(AGENPARL) – mar 24 ottobre 2023 Issued: Oct 24, 2023 (12:43pm EDT)
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $5.3 Million for Environmental
Justice Projects in Communities Across Pennsylvania 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
President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $5.3 Million for Environmental
Justice Projects in Communities Across Pennsylvania 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
President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
Contact: EPA Press Office
PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 24, 2023) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) announced $5,328,827 to fund eight projects across Pennsylvania
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.”
“This funding to Pennsylvania is another example of how the Biden-Harris
Administration is investing in our most vulnerable places and the governments
that serve them,” said EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz.  “Everyone
deserves a future with clean water, climate resiliency, and most importantly
– a government that has the best interest of its communities front of
mind.”
“Environmental justice was one of the many reasons I was proud to vote for
the historic Inflation Reduction Act, and I’m pleased to see the
Biden-Harris administration providing some of this funding for
Philadelphia,” said U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (PA-3).
“I am thrilled to see President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act investing
right here in Western PA to improve public health in communities hit hard by
pollution and other environmental contaminants,” said U.S. Rep. Chris
Deluzio (PA-17). “Every Pennsylvanian should have clean air and water,
period. That’s why I am proud this federal grant will fund the infrastructure
projects and environmental clean-ups we need to better protect the health of
Western Pennsylvanians.”
“I’m proud to announce that through the Environmental Justice
Government-to-Government Program, we’ve secured essential funding for climate
change resiliency planning. This isn’t just money—it’s a lifeline for our
communities that have historically borne the brunt of environmental neglect,
abuse, and racism,” said U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12). “This funding will
support our work at the local level ensuring every person has access to clean
air and drinking water and every community has the resources to proactively
address climate change. Environmental justice is not a privilege—it’s a
right. And this funding is a significant step towards affirming that right.”
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 five 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 Pennsylvania include the following:
Clean Water Fund in Philadelphia has been selected to receive $500,000 to
address lead exposure in underserved communities suffering from lead poisoning
that originates from multiple sources.
John Bartram Association in Philadelphia has been selected to receive $500,000
to strengthen the community’s climate resilience and build long-term
environmental sovereignty and justice in a historically underserved
neighborhood.
Nueva Esperanza, Inc. in Philadelphia has been selected to receive $500,000
for its Hunting Park Community-Led Climate Resilience and Empowerment Project
to improve climate resiliency against disproportionate impacts of heat in this
low-income community.
Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance in Shamokin, Kulpmont, Coal Township has
been selected to receive $500,000 to establish a brick-and-mortar presence in
their community, pool available resources, and collaborate across several
organizations to better serve their community and its interests.
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 Pennsylvania include the following:
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has been selected to
receive $1,000,000 to create an expandable, manageable, and sustainable
program that will proactively engage communities to better understand their
concerns before there is an event of concern and provide communities with the
necessary tools to help address environmental issues in advance of a crisis.
City of McKeesport has been selected to receive $1,000,000 to expand four
existing environmental programs that address stormwater management, air
pollution, urban heat islands, and lack of greenspace.
City of Philadelphia has been selected to receive $1,000,000 to
institutionalize environmental justice within its municipal policies and
practices.
Allegheny County has been selected to receive $328,827 to improve climate
preparedness for the 38 environmentally burdened communities in the county and
incentivize environmental justice communities to create resiliency
strategies.
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:
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