EPA Announces Over $800,000 in Funding Prioritizing Environmental Justice in Oklahoma

USEPA News Release:

EPA Announces Over $800,000 in Funding Prioritizing Environmental Justice in Oklahoma

 

DALLAS, TEXAS (November 16, 2023) —The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $881,709 to fund two projects across Oklahoma that advance environmental justice as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The organizations receiving this funding is the organization Open Design Collective, Inc. and the Chickasaw Nation (CN). These entities were selected through EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement and Environmental Justice Government-to-Government programs.

“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.”

“These grants are unprecedented in several ways—for the historic amount of funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, and because money is going directly to communities that are ready to implement solutions to environmental issues,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “This means $881,709 for projects in Oklahoma that might otherwise remain overlooked and unfunded. These recipients are deeply knowledgeable about the issues facing their communities, and are ready to invest these grants in projects that will bring meaningful results.

 

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. The grants announced 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.

 

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 Oklahoma include the following:

 

• Open Design Collective, Inc. will receive $500,000 to engage, support, and strengthen community-led efforts in addressing air quality in the geographic area of the historically Black John F. Kennedy neighborhood (JFK) through environmental placemaking and restoring a public space in the community.
   
• The Chickasaw Nation will receive $381,709 to enact a long-term Citizen Science Watershed-Based Stream Monitoring Program within the CN treaty territory with the goal of establishing water quality baselines and an early warning system for quality impacts.

 

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

 

Connect with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 on Facebook, Twitter, or visit our homepage.

 

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