Keaton PetersThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has allocated $100 million for seven environmental justice projects across California. The initiatives will reduce historic pollution, increase community resilience to future climate extremes and build awareness through education programs in disadvantaged areas, officials said.
“As we work to tackle the climate crisis, we must continue prioritizing resources for innovative, locally driven solutions to support historically disadvantaged communities,” U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla said in a press release.
The grants are part of the $2 billion national Community Change Grant program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, which seeks to mitigate disproportionate environmental hazards and support community resilience to climate change. The program is the largest single environmental justice investment in U.S. history and will support approximately 170 projects nationwide through two distinct tracks.
Track 1, “Community-Driven Investments for Change,” will award about $1.96 billion for 150 projects, each receiving $10-20 million. Track 2, “Meaningful Engagement for Equitable Governance,” will distribute approximately $40 million across 20 projects, with each receiving $1 million to 3 million. In California, five projects fall under Track I, and two are considered Track 2.
Among the California recipients, the San Diego Foundation and Environmental Health Coalition secured $20 million along Track 1. Their project, focused on San Diego’s historic central barrios, is designed to improve air quality, mitigate extreme heat and expand green spaces. The initiative also includes expanding free micro-transit shuttle services and electrifying regional buses.
Another Track 1 grant of $20 million went to Day One and ActiveSGV in the San Gabriel Valley. Their project, named GREEN San Gabriel Valley, will implement various changes, including expanding tree canopy, greening schoolyards, improving transportation access and installing solar and energy storage systems in homes.
For Track 2, the Insight Garden Program and Ella Baker Center for Human Rights received $3 million to address environmental justice issues in California’s prison and reentry communities. The project seeks to engage up to 1,350 people in California prisons and those who have recently left prison to identify and address unique environmental and climate justice challenges.
Another Track 2 grant of $3 million was awarded to Special Service for Groups, Inc. and the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment in Los Angeles. Their project will deliver educational content to youth in California’s San Gabriel Valley. The project;s goal is to blend leadership training and practical experience in environmental decision-making processes to keep the next generation engaged on the environmental issues affecting their communities.
In a press release, representative Barbara Lee (CA-12) said “investment for community-based environmental and climate justice” is a “monumental” achievement that “will go a long way toward not only combatting the climate crisis but achieving our environmental justice goals for marginalized communities.”
Photo by Geographer
