Biden-Harris Administration announces more than $4.1 million for Environmental Justice Projects in Communities Across Florida as part of investing in America agenda
Selections announced as part of largest investments through EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement and Environmental Justice Government-to-Government grant programs funded by Inflation Reduction Act
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2023) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $4,104,758 to fund 5 projects Florida that advance environmental justice as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The organizations, which EPA has selected through its Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement and Environmental Justice Government-to-Government programs, will use the funds to ensure disadvantaged communities that have historically suffered from underinvestment have access to clean air and water and climate resilience solutions in alignment with the Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 Initiative.
Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in U.S. history—this funding is a part the largest investment ever announced under these two longstanding EPA programs. This is the first in a series of environmental justice grant announcements the agency will announce before the end of the year.
“No President has invested more in environmental justice than President Biden, and under his leadership we’re removing longstanding barriers and meaningfully collaborating with communities to build a healthier future for all,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Together, these community-driven projects will improve the health, equity, and resilience of communities while setting a blueprint for local solutions that can be applied across the nation.”
“Building collaborative partnerships with our stakeholders is vital to addressing local environmental and public health issues,” said Acting EPA Region 4 Administrator Jeanneane Gettle. “Environmental justice communities that have historically suffered from underinvestment will benefit greatly from these projects that promote clean air, water and climate resilience solutions, leading to healthy communities.”
“These projects are dedicated to disadvantaged communities, like the Glades, that have been historically under-resourced,” said Rep Lois Frankel (FL-22). “Thanks to President Biden and Democrats in Congress, we’re investing in the environmental health of all our communities.”
The grants announced today deliver on President Biden’s commitment to advance equity and justice throughout the United States. The two grant programs directly advance the President’s transformational Justice40 initiative to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving (EJCPS) Program
EPA’s EJCPS program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations working to address local environmental or public health issues in their communities. The program builds upon President Biden’s Executive Orders 13985 and 14008, creating a designation of funds exclusively for small nonprofit organizations, which are defined as having 5 or fewer full-time employees, thus ensuring that grant resources reach organizations of lower capacity that historically struggle to receive federal funding. Eleven of the organizations selected for EJCPS this year are small nonprofit organizations, receiving over $1.6 million in total.
EPA EJCPS grant selection in Florida include the following:
E3 Solutions, Inc. - $500,000 - Healthy Homes and Training Initiative in Selma, Alabama area
- This project aims to address the environmental and public health issues of Selma, Alabama and its surrounding Black Belt counties by engaging the community, government partners, and local businesses to develop plans and make progress toward creating healthy homes.
Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G)
EPA’s EJG2G provides funding at the state, local, territorial, and Tribal level to support government activities in partnership with community-based organizations that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms.
EPA EJG2G grant selections in Florida include the following:
County of Palm Beach - $1,000,000 - The Resilient Glades Tree Campaign
- The Project Team will plant 430 trees across 6 public parks to increase equitable access to shaded outdoor recreational areas.
City of St Petersburg - $954,758 - Air Quality Partnerships for a Resilient South St Petersburg
- This project will: (1) pilot tree planting, (2) enhance air quality monitoring in the community, including embedding an air quality monitoring station, (3) provide citizen education on air quality and tree maintenance, and (4) provide a workforce development program aimed at increasing employment opportunities in tree care and ensuring a resilient, healthy tree canopy.
City of Tampa - $1,000,000 - Conversion of a Stormwater Area into a Community Asset with Climate and Social Co-Benefits in East Tampa
- The proposed project addresses the interrelated environmental and health issues of urban heat, stormwater runoff, need for community green space, and food access through conversion of a stormwater retention pond area into a community green space with multiple social and environmental co-benefits.
Miami-Dade County - $1,000,000 - Cool Our Communities EPA Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program
- Miami-Dade County and its community-based, university and private sector partners strive to promote transit ridership and to improve thermal safety and comfort at bus stops and their environs in three disadvantaged communities with high heat vulnerability in Miami-Dade County, FL.
Additional Background:
From day one of his administration, President Biden has made achieving environmental justice a top priority. And in August 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Inflation Reduction Act into law, creating the largest investment in environmental and climate justice in U.S. history. EPA received $3 billion in appropriations to provide grants and technical assistance for activities advancing environmental and climate justice.
Under the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA has launched and expanded innovative programs to provide more support than ever before to communities that unjustly bear the burdens of environmental harm and pollution. This includes the $177 million for the creation of 16 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs) to remove barriers to federal resources and help communities pursue funding opportunities like those made available through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. EPA has also launched and will award funds through the $550 million Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program before the end of 2023.
To learn more about environmental justice at EPA, visit: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice
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