Interamerican University gets $10M to assist in environmental justice funding
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that Interamerican University of Puerto Rico has been chosen to serve as an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC) and will receive about $10 million over the next five years.
Besides its nine campuses and two professional schools, Interamerican University established the Center of Environmental Education, Conservation and Interpretation (CECIA) to integrate environmental issues into education.
The nonprofit academic institution, known locally as the Inter, is among 17 EJ TCTACs selected by the EPA to receive more than $177 million to “remove barriers and improve accessibility for communities with environmental justice concerns,” as put by the EPA. The funding will help communities across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands access funds from President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
The centers will provide training and assistance in navigating federal grant applications, writing grant proposals and managing grant funding. Additionally, the centers will offer guidance on community engagement, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants.
The objective is for the centers to help communities with environmental justice concerns access investments to address generational disinvestment, legacy pollution, infrastructure challenges, and “build a clean energy economy that will lower energy costs, strengthen our energy security, and meet our climate goals,” according to the release.
“We know that so many communities across the nation have the solutions to the environmental challenges they face. Unfortunately, many have lacked access or faced barriers when it comes to the crucial federal resources needed to deliver these solutions,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in his agency’s news release. “Establishing these Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers across the nation will ensure all communities can access benefits from the President’s historic agenda, which includes groundbreaking investments in clean air, clean water, and our clean energy future.”
The EPA explained that it will collaborate with the U.S. Department of Energy to deliver the resources, allowing the EJ TCTACs to provide support for identifying community opportunities for “clean energy transition” and financing options, including public-private partnerships supporting “clean energy demonstration, deployment, workforce development, and outreach opportunities that advance energy justice objectives.”
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm echoed Regan, emphasizing the importance of revitalizing disadvantaged communities and ensuring they are not left behind.
The establishment of the centers aims to address the concerns of communities and environmental justice leaders who have advocated for technical assistance and capacity-building support, the EPA said.
The 17 centers will provide coverage for the entire United States through a network of more than 160 partners, including community-based organizations, additional academic institutions and Environmental Finance Centers.
The EJ TCTAC program is part of the Federal Interagency Thriving Communities Network and is part of the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which seeks that 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments go to disadvantaged communities.
