Biden-Harris Administration announces nearly $3.5 million for environmental justice projects in communities across Rhode Island as part of Investing in America agenda
Selections announced as part of largest investments through EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement & Environmental Justice Government-to-Government grant programs funded by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act
BOSTON (Oct. 25, 2023) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced nearly $3.5 million to fund five projects across Rhode Island 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 of 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."
"EPA strongly believes that historically disadvantaged and overburdened communities must have a place at the table as we work toward climate and environmental justice. Successful environmental justice programs are built with community collaboration, common goals, and community empowerment," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David Cash. "Across New England, these selectees are poised to catalyze lasting change and make a profound difference, bringing cleaner air and water to their communities, combatting climate change, creating green jobs, and improving environmental health. We eagerly anticipate the enduring impact the grants in Rhode Island will have in our region, advancing our common goal of environmental justice."
"When we invest in public health and environmental justice, we are strengthening our state for generations," said Senator Whitehouse. "This federal funding will help reduce childhood lead poisoning and expand the state's efforts to improve air quality in urban communities."
"Access to clean air and water must be a right for every Rhode Islander," said Representative Seth Magaziner. "This federal funding is vital to keeping Rhode Islanders healthy by ensuring clean air, preventing lead poisoning, and reducing contaminants entering waterways."
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 selections in Rhode Island:
- Childhood Lead Action Project, Inc. in Providence, RI has been selected to receive $500,000 to work strategically to reduce the incidence of childhood lead poisoning, improve the safety of rental housing, and increase the capacity of residents, government regulators, housing funding agencies, and other stakeholders to work together to address the lead issue on a local level.
- Refugee Development Center in Providence, RI has been selected to receive $500,000 to address housing safety and lead poisoning among refugees in Rhode Island. The main objectives are to increase awareness about Lead Safety and decrease the incidence of lead poisoning among refugees.
- The Nature Conservancy in Providence, RI has been selected to receive $500,000 to develop community-led approaches to build the capacity to implement the plan's goal to add 30,000 new trees in low-canopy, environmental justice neighborhoods.
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 Rhode Island:
- The Rhode Island Department of Health has been selected to receive $1 million to measure and report the impact of air quality on asthma outcomes among underserved communities living throughout Providence, Rhode Island.
- The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has been selected to receive nearly $1 million to collaborate with environmental and racial justice community-based organizations to build capacity for direct participation by impacted communities in the development and implementation of environmental policy decisions.
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