(AGENPARL) – mar 24 ottobre 2023 Issued: Oct 24, 2023 (5:54pm EDT)
If you wish to unsubscribe please do so
here: http://url6130.epa.mediaroom.com/ls/click?upn=-2BroytcZInNRyuFbAvAoN5aMEQDHIx2RtQl0jT-2FwLgZHafJKm-2F7NYrsKNAZH88rhd98aG2o5sSGIX8iVgGgXwOczi8WNFU0a7GLvUAvQ8R0RGX5bAZ9mjh1NYnKAGekGplFew_mLoYh0p4AWg4foFr5HgrZ1QioQ33bLwdnQ-2BsYGKFX9mApcfdQmv0-2Bvkdf9kq-2BlYjyFi7M2hcIjFofOzbdDH0uucixBZivDtATTCfXlPOnqenq70YMjWvBbhTUDUUVthWuuk1yuwnPyBb3WVJ258TGY48qfrgPGDXClv7dBpcK9v8oOaFWne1dfY11l-2FEyO6wRM6QD3NN1cq87oVqncNNo52KJTrKKrAQ4Ajl51BxMxaLkQLUWp9AypuBQVQoZ-2FzTGkGvivAlD5E8aN-2F2KjdBmA-3D-3D
Biden-Harris Administration announces $3 million for Environmental Justice
projects in communities across Montana as part of Investing in America Agenda
Projects 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
Helena, Mont. (October 24, 2023) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) announced nearly $3 million to fund projects across Montana that
advance environmental justice as part of President Biden’s Investing in
America agenda. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Missoula
County and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will each receive
funding for projects 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.”   
“These Environmental Justice grants will address local needs and challenges
across a diverse set of communities in Montana,” said EPA Regional
Administrator KC Becker. “We are proud to support projects identified by
our state, local and nonprofit partners and bring positive change to
communities disproportionately impacted by pollution.”    
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. 
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 Montana include the following:  
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality will receive approximately
$1,000,000 to focus on building capacity within rural communities to address
environmental issues related to the redevelopment and reuse of property for
housing.  Montana DEQ will provide training and technical assistance focused
on increasing local awareness of environmental resources and processes so
rural communities can identify, prioritize and cleanup sites for use as safe,
affordable housing across Montana. 
Missoula County will receive approximately $999,600 to create a vital
one-stop shop resource that will provide comprehensive and hands-on assistance
to County residents, including rural, low-income, and Indigenous communities
that are disproportionately impacted by climate change. This initiative will
also provide up to $20,000 per household to fund no-cost retrofits for
approximately twenty-one low-income projects. 
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will receive approximately
$904,300 to support health projects on the Flathead Indian Reservation, and
the towns of Elmo, Polson, and nearby rural areas. The main objective of this
project is to reduce the incidence of cercarial dermatitis (swimmer’s itch)
in vulnerable populations around Flathead Lake on the Reservation in Western
Montana. The project will develop local partnerships; install rinse stations
and outdoor message boards at five public-use beaches; deliver public
education and outreach about the parasite and how best to avoid impacts; and
install community-designed artworks at the rinse stations.   
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. 
Learn more about environmental justice at EPA.  
See the full listing of all 98 organizations receiving an EJCPS grant and
learn more about EJCPS.  
See the full listing of all the selected 88 EJG2G projects and learn more
about EJG2G.    
To unsubscribe or change your settings click here:
http://url6130.epa.mediaroom.com/ls/click?upn=-2BroytcZInNRyuFbAvAoN5aMEQDHIx2RtQl0jT-2FwLgZFdW2WYdzQmaasDKJ3YChU3X47Tug929wYQGPU0OoD413-2F2giWu7SJZ-2BCz-2FZh1p48rdjo4VM8ZzvJ7VCqX3QmagZLclFA4wbsdhZ1rRhNEwjw-3D-3DBIvC_mLoYh0p4AWg4foFr5HgrZ1QioQ33bLwdnQ-2BsYGKFX9mApcfdQmv0-2Bvkdf9kq-2BlYjyFi7M2hcIjFofOzbdDH0uucixBZivDtATTCfXlPOnqdVne9B-2FHyvIUZKHmn2NyLhBhYjTr-2BwovyKz2JwEzRhp9Iob6MGbvl7qDVVFuNNsny92PTk1d5ZXFkFVPnyqc2LAjmRgSfMvM0gk-2FQ2AXK204ZXB6TYLKWxZunebjO6xjidAZl4Cd7aEpzNfqCrSex6a84xdgkYSfXUR4nnmT02RA-3D-3D