SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 24, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced neary $2 million to fund projects across Utah, selected to “advance environmental justice as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda,” an EPA statement says.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality and the Utah town of Bluff 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.”
The programs are the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving program (EJCPS) and the Environmental Justice Government-to-Government program (EJG2G).
This is the first in a series of environmental justice grant announcements the agency will announce before the end of the year, the statement says.
“No president has invested more in environmental justice than President Biden, and under his leadership we’re removing long-standing 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 Regional Administrator K.C. Becker also shared thoughts in the prepared statement.
“These Environmental Justice grants will address local needs and challenges across a diverse set of communities in Utah,” he said. “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 EPA’s EJCPS creates 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.
The 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 Utah include the following:
- The Utah Department of Environmental Quality will receive approximately $1 million to address air pollution inequities in underserved urban, rural and Tribal communities in Utah through radon testing, remediation and mitigation, and enhanced particle and ozone pollution monitoring using low-cost sensors.
- The Town of Bluff, Utah, will receive approximately $1 million for a project that will enable the Town of Bluff and Utah Diné Bikéyah, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization, to work together to revitalize the jointly owned Cooperative Cultural Center building at 630 E. Black Locust Ave., in the San Juan County town of Bluff. Due to its age, the building requires extensive renovations including the installation of a fire suppression sprinkler system; removal or encapsulation of asbestos floor tiles and insulation; replacement of ceilings and paint; bathroom remodeling for ADA compliance; and updated security and communication systems.
