Feb 9 [news release] -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input on its Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) program funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. This program provides EPA with approximately $3 billion for ECJ program grants and technical assistance for environmental and climate justice efforts that benefit overburdened communities.
“EPA is committed to using Inflation Reduction Act funding to make significant investments in the health, equity, and resilience of all communities and to address past, current, and future environmental and climate justice challenges,” said Marianne Engelman-Lado, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. “This Request for Information allows us to hear from communities and their partners on how our grant programs can work better for the communities that need this support the most. The success of this historic funding for the new Environmental and Climate Justice grant program will only be strengthened by the feedback we receive.”
This RFI seeks public input on new and innovative strategies and approaches for competition design, community engagement, equitable distribution of financial resources, grantee eligibility for funding, capacity-building and outreach, and technical assistance. EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights is seeking public input on multiple aspects of the ECJ Program including, but not limited to:
-- ECJ Program Design
-- Types of Projects to Fund
-- Reducing Application Barriers
-- Reporting and Oversight
-- Technical Assistance
The deadline to provide input is March 17, 2023. EPA is planning to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity for approximately $2 billion of ECJ Program grants in the summer of 2023 after public input from this RFI has been considered.
Docket:
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OEJECR-2023-0023
RFI:
https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OEJECR-2023-0023-0002
News release:
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-seeks-input-inflation-reduction-act-environmental-and-climate-justice-program
