Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over $13 Million in California for Environmental Justice Projects as Part of Investing in America Agenda
California projects announced as part of nationwide investments through EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement program, funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $13,063,759 for 18 projects across California 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.”
“Communities of color, low-income communities, and Tribal communities have historically borne the brunt of harmful impacts from hazardous waste, polluted skies, and inadequate water systems,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “As we invest in climate resiliency solutions and clean up our neighborhoods, it is crucial that we prioritize environmental justice and correct these historical inequities. This EPA environmental justice funding, made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act, will provide more than $13 million to California governmental agencies, Tribes, and air pollution control districts to improve environmental and public health outcomes in communities that have suffered from unjust environmental hardships for far too long.”
“Today’s announcement is welcome news for San Franciscans – giving our City more tools to better document and address past environmental injustices, especially those against our indigenous communities,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “Honoring President Joe Biden’s bold commitment to save the planet while advancing environmental justice, our historic Inflation Reduction Act delivered $60 billion specifically to help include all communities in the benefits of a cleaner, greener economy. Now, with these federal investments in projects to advance environmental justice in the Bay Area, we will forge a healthier and more sustainable future for generations to come.”
Representative Barbara Lee said: “House Democrats fought hard to ensure environmental justice goals would be met in the Inflation Reduction Act. President Biden is delivering for the American people and the health of our environment in its rollout. The West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project is an incredible community-based organization dedicated to achieving healthy homes, jobs, and neighborhoods for Oakland families, and with this funding, I know that they will change lives across our district for the better. This project also directly supports the existing West Oakland Community Action Plan process by reducing emissions, reducing exposure, and improving health and environmental equity. I am also pleased to see the awarding of federal funds for the California Department of Health as part of the Environmental Justice Government to Government initiative. I look forward to working alongside the Biden administration to continue advancing environmental justice in California’s 12th district and across the country.”
“I’m grateful to the EPA and President Biden for delivering this funding to our district,” said Representative Mike Levin. “This will support the San Diego Botanic Garden’s work to help the tribal communities of Jamul and Viejas Bands of Kumeyaay and the Pala Band of Luiseño Mission Indians protect, restore, and propagate plants of cultural significance. It’s important that we help tribal communities maintain their way of life in the face of climate change, and I’m proud to have voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which makes projects such as this possible.”
“Everyone should have access to clean air, water, energy and green technology, I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative that made federal funding possible for many communities throughout the 52nd Congressional District!” said Representative Juan Vargas. “Casa Familiar’s La Semilla (The Seed) project in San Ysidro, is an important step forward in investing in our future and fight against climate change.”
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 California include the following:
- Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates Inc., in San Francisco will receive $500,000 to develop an environmental justice policy platform, document and map environmental toxic exposures and adverse health effects to past and present residents and workers, and build an accessible library of local environmental issues, potential mitigation measures, and substantive policy changes.
- Casa Familiar Inc., in San Ysidro will receive $500,000 for its La Semilla (The Seed) Project that will address local environmental and public health issues. The project will include shared community spaces for environmental justice programs, housing, cleaner modes of mobility, connections to transit, and green technology incorporated into the construction.
- The Central California Environmental Justice Network in Fresno will receive $500,000 to build upon and expand existing programs and relationships with residents, researchers, and regulators to create campaigns capable of producing meaningful environmental and public health results.
- Community Health Councils in Los Angeles will receive $497,162 to launch an advocacy and education campaign related to the impact of environmental chemicals on breast cancer and reproductive health.
- The Council for Watershed Health in Pasadena will receive $500,000 for ReDesignLA, a mentor-mentee model of technical assistance and capacity building for community-based organizations and Tribes to develop community-led green infrastructure and climate resiliency projects.
- The Friendship House Association of American Indians in San Francisco will receive $500,000 to develop an Indigenous community garden that will provide an environmentally sustainable and culturally significant space for San Francisco’s American Indian and Alaska Native community members.
- Grades of Green in Inglewood will receive $500,000 to address environmental justice and health issues the Inglewood community faces through school focused action by collaboration with the Inglewood Unified School District and community partners.
- The Quail Botanical Gardens Foundation, Inc. in San Diego will receive $499,673 to create and strengthen a partnership of tribal government, community-based non-profit, academic, and industry groups to support the federally-recognized tribal communities of Jamul and Viejas Bands of Kumeyaay and Pala Band of Luiseño Mission Indians in their adaptation and resilience to climate change, drought, and wildfire, especially pertaining to plants of cultural significance, tribal health, and wellbeing.
- West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project in Oakland will receive $499,934 for a collaborative project that directly supports the existing West Oakland Community Action Plan process by developing and implementing a performance measurement strategy addressing the action plan’s core pillars: reducing emissions, reducing exposure, and improving health and environmental equity.
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 California include the following:
- Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians will receive $585,954 to develop a tribal “beneficial uses development and implementation project” to address environmental issues related to water and Tribal cultural uses of water and water dependent resources, including aquatic plants and animals.
- The California Department of Public Health will receive $1 million to create a robust indoor air sensor network across Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) sites, coupled with indoor air quality and climate change curricula for OUSD high school science, technology, engineering and mathematics classes and civic engagement activities that uplift underserved students and their families.
- Los Angeles County will receive $1 million to provide meaningful public engagement and seek input and feedback from climate-vulnerable communities in the county. The outreach and engagement activities will focus on building intentional partnerships between the county’s public works department, local community organizations, and a tribe in local communities.
- Riverside and San Bernardino Counties will receive $999,994 for a project that will use a community-centered approach to extreme heat adaptation planning informed by local experts and community leaders within the two counties.
- The City of Sacramento will receive $981,042 for a collaborative initiative focused on urban cooling and resiliency strategies to counter the urban heat island effect and extreme weather events in vulnerable, low-income areas.
- The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District will receive $1 million to pilot a new approach to the State of California’s Community Air Protection Program, a first-of-its-kind effort to reduce pollution exposure that requires community air monitoring, community emission reduction plans, and incentive funding to deploy clean technologies in the most impacted areas.
- The San Francisco Department of Environment will receive $1 million for a project will engage the city’s environmental justice communities to recommend and implement community-led climate action and use this engagement to inform ongoing implementation of the city’s Climate Action Plan.
- The San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District is receiving $1 million to build outreach and community engagement capacity in grassroots organizations throughout the San Joaquin Valley, and work with these organizations to provide free residential air purifier devices to 3,700 residents living in disadvantaged communities throughout the Valley.
- Stanislaus County will receive $1 million for a project that aims to demonstrate the link between local climate burdens and health impacts in the county and create sustainable support for residents to mitigate and, as necessary, respond to those impacts within underserved communities.
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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