PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 24, 2023) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced nearly $2.25 million to fund five projects across Virginia 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 Virginia 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.”

“Regardless of their zip code, every Virginian deserves a safe and habitable environment, particularly as the risk of flooding and other extreme weather events continues to increase,” said U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). “I’m glad to have helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which is making these investments to help boost climate resiliency, reduce pollutants, and strengthen energy efficiency in underserved communities possible. I will keep working to ensure that the benefits of the legislation we pass in Congress help Virginians all across the Commonwealth.”

“For too long, the damaging impacts of climate change have disproportionately impacted communities that lack the resources or tools needed to thrive,” said U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). “These funds, delivered to regions across Virginia, will help historically neglected communities steel themselves against climate change and protect their communities and their livelihoods.” 

“This grant, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, signals our commitment to tackling environmental disparities in Northern Virginia and beyond,” said U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (VA-8). “Our historic legislation and the improvements it funded will help my community and communities across the country realize the potential of energy enhancements in affordable housing and commercial structures, leveling the playing field and expanding access to the benefits of cleaner, more efficient energy solutions.”

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.

EPA EJCPS grant selections in Virginia include the following:

• Resilient Virginia in Lynchburg, Virginia has been selected to receive $150,000 to build leadership capacity among low-income, minority residents in Lynchburg Ward 2 to address the increased effects of climate change including flooding and extreme heat and other adverse impacts to health, safety and economic well-being.
• Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards in Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, and Wise counties has been selected to receive $150,000 to address environmental justice concerns in the coal-impacted counties of Southwest Virginia.
• Appalachian Voices in Clinchco, Dante, Dungannon, Pennington Gap, and Pound, Virginia has been selected to receive $500,000 to create a Coalfield Community Resilience Model and toolkit.

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 Virginia include the following:

• County of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia has been selected to receive $460,459 for an initiative to partner with ten community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve disadvantaged communities in Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville to help center equity and inclusion in crafting and implementing a Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan.
• Arlington County in Arlington County, Virginia has been selected to receive $980,350 to improve air quality and health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Arlington disadvantaged communities via building energy upgrades.

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: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice