Project Grant 84056501

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International received a $1,124,999 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) research program Project Grant with a completion date of June 30, 2027. The grant aims to characterize environmental, public health, economic, and environmental justice impacts of a large-scale swine waste-to-energy operation in Eastern North Carolina through stakeholder surveys, interviews, economic analyses, and environmental monitoring. RTI will conduct the analyses and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) will assist with risk perception studies, site selection, and data analysis as a $299,839 subawardee. A $233,410 subaward was also provided to the Environmental Justice Community Action Network to support community sampling efforts and stakeholder workshops. Deliverables will include annual and final reports and an interactive tool to help stakeholders evaluate waste-to-energy operations. Outcomes aim to provide findings of interest to communities with environmental justice concerns and decision-makers regarding swine waste facility impacts.