WASHINGTON (Feb. 9, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input on its Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) program funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. This program provides EPA with approximately $3 billion for ECJ program grants and technical assistance for environmental and climate justice efforts that benefit overburdened communities.

“EPA is committed to using Inflation Reduction Act funding to make significant investments in the health, equity, and resilience of all communities and to address past, current, and future environmental and climate justice challenges,” said Marianne Engelman-Lado, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. “This Request for Information allows us to hear from communities and their partners on how our grant programs can work better for the communities that need this support the most. The success of this historic funding for the new Environmental and Climate Justice grant program will only be strengthened by the feedback we receive.”

This RFI seeks public input on new and innovative strategies and approaches for competition design, community engagement, equitable distribution of financial resources, grantee eligibility for funding, capacity-building and outreach, and technical assistance. EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights is seeking public input on multiple aspects of the ECJ Program including, but not limited to:

• ECJ Program Design
• Types of Projects to Fund
• Reducing Application Barriers
• Reporting and Oversight
• Technical Assistance

The deadline to provide input is March 17, 2023.

To view and respond to the Request for Information, visit www.regulations.gov.

EPA is planning to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity for approximately $2 billion of ECJ Program grants in the summer of 2023 after public input from this RFI has been considered.

More information on the Inflation Reduction Act.

Learn more about environmental justice at EPA.

Background:

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. Earlier this year, EPA announced the availability of $100 million under the Environmental Justice Government to Government Program and the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program, with applications due on April 10, 2023.