US EPA welcomes Colombo participation in Cities Clean Air Partnership Program

Tuesday, 25 November 2014 00:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Officials from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) met with Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy B.M.E.D. Basnayake last week to commend Sri Lanka for designating Colombo City as a participant in the Cities Clean Air Partnership (CCAP) program, a city-to-city support program that links Asian cities with California cities that have decades of experience reducing air pollution.

“Congratulations to Colombo on joining as a pilot partner in the Cities Clean Air Partnership,” said Mark Kasman, EPA’s Senior Advisor for the Asia-Pacific Region. “We look forward to welcoming Sri Lanka to participate in other regional programs in the near future.” Kasman also spoke to senior Ministry of Environment officials and agency heads in the Central Environment Authority, Forest Department and Marine Environment Protection Authority about opportunities to collaborate on environmental projects, technical training, and helping connect Sri Lankan authorities to key international scientific and environmental experts. The Ministry was also invited to join EPA’s Asian partnerships in the fields of improving air quality, climate change adaptation, building and maintaining sustainable ports, mercury monitoring and e-waste management. The EPA officials arrived in Sri Lanka to participate in the week’s Better Air Quality Conference 2014. The American delegation presented US best practices on environmentally-friendly transportation and logistics and provided a detailed explanation on the CCAP program.