The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) announced a total of $1.2 million in environmental justice grants awarded to 50 non-profit and tribal organizations working to address environmental justice issues nationwide. The grants enable non-profit organizations to conduct research, provide education, and develop solutions to local health and environmental issues in low-income communities overburdened by harmful pollution.
“EPA’s environmental justice grants provide important support to community-based organizations working to advance environmental justice at the local level,” said Lisa Garcia, senior advisor to the administrator for environmental justice. “This year’s grants will help organizations in 26 states and Puerto Rico perform projects that will educate residents about environmental issues that may impact their health, collect data about local environmental conditions, and work to address environmental justice issues in their communities.”
The 2012 environmental justice grants support activities that address a range of community concerns including restoring and protecting waterways, reducing exposure to air pollutants from diesel exhaust, and seeking healthier alternatives to household pesticides.
Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in the environmental decision-making process. Since 1994, EPA’s Environmental Justice Grants program has supported projects to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,300 communities. The EOA says the environmental justice grants represent “the EPA’s continued commitment to expand the conversation on environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across the nation.”