EPA Announces $1M for Environmental Justice Projects in Kansas as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Selection announced as part of largest investments through EPA’s Environmental Justice Government-to-Government grant program funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act

October 24, 2023

LENEXA, KAN. (OCT. 24, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $1 million to fund projects in Kansas that advance environmental justice as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which EPA has selected through its Environmental Justice Government-to-Government program, will use the funds to ensure that disadvantaged communities that have historically suffered from underinvestment have access to clean air and water and climate resilience solutions, in alignment with the Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 Initiative.

Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act – the largest climate investment in U.S. history – this funding is a part of the largest investment ever announced under this longstanding EPA program. This is the first in a series of environmental justice grant announcements the Agency will announce before the end of the year.

“Environmental justice is at the heart of everything we do at EPA Region 7,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, our efforts across the region are supercharged, delivering federal funds to entities that have the potential to make the greatest impact on our communities.”

The grant announced today delivers on President Biden’s commitment to advance equity and justice throughout the United States. The grant program directly advances the President’s transformational Justice40 Initiative to deliver 40% 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) Program

EPA’s EJG2G grants provide 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 selection in Kansas:

• The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has been selected to receive $1 million to implement meaningful environmental and public health strategies in Labette, Montgomery, and Cherokee counties. This will be accomplished through working closely with the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, and Local Health Equity Action Teams in each of the three counties. Activities will include education/health promotion activities and community-driven strategies to promote food equity and environmental justice through engagement and community placemaking interventions, such as edible landscapes on main streets and raised-bed garden kits for families.

Additional Background

From day one of his administration, President Biden has made achieving environmental justice a top priority. 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.

Learn more about environmental justice at EPA.

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