EPA and DOE Award $177 Million for Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers
Environmental justice rests at the forefront of conservation work today. While pollution and the climate crisis affect everyone, low-income communities that are predominately Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experience disproportionate environmental risks as compared to their higher-income counterparts. BIPOC communities face intense flooding, urban heat islands, and the abundant and pervasive contamination of air, water, and soil, among other threats. We must address this disparity by prioritizing greater investment in these communities. In the mid-Atlantic region in particular, we have a national treasure right in our backyard – the Chesapeake Bay. As we work to protect and restore the Bay and its rivers and streams, our efforts to improve water quality far too often neglect those suffering most from pollution and climate change. Fortunately, the federal government has recently taken a significant step forward in emphasizing environmental justice on a national and regional scale, including in and around our cherished watershed.
The September grant announcement in D.C.’s Ivy City.
In April, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy appropriated $177 million over five years to create 16 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTACs) nationwide. The centers, in partnership with various organizations and academic institutions, will provide training, facilitation, translation, and interpretation services aimed primarily at low-income and BIPOC groups. This comes as a part of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which directs 40 percent of certain federal funding flows towards disadvantaged communities. Justice40 covers funding for clean transit, energy efficiency, and sustainable housing, in addition to other environmental justice pursuits. Of the total sum, $12 million was awarded to the National Wildlife Federation to manage a mid-Atlantic training center in EPA Region 3 and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The mid-Atlantic TCTAC will host environmental literacy workshops and educational webinars to teach under-resourced organizations how to navigate the federal grants process, which can be overcomplicated and intimidating for those historically left behind. The Choose Clean Water Coalition will support these efforts through outreach and education for the entirety of the grant. The grant was formally announced in late September at a centuries-old Black church in northeast D.C.’s Ivy City neighborhood. Ivy City residents have advocated for environmental and health justice for decades.
These awards are both thrilling and much-needed. "The Choose Clean Water Coalition and our network of more than 290 nonprofit organizations in the Chesapeake Bay region is excited to partner with the National Wildlife Federation and others to provide critical resources that cultivate healthy communities and restored rivers and streams. We are fully committed to alleviating barriers facing environmental justice communities," said Mariah Davis, Deputy Director for the Choose Clean Water Coalition at the National Wildlife Federation. The support provided through the TCTAC grant will empower our region to take critical steps forward in supporting frontline communities and ensuring everyone has access to clean water. The inequalities in risks and resources still loom large, but this is a firm shift in the right direction for national and mid-Atlantic environmental justice work. The Coalition is excited to support the mid-Atlantic TCTAC and will keep member organizations updated on any progress.
Kara Siglin is the Choose Clean Water Coalition’s Communications Intern