Rep. Keenan Urges Community Groups to Apply
for Toxic Use Reduction Grants

 

SALEM, MA – With the August 30th deadline approaching, Rep. John Keenan (D-Salem) urged Salem area community groups and organizations to take advantage of grants available for up to $12,000 each from the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell. The grants are available to non-profit community or environmental organizations and municipal departments or agencies in Massachusetts.

“TURI is especially seeking applications from neighborhood associations, labor unions, fire and police departments, civic organizations, chambers of commerce, libraries, boards of health, hospitals, health centers, and public schools,” said Rep. Keenan, “If your group has the need, now is the time to apply.”

Now in its twelfth year, the goal of the TURI grant program is to help organizations raise awareness of the hazards of toxic chemical use and introduce safer alternatives within their neighborhoods. The legislature increased funding to TURI by 6.7% over last fiscal year in their state budget plan for FY2007, to help towards this end.

For more information, interest groups should contact Rachel Massey at TURI: 978-934-3195 or by email at Rachel_Massey@uml.edu. Grant application packages may be downloaded from the TURI website directly: www.turi.org.

In a similar matter, the Salem Housing Authority has received a $10,500 grant from the Massachusetts Underground Storage Tank Petroleum Product Cleanup Fund, to assist in the clean up and remediation of an underground tank at their Garden Terrace housing property. “These funding opportunities all help towards our goal of making the Salem community a safer, healthier place for our children and families,” said Rep. Keenan, on learning of the grant award, “I am glad the Commonwealth is helping our city invest in these worthwhile endeavors.”