California Invests $1.5 Million to Support Environmental Justice Projects Statewide

For Immediate Release:
June 26, 2019

Media Contact:
Sheryl Watson, (916) 324-9670

SACRAMENTO – The California Environmental Protection Agency today announced $1.5 million in environmental justice grants to fund 34 projects aimed at combating pollution, improving health outcomes and increasing public engagement in some of California’s most pollution-burdened communities.

“These grants put money where it is needed most, in communities disproportionally affected by pollution,” California Secretary for Environmental Protection Jared Blumenfeld said. “Our goal is to give people a voice in the decisions affecting their environmental future so that they can help develop real-world solutions locally and across the state.”

Funded projects include:

• Organic agriculture training and pesticide exposure education for farmworkers
• Increased education and outreach to marginalized communities
• Research and mitigation of suspected environmental contamination and exposure on tribal lands
• Identification and protection of California Native American tribal resources
• Air, water, and soil quality testing and remediation projects

Review the full list of 34 grant projects

Funding from CalEPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants Program is available to nonprofit and tribal organizations throughout California. Projects are scored based on pre-established criteria including project need and benefits to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities as identified by CalEnviroScreen or through other methods.

The 34 grants announced this cycle set a new record for the largest number of EJ Small Grant awards since the program was established by Assembly Bill 2312 (Statutes of 2002, Chapter 994).

###

What is CalEnviroScreen? The California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool (CalEnviroScreen 3.0) was developed to help implement a variety of state programs aimed at reducing pollution and providing a healthier environment in California’s most disadvantaged communities. The tool ranks each of the state’s 8,000 census tracts using data on 20 indicators of pollution, environmental quality, and socioeconomic and public health conditions.

This screening methodology is used to help identify California communities that are disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution. Find more information and resources on CalEPA’s Environmental Justice webpage.

• California Air Resources Board • Department of Pesticide Regulation • Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) • Department of Toxic Substances Control • Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment • State Water Resources Control Board • Regional Water Quality Control Boards

CalEPA, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 • P.O. Box 2815, Sacramento, CA 95812 • (916) 323-2514 www.calepa.ca.gov