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Announcements
EPA $19 Million Grant Will Fund Clean School Bus Implementation in NJ
As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the EPA has awarded Van-Con Inc transportation company nearly $19 million to purchase 42 clean school buses and 28 bus chargers for five school districts in New Jersey, including in Union City, Elizabeth, Newark, Bloomfield Township and Lakewood Township. These investments will further interagency efforts to reduce emissions and mitigate disproportionate health impacts on schoolchildren in overburdened communities.
EPA Provides Funds for Clean Up at NJ Superfund Sites
Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the EPA has allocated funds to initiate and continue cleanup efforts at NJ Superfund sites, areas contaminated with hazardous materials due to historic dumping or mismanagement by industrial and processing facilities. The New Jersey sites included are the Matlack, Inc. site in Woolwich, the Raritan Bay Slag site in Old Bridge Township, and the Roebling Steel site in Florence Township.
Updates on Resilient NJ's Municipal Assistance Program
Resilient NJ’s Municipal Assistance Program (MAP) provides municipalities with climate change-related hazard vulnerability assessments and resilience action plans, used by municipal governments to advance resilience efforts. The recently completed inaugural round of MAP projects include Ocean Township, Stafford Township, and Upper Township. A second round of projects, expected to launch in 2024, include the Town of Harrison, the City of Lambertville, and Montclair Township.
Participation Opportunities
 Navigating the DEP System: Understanding the Regulatory Process
"Navigating the DEP System: A Series of Environmental Seminars for Overburdened Communities" is a series tailored to help EJ advocates from across the state learn about our tools, regulations, permitting processes, and opportunities for funding.
Following a successful kickoff in Newark, recordings of the presentations are now accessible on our website. The next two seminars will delve into DEP's environmental justice laws, policies, and permitting processes. Join us this month in Trenton at the DEP Main Headquarters on March 6th from 4pm to 7pm.
All seminars are free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided. Attendance will be in person with an option to join via Zoom. Learn more online.
Upcoming Environmental Justice Law Public Hearings
March 4 - Linden Generating Station, Title V Renewal (virtual)
April 1 - Energy Transfer Marketing - Newark Terminal, Title V Renewal (virtual)
Facilities subject to the Environmental Justice Law must facilitate meaningful opportunities for overburdened communities to engage in permitting decisions for pollution-generating facilities through an enhanced public participation process. Subscribe to EJ Law notices by County
New Jersey Statewide Water Supply Plan Now Open for Public Comment
The Department of Environmental Protection published its Draft 2024 New Jersey Statewide Water Supply Plan this past Monday and wants to hear from you! The plan assesses the threat climate change poses to state water supply and infrastructure and provides solutions for how best to mitigate these localized stressors.
A 60-day public comment period is now open. The DEP will be hosting two public meetings (one in-person on March 15th and one virtual on April 9th) where attendees may offer oral comment. Interested parties can also submit written comments online. The Department will review and incorporate all comments before finalizing the plan. Details on location and timing will be posted soon.
Join NJDEP for The Greenway Open House
Join the NJDEP on Thursday March 14th at 630pm at the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in Branch Brook Park in Newark to learn more about The Greenway! The Greenway is a converted former rail line currently undergoing construction.
It is intended to connect residents to parks, schools, hospitals, and business districts, in addition to offering commuters a way to bypass some of New Jersey’s most congested roadways. The Greenway passes through overburdened communities that suffer disproportionately from lack of access to open space, health concerns, and social determinants of health. Translation services are available.
EPA's State and Local Climate and Energy Program Hosts
Bringing the Benefits Webinar Series
Throughout February, the State and Local Climate and Energy Program is hosting a three-part webinar series exploring how nonprofits, state and local governments, and Tribal entities have successfully brought the benefits of energy efficiency, efficient electrification, weatherization, and clean energy to low-income and disadvantaged communities. The series will showcase successful models for delivering programs to low-income and disadvantaged communities, featuring on-the-ground experts sharing their practical insights on how to design and deliver effective programs. Session dates, details and registration information are available on the EPA website.
Call for Nominations: New Jersey's Black Heritage Trail
New Jersey Historical Commission's African American History Program invites nominations for sites along New Jersey's Black Heritage Trail. This initiative aims to highlight Black heritage through historical markers and a trail-like path, connecting stories of resilience and community. Submit nominations by March 8, 2024 at 2 PM.
EPA Seeking Grant Application Reviewers for Community Change Grants
Interested in Environmental Justice projects? EPA seeks diverse experts to review grant applications for the $2 billion Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program. Participate in the process to award transformative climate action and pollution reduction projects, supporting community-driven initiatives.
Compensation available for non-federal reviewers. Apply online.
Funding and Technical Assistance Opportunities
In case you missed it, see below for opportunities that provide funding and assistance for projects related to green infrastructure, climate change, healthy communities, and more.
DEP Seeks Community Partners for Youth Inclusion Initiative
The Youth Inclusion Initiative is a six-week summer program that gives participants, ages 16 to 20, the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and skills in areas such as water monitoring, wildfire response, conservation investigation and forest management. Up to $100,000 is available to applicants who partner with the DEP to provide outreach, recruitment, supervisory support, professional job training, community building and exposure to post-program employment opportunities for youth from overburdened communities.
Interested organizations can find more information on proposal requirements and the application process here. Proposals are due by 5 p.m. on March 21, 2024.
EPA Community Change Grants Program and Upcoming Webinars for Applicants
The EPA Environmental and Climate Justice Program (ECJP) Community Change Grants program is NOW OPEN! The program is funding projects to address environmental and climate injustices for communities facing legacy pollution, climate change, and persistent disinvestment. In total, $2 Billion will be rewarded with $50 million reserved for U.S. territories.
Technical assistance on your application is also available. The EPA will hold a series of informational webinars on the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the five Target Investment Areas (TIA). Each webinar will last between 60-90 minutes and will cover similar content including what is in the NOFO, application requirements, eligible entities, eligible project activities, and other helpful information. While each session is geared towards a specific TIA, please join any webinar at your convenience. Upcoming session dates and registration details, as well as recordings and slides from previous webinars, are available online.
In addition, EnDyna, EPA's technical assistance contractor, will lead a series of informational webinars on Community Change Technical Assistance. Webinars will occur every Tuesday through at least March 2024. These webinars will provide information on the content and requirements of the CCG Notice of Funding Opportunity, available technical assistance, and answer questions about the grant application process.
Applications close on November 21, 2024. Initial award selections will occur in March 2024 – with the suggested deadline of February 23, 2024 – and the anticipated start for initial selections will be in May/June 2024.
Leafing Out Grants Program
The NJ Urban and Community Forestry Program is now accepting applications for Leafing Out Grants! The program seeks to encourage, promote, and support the stewardship and effective management of trees and forest ecosystems in overburdened communities. Through this funding, communities can strengthen responses to climate change, combat urban heat island effects, increase resiliency to pests and storm events, and more.
Proposal applications for two distinct Forestry Management and Education grants are due April 5th, 2024 at 5pm.
Murphy Administration Funds Grants for School Bus Electrification Program
New Jersey’s Electric School Bus Grant Program is aimed at safeguarding children's health from harmful pollutants. The program, funded by legislation signed by Governor Phil Murphy, will provide up to $45 million over three years for electric bus purchases and charging infrastructure. The initiative aligns with efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and addresses the health risks posed by diesel buses.
Interested parties can find more information on program advantages and application processes at the DEP website. Applications are due May 17, 2024. Learn more online.
EPA Thriving Communities EJ Small Grants
EPA has launched its Thriving Communities Environmental Justice Grantmaking program, in which one organization in each EPA Region will serve as a Grantmaker - with Fordham University serving EPA Region 2 - awarding at least $600 million in Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Subgrants.
Fordham has already posted a form for those interested in applying from EPA Region 2. Those interested should also complete the Environmental Protection Network's survey for community organizations and other under-resourced entities interested in receiving pro bono assistance to create/envision projects for these funding opportunities.
Career Opportunities
OEJ is Looking for a Summer Intern!
OEJ is seeking an Outreach and Engagement summer intern to support the office's work. The role involves collaborating with staff to support engagement sessions, educating the public about relevant DEP resources, and building relationships with advocates to more effectively and equitably respond to local concerns. Strong research, writing, and graphic design skills are required. Applications close March 13th, 2024.
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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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