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EPA Awards 2014 Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreements

Release Date: 09/16/2014
Contact Information: Jennifer Colaizzi, [email protected], 202-564-5677; En español: Lina Younes, [email protected], 202-564-9924, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today competitive cooperative agreements with 12 community-based organizations working to address environmental justice issues nationwide. The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides funding for non-profit and tribal organizations to partner with stakeholders from across industry, government, and academia to develop and implement solutions that significantly address environmental and/or public health issues in American communities.

“These cooperative agreements empower communities to implement environmental protection projects locally,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “With these agreements, EPA advances our commitment to communities by providing financial and technical assistance to take action against environmental harm.”

In 2003, EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) launched the first solicitation for the EJCPS Cooperative Agreement Program. Since the Program’s inception, EPA has provided funding to 50 projects to help communities understand and address exposure to environmental harms and risks. Each of this year’s recipients are awarded up to $120,000 to support two-year projects, including identifying and reducing sources of air pollution, reducing lead exposure in homes of low-income residents, and the cleanup and repurposing of community dump sites. Projects must use the Collaborative Problem Solving model, comprised of seven elements of a successful collaborative partnership, to address local environmental and/or public health issues.

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. These awards represent EPA’s commitment to promoting localized, community-based actions to address environmental justice issues.

The twelve cooperative agreements total about $1.4 million. The selected recipients are:

· Montachusett Opportunity Council, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
· Partners for a Healthier Community, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts
· Desarrollo Integral del Sur, Inc., Peñuelas, Puerto Rico
· Greensboro Housing Coalition, Greensboro, North Carolina
· Mississippi Conference of Black Mayors, Yazoo City, Mississippi
· Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision Project, Detroit, Michigan
· Groundwork New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana
· Trailnet, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri
· Conejos County Clean Water, Inc., Antonito, Colorado
· Environmental Health Coalition, San Diego, California
· Tolani Lake Enterprise, Navajo Nation, Northeast Arizona
· Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Seattle, Washington