Denise Koch, Juneau’s public works deputy director, will represent the city as a new member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Local Government Advisory Committee.
The committee is made up of representatives from across the country and gathers feedback on the ways environmental issues impact local governments.
“This is like a very nerdy, wonky thing to be a part of, and to be excited about. But, I am really excited,” she said.
Last year, the passage of the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Package made billions of dollars available for things like clean energy and pollution reduction. Much of that funding will be distributed to cities and towns, leaving small governments to take the lead for climate action.
But Koch says navigating the complicated landscape of federal programs takes time and expertise that local governments may not have, which makes it hard for communities like Juneau to compete.
“Basically, it takes resources to chase resources,” Koch said.
She says the committee aims to make climate and environmental action more accessible by connecting local governments to EPA administrators. Koch and Sophie Swope, a city council member in Bethel, are the first representatives of Alaska communities to serve on the committee since 2010.
Koch began as the city’s deputy director of public works in 2021 and spent more than six years working on air quality and pollution control for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. She says her team is already working to secure some of the newly available federal money.
To scale up composting efforts, Juneau is applying for a solid waste infrastructure grant program. The city got $2.5 million in federal money for composting last year, but Koch says more is needed to establish a permanent city facility.
Another pending grant application would help to fortify Juneau’s wastewater processing. Koch says that high levels of food, fats, oils and grease in Juneau’s wastewater make it difficult to treat, but federal money will help the city make strides for cleaner water.
Koch says that’s just the beginning.
“We’re going to start to see more and more grant opportunities being released by the federal government in the next few months,” she said.
Koch hopes her feedback will help the EPA to better understand the needs of small communities when rolling out future programs, both for federal funding and federal pollution standards.
When the EPA tightens federal standards on things like water quality and ambient air quality, she says it can be cost-prohibitive for small communities to comply.
“The reality is, everyone in America wants healthy communities and a good sense of public health,” Koch said. “But sometimes those rules are really geared towards larger communities, and implementing them in smaller communities can be a little bit more challenging.”
Koch says she hopes to draw attention to Alaska’s unique logistical challenges too.
“When you’re in a national group, you know, many people haven’t even been to Alaska, and they can’t even fathom the sort of unique challenges we address up here,” she said.
She says representing Juneau before the EPA is an exciting next step — one she hopes will help her realize local aspirations for climate action, too. In the Infrastructure Package alone, $369 billion is designated for climate and energy initiatives.
“I’m really lucky that ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to work on these sorts of issues,” Koch said. “And I feel really lucky that I wound up in a community that values sustainability and the environment.”
By participating in the advisory committee, she hopes to learn how to keep track of upcoming federal climate action grants.
“And then we’ll put our resources into chasing those and being competitive and hopefully bringing some of that federal money back home to Juneau,” she said.
