EPA Awards 2014 Environmental Justice Funding

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced competitive cooperative agreements with 12 community-based organizations working to address environmental justice issues nationwide. The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides funding for non-profit and tribal organizations to partner with stakeholders from across industry, government and academia to develop and implement solutions that significantly address environmental and/or public health issues in American communities.

In 2003, EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) launched the first solicitation for the EJCPS Cooperative Agreement Program. Since the Program’s inception, EPA has provided funding to 50 projects to help communities understand and address exposure to environmental harms and risks. Each of this year’s recipients are awarded up to $120,000 to support two-year projects, including identifying and reducing sources of air pollution, reducing lead exposure in homes of low-income residents, and the cleanup and repurposing of community dump sites. Projects must use the Collaborative Problem Solving model, comprised of seven elements of a successful collaborative partnership, to address local environmental and/or public health issues.

Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in the environmental decision-making process.

The 12 cooperative agreements total about $1.4 million.  The selected recipients are:

• Montachusett Opportunity Council, Fitchburg, Mass.
• Partners for a Healthier Community Inc., Springfield, Mass.
• Desarrollo Integral del Sur Inc., Peñuelas, Puerto Rico
• Greensboro Housing Coalition, Greensboro, N.C.
• Mississippi Conference of Black Mayors, Yazoo City, Miss.
• Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision Project, Detroit
• Groundwork New Orleans, New Orleans
• Trailnet Inc., St. Louis
• Conejos County Clean Water Inc., Antonito, Colo.
• Environmental Health Coalition, San Dieg
• Tolani Lake Enterprise, Navajo Nation, Northeast Arizona
• Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Seattle

In the fall of 2014, EPA plans to release a Request for Applications for the fiscal year 2015 Environmental Justice Small Grants Program. A schedule of pre-application teleconference calls will be announced at that time.

Source: EPA