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 (press@epa.gov)                              

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

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