is systemic inefficiency, waste, persistent inequities, and gaps in care.
"Many innovative financing models have been tested over the past several decades, but most have remained limited to specific populations, care settings, or demonstration projects," said David Muhlestein, CEO of Simple Healthcare. "We have an opportunity now to move beyond isolated programs and pursue broader changes that align financial incentives across the health system around better health, better care, and better value."
The paper identifies three core drivers of the disconnect between incentives and desired performance: an overemphasis on illness treatment rather than prevention for which there is often a more firmly established evidence base, a fragmented and piecemeal system design, and inconsistent oversight and overlapping authorities. These structural issues reinforce a system in which accountability for results is difficultly distributed, thereby limiting the impact of even well-intentioned reforms.
To address these challenges, the paper outlines a set of potential policy and programmatic levers for government and private stakeholders. These include rebalancing payments to strengthen primary, specialty, and long-term care outcomes, advancing population-based payment models such as total cost of care, expanding insurance design innovations, improving coordination across federal and state agencies, and establishing stronger accountability mechanisms tied to health outcomes and affordability.
"This paper provides practical policy and market strategies that can help align health care financing with the long-term goal of improving health," Carrie Colla, vice chair of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine. "By giving public and private leaders a common framework for action, we hope to accelerate the transition to a health system that works more effectively for individuals, communities, and future generations."
The paper also emphasizes the importance of aligning financing with broader investments in population health and community well-being. Among the potential actions are strengthening incentives for early intervention and chronic disease prevention, supporting integrated and coordinated care models, improving transparency and oversight across payers, and creating financing approaches that better reflect long-term health outcomes rather than short-term service utilization. The authors note that no single intervention by government or the private sector will be sufficient; instead, meaningful progress will require coordinated, multi-sector action across public and private stakeholders.
Each policy lever presents tradeoffs, and implementation will depend on context, timing, and stakeholder will. Ultimately, the authors call for a shared commitment among policymakers, payers, providers, employers, and communities to realign financing with prevention, value, and population health, and to move collectively toward a system that delivers better outcomes for all.
"It is not sufficient to simply observe that our health care system is underperforming," said Michael McGinnis, Executive Officer of the NAM. "In fact, with its fragmentation and adverse financial incentives, it is performing precisely according to its design. Our nation, our neighbors and our families cannot afford to sustain a system that continues to produce poor outcomes at escalating cost."
Read the full paper: https://nam.edu/perspectives/anchoring-health-financing-on-better-outcomes-system-drivers-and-opportunities-for-reform
This paper is the third in a series produced by the National Academy of Medicine's Commission on Investment Imperatives for a Healthy Nation. Established to reimagine a US health care system that puts people first, the Commission will release additional papers over the coming year outlining its vision for a new health system, the priorities that must be addressed, and the actions needed to turn that vision into reality. Authored by experts assembled under the charge of the National Academy of Medicine, the paper was completed with support from Healing Works Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The views presented are those of individual contributors and do not represent formal consensus positions of the sponsoring organizations, authors' organizations, the National Academy of Medicine, or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
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Original text here: https://nam.edu/news-and-insights/nam-outlines-a-path-to-align-health-financing-toward-system-wide-reform/
Fannie Mae Plans to Report Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results on July 29, 2026
WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Fannie Mae issued the following news release:
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Fannie Mae Plans to Report Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results on July 29, 2026
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Company Will Host Webcast to Discuss Results
WASHINGTON, DC - Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) plans to report its second quarter 2026 financial results on Wednesday morning, July 29, 2026, before the opening of U.S. financial markets.
Fannie Mae Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer Peter Akwaboah and Chief Financial Officer Chryssa C. Halley will discuss the company's results during a webcast at 8:00 a.m., ET, on Wednesday,
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WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Fannie Mae issued the following news release:
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Fannie Mae Plans to Report Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results on July 29, 2026
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Company Will Host Webcast to Discuss Results
WASHINGTON, DC - Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) plans to report its second quarter 2026 financial results on Wednesday morning, July 29, 2026, before the opening of U.S. financial markets.
Fannie Mae Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer Peter Akwaboah and Chief Financial Officer Chryssa C. Halley will discuss the company's results during a webcast at 8:00 a.m., ET, on Wednesday,July 29, 2026.
Prior to the webcast, the company's second quarter 2026 financial results news release, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, earnings presentation, and other supplemental information will be posted to the company's Quarterly and Annual Results webpage at fanniemae.com/financialresults. Following the webcast, a transcript will be published to the financial results webpage and will remain available for at least one year.
WEBCAST PARTICIPATION DETAILS - Fannie Mae Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Event day and time
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
8:00 a.m. (ET)
Webcast link: https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1766445&tp_key=f4c741c907
Click on the link above to access the webcast. If you have difficulty accessing the webcast at the link above, please click the "Listen by Phone" button on the webcast player and dial the number provided.
Media Contact
Matthew Classick
202-752-3662
Investor Contact
Yasaman Hekmat
800-232-6643 (Option 3)
TOPICS
* Fannie Mae Corporate
* Financials
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Original text here: https://www.fanniemae.com/newsroom/fannie-mae-news/fannie-mae-plans-report-second-quarter-2026-financial-results-july-29-2026
Accessibility by Design: Inside Amtrak's Fleet Modernization (Audio Descriptions)
WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corp.) issued the following news:
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Accessibility by Design: Inside Amtrak's Fleet Modernization (Audio Descriptions)
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Video Player
https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Amtrak-ADA-Voice-1.mp4
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Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.
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Original text here: https://media.amtrak.com/2026/07/accessibility-by-design-inside-amtraks-fleet-modernization-audio-descriptions/
EPA Announces $30 Million to Support Small Water Systems and Advance Implementation of Real Water Technical Assistance
WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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EPA Announces $30 Million to Support Small Water Systems and Advance Implementation of Real Water Technical Assistance
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WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $30 million in grant funding, under EPA's Real Water Technical Assistance Initiative, to provide training and technical assistance that will improve water quality in small and rural communities across America. Supporting small water systems in their work to meet requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act and
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WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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EPA Announces $30 Million to Support Small Water Systems and Advance Implementation of Real Water Technical Assistance
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WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $30 million in grant funding, under EPA's Real Water Technical Assistance Initiative, to provide training and technical assistance that will improve water quality in small and rural communities across America. Supporting small water systems in their work to meet requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act andthe Clean Water Act helps ensure all Americans have access to clean and reliable water and helps Make America Healthy Again.
"Small and rural communities are the backbone of this great country, and it's no secret that water systems serving these areas can face unique challenges with delivering clean and safe water that their communities rely on," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jessica Kramer. "This $30 million investment is another way EPA is delivering wins for rural America. Nationally recognized technical assistance providers will use this money to strengthen small and rural systems to protect water quality and support high-impact public health protection."
Funding for the training and technical assistance grants will be used for developing and supporting technical, managerial, and financial capabilities at small public drinking water systems, small publicly owned wastewater systems, and onsite/decentralized wastewater systems. It will also assist private well owners with improving water quality, including testing for PFAS contamination and identifying lead service lines. EPA anticipates awarding federal grants to these recipients after legal and administrative requirements are satisfied:
* National Rural Water Association (NRWA) - $9,100,000 to support small systems by providing training and technical assistance in technical, managerial, and financial capabilities, including rate-setting and fiscal planning. NRWA will also enhance technical capabilities when assisting in diagnosing and troubleshooting system operational and compliance-related issues and ensure that asset management programs are a standard operating practice.
* Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) - $14,580,000 to provide technical, managerial, and financial training and technical assistance for operators, board members, and managers and to address drinking water regulatory compliance failures. RCAP will also work to ensure that wastewater systems improve treatment and adopt sustainable management practices, with a focus on financial sustainability. Additionally, RCAP will help to ensure properly maintained private drinking water wells.
* Southwest Environmental Finance Center at the University of New Mexico - $7,020,000 to strengthen technical, managerial, and financial capability, including assisting with creation of asset management plans and assessing system financial health. The project will address operational, managerial, and financial challenges in small communities, as well as support for lead service line inventories and training on PFAS regulations and treatment.
"NRWA values its long-standing partnership with EPA in providing vital hands-on grassroots training and technical assistance to small and rural communities across our nation," stated Matthew Holmes, CEO of the National Rural Water Association. "Through Assistant Administrator Jessica Kramer's leadership and the RealWaterTA initiative, we are proud to offer a back-to-basics approach to technical assistance, using proven and efficient methods to assist systems with technical, managerial, and financial management needs, and driving real-world results."
"The Rural Community Assistance Partnership is grateful to the U.S. EPA for this critical investment in the future of rural water infrastructure," said RCAP Chief Executive Officer Olga Morales-Pate. "Many small and rural utilities operate with limited capacity, aging assets, and tight financial resources, making it difficult to balance daily operational needs with long-term sustainability. Through this funding, the RCAP Network is able to provide technical assistance to utilities and deliver hands-on support that helps communities protect public health, maintain compliance, and build the resilience of water and wastewater infrastructure systems and extend assistance and resources to private well owners."
"We are so thankful for EPA's continued commitment to helping small, rural, and tribal drinking water systems address their technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) capacity issues," said Heather Himmelberger, Director of the Southwest Environmental Finance Center at UNM. "As national leaders in training and technical assistance, the Environmental Finance Center Network brings our traditional and innovative approaches to help water systems build TMF capacity, improve or maintain compliance, and address critical workforce challenges. We look forward to continuing our partnership with EPA on this important program."
Since 2012, this grant has provided over $200 million to training and technical assistance providers. Training and technical assistance funding ensures that these providers support locally tailored assistance to communities. The funding contributes to ensuring communities have safe drinking water and that wastewater is responsibly managed.
EPA's Real Water Technical Assistance (RealWaterTA) supports drinking water and wastewater systems using proven, best-practice approaches that will most effectively address local needs while partnering with states and Tribes. The goals of RealWaterTA focus on public health and compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act. It also prioritizes accountability for technical assistance providers and real-world results. This initiative will benefit Americans nationwide, especially in rural areas where small systems face challenges operating and maintaining vital water infrastructure.
For more information about the grant, visit: Training and Technical Assistance for Small Systems Funding.
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Original text here: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-30-million-support-small-water-systems-and-advance-implementation-real
SBA Announces $9 Million in Grant Funding for the Supply Chain Acceleration and Logistics Enablement Program
WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on July 23, 2026:
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SBA Announces $9 Million in Grant Funding for the Supply Chain Acceleration and Logistics Enablement (SCALE) Program
Funding will help small firms scale production and support strategic priorities
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Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it is seeking proposals for a new funding competition as part of the Supply Chain Acceleration and Logistics Enablement (SCALE) Program, which will award 20 grants of up to $500,000 each over a two year period of performance.
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WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on July 23, 2026:
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SBA Announces $9 Million in Grant Funding for the Supply Chain Acceleration and Logistics Enablement (SCALE) Program
Funding will help small firms scale production and support strategic priorities
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Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it is seeking proposals for a new funding competition as part of the Supply Chain Acceleration and Logistics Enablement (SCALE) Program, which will award 20 grants of up to $500,000 each over a two year period of performance.The program, which will provide a total of $9 million in funding, is designed to help small businesses address supply chain constraints, increase production, and expand participation in strategically important supply chains.
"Thanks to President Trump's tireless commitment to building in America, this Administration is driving the most aggressive reindustrialization effort our nation has ever seen," said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. "The Trump SBA is dedicated to strengthening our manufacturing base by supporting the capital and resources required to return to Made in America. The SBA's SCALE Program offers targeted support to rebuild critical supply chains across our industrial base by empowering high potential domestic suppliers to meet new demand, reshore production, and put American workers and producers back in charge of the industries that keep our nation strong - from agriculture and energy to defense."
Eligible applicants include public or private entities, nonprofit organizations, and institutions capable of delivering accelerator programming, technical assistance, industry engagement, or related services that support small businesses in the identified priority supply chains. Applicants must focus on one of the following SCALE industry supply chain priorities:
* Advanced Manufacturing
* Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Supply Chains
* Defense Industrial Base Technologies and Components
* Energy, Critical Materials, and Industrial Inputs
* Food Supply and Agricultural Systems
* Transportation, Logistics, and Industrial Infrastructure
Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the SBA has emphasized investment in manufacturing and critical supply chains as part of the broader America First agenda to restore U.S. industrial dominance. By pairing new grant programs like SCALE with expanded access to working capital, reforms to long term investment vehicles, and technical assistance for onshoring, the agency is building a comprehensive toolkit to help small businesses reshore the production, logistics, and industrial infrastructure that underpin America's economic and national security.
The SBA has committed to rebuilding American supply chains and domestic manufacturing through a series of targeted initiatives. This year, the agency waived loan fees for manufacturing NAICS codes, established the first-ever loan program dedicated to American manufacturers, and modernized the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program so more private capital flows into critical, supply chain sensitive industries. The agency also announced a new 90% Made in America Loan Guarantee for small manufacturers and continues to promote existing programs such as the asset-based 7(a) Working Capital Pilot (WCP) Program.
Applicants must submit proposals electronically through Grants.gov. The deadline for proposal submissions is Aug. 7 by 4:00 p.m. ET. General questions about these grant opportunities should be directed to accelerators@sba.gov.
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About SBA Office of Investment and Innovation
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Investment and Innovation (OII) leads programs to support U.S. growth-oriented small businesses and startups. These programs provide access to capital, assistance, and networks to support the success of innovation-driven small businesses. OII's work is bolstered by public-private partnerships that drive small business growth from idea to impact. To learn more, visit https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-locations/headquarters-offices/office-investment-innovation.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.sba.gov/article/2026/07/23/sba-announces-9-million-grant-funding-supply-chain-acceleration-logistics-enablement-scale-program
EPA Proposes Interim Cleanup Plan for Wappinger Creek Superfund Site in Dutchess County, New York
WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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EPA Proposes Interim Cleanup Plan for Wappinger Creek Superfund Site in Dutchess County, New York
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NEW YORK \- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing an interim cleanup plan to address mercury-contaminated sediment and soil along the banks of Wappinger Creek in Dutchess County, New York.
The Wappinger Creek Superfund site includes the lower two miles of the creek, from the base of Wappingers Falls to where the creek meets the Hudson River. EPA's proposed plan focuses on the
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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EPA Proposes Interim Cleanup Plan for Wappinger Creek Superfund Site in Dutchess County, New York
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NEW YORK \- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing an interim cleanup plan to address mercury-contaminated sediment and soil along the banks of Wappinger Creek in Dutchess County, New York.
The Wappinger Creek Superfund site includes the lower two miles of the creek, from the base of Wappingers Falls to where the creek meets the Hudson River. EPA's proposed plan focuses on theupper portion of the site to remove contaminated material that could move downstream. The proposal calls for removing sediment from the creek and soil along the banks that contain high levels of mercury. After the contaminated material is removed, EPA would backfill the excavated areas and restore the affected parts of the creek and stream bank.
This proposed cleanup is an interim action designed to get cleanup action moving faster. It is not the final cleanup decision for the entire site. EPA would monitor conditions after the work is completed to confirm the interim cleanup is working as intended and to help guide a future final cleanup plan for the site.
Since day one, the Trump Administration has had renewed focus on delivering on its core mission and has proven significant progress can be made at Superfund sites when resources are used correctly. At this Superfund site, by taking an interim remedial action to address the most significant contamination first, EPA is utilizing enhanced project management and deploying tools and authorities earlier.
"This interim approach gets us in the creek sooner getting some of the worst contamination out more quickly," said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. "By targeting contaminated sediment and soil along the creek banks in the upper portion of the site, EPA is working to reduce the movement of contamination downstream and protect the creek while we continue to evaluate the long-term cleanup needs for the entire site."
EPA is accepting public comments on the proposed plan for 30 days, beginning July 23, 2026. The public may submit written comments to Emily Wong, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 or by email to Wong.Emily@epa.gov.
EPA will hold a public meeting on July 30 at 6:00 p.m. to provide an overview of the cleanup proposal and answer community questions. The meeting will be held at the Grinnell Public Library, 2642 E Main St, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590.
The proposed plan and supporting documents will be available on the Wappinger Creek Superfund site profile page.
Follow EPA Region 2 on X Exit EPA's website, Instagram Exit EPA's website, and visit our Facebook Exit EPA's website page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.
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Original text here: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-proposes-interim-cleanup-plan-wappinger-creek-superfund-site-dutchess-county-new
