Announcements
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Murphy Administration Launches NJ-TAP to Help Disadvantaged Communities Deliver Safe and Reliable Drinking Water
DEP Commissioner LaTourette announced the launch of NJ-TAP, an initiative providing enhanced technical assistance to help disadvantaged communities provide safe and reliable drinking water to residents.
NJ-TAP (New Jersey Technical Assistance Program) will prioritize aid to communities identified as disadvantaged or overburdened to identify lead service lines, develop asset management and capital improvement plans, and identify sources of state and federal funding to assist with important water-quality improvement projects. This aid is being provided free of charge to participating water systems.
NJ-TAP has three major avenues of assistance:
- Lead Assistance
- General (non-lead) Assistance
- Community Engagement and Outreach Assistance
Water system representatives interested in participating in NJ-TAP should contact the NJDEP using the web form available online.
Hurricane Ida Recovery Programs
The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is using more than $228 million in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund the recovery programs. The following programs are now accepting applications.
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Homeowner Assistance Recovery Program: This program provides grants to owner-occupied properties to repair, rebuild, and/or elevate their storm-damaged home.
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Tenant-Based Rental Assistance: This program provides supplemental rental assistance for households impacted by Hurricane Ida.
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Housing Counseling and Legal Services: This program provides supportive services, such as foreclosure prevention, relocation services, and debt management, and assists with application intake for CDBG-DR-funded programs to help impacted residents transition to more permanent housing.
Additional programs are being developed and will launch in the coming months. Visit online for more information or to apply for storm recovery programs.
Participation Opportunities
Upcoming Administrative Order 2021-25 Public Hearings
April 12 - Sims Metal Trenton (virtual)
April 13 - Sims Metal Newark (virtual)
April 17 - Camden Iron & Metal (in-person) (español)
April 20 - Vineland Municipal Electric Utility (in-person)
Facilities subject to the Environmental Justice Law and the Administrative Order 2021-25 must facilitate meaningful opportunities for overburdened communities to engage in permitting decisions for pollution-generating facilities through an enhanced public participation process.
Webinar Date Approaching for Overview on Developing New Jersey Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plan
New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience is seeking public input on how the state should address extreme heat priorities and concerns as part of the Interagency Council’s development of a series of plans outlining how state agencies will incorporate climate resilience into their policies, programs and regulations.
The series of documents, known as Resilience Action Plans, will build on the Statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy released in 2021 and provide more detail on how the strategy’s recommendations are being implemented. The first Resilience Action Plan, to be released later this year, will focus on state agency efforts to address increasing extreme heat events resulting from climate change, such as those experienced during the summer of 2022.
The Interagency Council is seeking public feedback through Friday, March 17 on extreme heat priorities and concerns, as well as a scoping document that addresses the Resilience Action Plan’s purpose, development process and content.
DEP and Trust for Public Land Launch Online Survey Seeking Input on Recreation Needs, With Emphasis on Overburdened Communities
DEP is launching an online survey to identify how to best enhance and expand outdoor recreation and open space opportunities that focus on the needs of overburdened communities as part of the Outside, Together! initiative. The survey results will help DEP develop an action plan and funding priorities to expand high-quality open space and recreational opportunities in NJ.
The online survey is being administered by The Trust for Public Land on behalf of the DEP. Survey responses will be accepted from Feb. 22 to March 22.
Trust for Public Land Seeking Focus Group Participants
Trust for Public Land (TPL) invites NJ residents for focus group discussions exploring views on outdoor recreation in the state. Participants will receive $100 stipend and each group is limited to 6-8 people. Both meetings will be held on Zoom and confirmed participants will be provided with the link.
TPL is facilitating the focus group on behalf of NJ's Outside, Together! partnership.
First date: March 22, 6-7:30pm,
Individuals must be 18 years of age or older and identify as Hispanic/Latin American
Second date: March 27, 5:30-7pm
Individuals must be 18 years of age or older and identify as Black/African American
Third date: March 29, 6-7:30pm
Individuals must be 18 years of age or older and identify as Asian American, Pacific Islander, or of Asian descent
Fourth date: March 30, 5:30-7pm
Individuals must be 18 years of age or older and identify as Asian American, Pacific Islander, or of Asian descent
If you wish to participate, email NJSCORPOutreach@tpl.org or leave a voicemail at
(973) 998-9440 with the following info:
Name (first and last)
Age
Date of focus group
Whether or not you participate in outdoor recreation
An email address and/or phone number to contact you.
FY 2024 NJ Water Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP)
Update Webinar
Join DEP on March 31 at 12:30 PM for a virtual update to the Water Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP) for fiscal year 2024. This webinar will cover an overview of the WIIP program and current intended use plans, the funding sources available, how the money is being spent, technical assistance programs for water systems, and more. The event will conclude with a question-and-answer session where water infrastructure funding experts will be on hand to answer your inquiries.
Register for this event using the following link: FY2024 NJ Water Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP) Update Webinar Tickets, Fri, Mar 31, 2023 at 12:30 PM | Eventbrite.
For more information about the Water Infrastructure Investment Plan, please visit the WIIP website.
DEP Seeks Partners to Build Next Generation of
Environmental Leaders from Overburdened Communities
DEP is seeking to partner with up to five community-based organizations to continue its award-winning Youth Inclusion Initiative to help youth in overburdened communities become part of the next generation of diverse environmental professionals. Applicants can receive up to $100,000 to partner with the DEP to provide outreach, recruitment, dedicated supervisory support services, professional job training and exposure to post-program employment opportunities for youth from overburdened communities.
Interested organizations, formally referred to as Community Host Organizations, can find the DEP’s request for proposal document by visiting the Grant and Loan Program website.
Proposals are due by Wednesday, April 12.
Comment Opportunities
EPA Seeks Input on Inflation Reduction Act Environmental and Climate Justice Program
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.
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.
Public Comment on Proposed Settlement of Natural Resource Damages related to Ciba-Geigy Site in Toms River
The DEP first published notice of the proposed settlement on Dec 5, 2022 and extended the public comment period until Feb. 3, 2023. Due to the strong public interest that has been expressed, the DEP will make a final extension of the public comment period to April 5, and also host a forum for direct engagement with the interested public.
Funding Opportunities
New Jersey American Water Accepting Applications for
15th Annual Environmental Grant Program
Applications are being accepted for green project funding through New Jersey American Water’s Fifteenth Annual Environmental Grant Program. The program offers grants of $1,000 to $10,000 for qualifying innovative, community-based environmental projects that improve, restore, or protect watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies throughout the company’s service areas. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis and projects are selected based on various criteria including goals, impact, innovation, design, and sustainability. Applications are due by March 31, and recipients will be notified in mid-April. More information and application requirements can be obtained on the New Jersey American Water website. Read more on the press release.
Murphy Administration Offering $19 Million in Grants to Assist Municipalities with New Stormwater Permitting Requirements
The Murphy Administration announced the availability of $19 million in grants to help municipalities with the transition to new municipal stormwater permitting system requirements designed to better protect NJ's waterways from pollutants in stormwater. These permitting changes will also help mitigate localized flooding that is increasing due to climate change.
Full details of the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) are available online. Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis through December 31, 2023. Coming Soon: EPA to Announce New Grant Opportunities for Technical Assistance in Adopting Pollution Prevention Practices
EPA will soon announce two new grant opportunities which will provide funding for states and tribes to provide businesses with technical assistance to help them adopt pollution prevention (P2) practices to advance environmental justice in disadvantaged communities across the country. These new grant opportunities are expected to be posted on Grants.gov in the coming weeks, and applicants will have 90 days to apply. EPA is providing notice of these grant opportunities in advance so organizations interested in partnering with eligible applicants can make the necessary connections as applicants develop their applications.
The two grant opportunities are:
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Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities – Providing P2 technical assistance to businesses to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities
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Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products – Providing P2 technical assistance to business to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by increasing the supply, demand and/or use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those that are certified by EPA’s Safer Choice label, or those that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing
Eligible applicants include states, state entities such as universities, U.S. territories and possessions, and federally recognized Tribes and intertribal consortia.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $550 Million to Advance Environmental Justice Through EPA’s New
Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program
The Biden-Harris Administration announced the availability of $550 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to expedite investments through the EPA's new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) program. This program will fund up to 11 entities to serve as grantmakers to community-based projects that reduce pollution. The entities eligible to apply under this Request for Applications (RFA) include:
- A community-based nonprofit organization;
- A partnership of community-based nonprofit organizations;
- A partnership between a Tribal Nation and a community-based nonprofit organization; or,
- A partnership between an institution of higher education and a community-based nonprofit organization.
EPA intends to award up to 11 cooperative agreements under this RFA for up to approximately $50 million each to be funded incrementally over a 3-year period. The deadline to apply is May 31, 2023. To view the Request for Applications, please visit the grants webpage.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Availability of $100 Million through Inflation Reduction Act for Environmental Justice Grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of approximately $100 million for projects that advance environmental justice in underserved and overburdened communities across the country. This funding, made possible through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, marks the largest amount of environmental justice grant funding ever offered. Read the full EPA news release here.
EJ in the News
EPA Orders Occidental Chemical Corp. to Design Cleanup Plan for the Upper Nine Miles of the Lower Passaic River at the
Diamond Alkali Superfund Site
EPA issued an administrative order requiring Occidental Chemical Corp. (OxyChem) to design the interim cleanup plan that EPA selected in September 2021 for the upper nine miles of the Lower Passaic River Study Area of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site in New Jersey. OxyChem will be responsible for preparing work plans and conducting a preliminary investigation. This includes sampling to identify contamination boundaries. OxyChem will also conduct studies to assess the river bottom, shoreline, and other aspects of the river in preparation for the cleanup. Following EPA approval, the final design report will include monitoring plans, health and safety plans, and provide a detailed outline of the cleanup plan, including specific details on how the cleanup will be conducted.
Visit the Diamond Alkali Co. Superfund site profile page for additional background and site documents.
EJ Tools
Announcing EPA's Updated Water Technical Assistance Website
EPA recently updated the Water Technical Assistance (TA) website with content focusing on new and existing EPA water TA programs.
Updates include:
The Water TA Request Form provides a simple, streamlined process for communities to pursue no-cost, direct TA services. The form is intended to complement existing methods of identifying communities with TA needs used by EPA, states, and TA providers. Not every request received via the Water TA Request Form may be offered TA services, and participation in this or other EPA TA programs does not guarantee funding through the State Revolving Fund or other programs. TA requests will be coordinated between EPA and state partners.
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All New Jersey residents, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, color, or national origin, have a right to live, work, and recreate in a clean and healthy environment. Historically, New Jersey’s low-income communities and communities of color face a disproportionately high number of environmental and public health stressors and, as a result, suffer from increased adverse health effects. New Jersey seeks to correct these outcomes by furthering the promise of environmental justice.
DEP’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) aims to improve the quality of life in New Jersey’s most vulnerable communities by educating and empowering communities who are often outside of government decision-making processes and guiding DEP’s programs and other state departments and agencies in implementing environmental justice.
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