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Environmental Justice Newsletter
April 11th, 2024
Summary of Important Dates
Announcements
EPA Announces New Federal Drinking Water Standards on PFAS
On April 10th, the Biden-Harris Administration issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals.’ Exposure to PFAS has been linked to deadly cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children, disproportionately affecting public health in overburdened communities.
EPA has also announced the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program which will provide states and territories with funds to improve public water systems in small or disadvantaged communities and address emerging contaminants, including PFAS.
Murphy Administration Awards $16 Million in Grants to Advance Recycling and Waste Reduction Goals
Over $16 Million in grants have been awarded to communities to NJ counties to fund recycling initiatives. The award amounts for each municipality are based on recycling performance in recent years, incentivizing more sustainable waste management for all municipalities and furthering existing projects. Some municipal project ideas include sponsoring household hazardous waste collection events, providing recycling receptacles in public places and maintaining leaf composting operations. Overburdened Communities across the state were able to take advantage of this opportunity including Newark, Camden, Perth Amboy and Paterson.
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 Seminar!
"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.
The third installment in Camden will review the DEP regulatory process, specifically discussing Drinking Water, Watershed and Land Use, and Air Permitting.
Where: Mastery High School, 800 Erie Street, Camden, NJ 08102
When: Saturday, April 20th from 10am to 2:30pm.
All seminars are free and open to the public. Attendance will be in person with an option to join via Zoom.
Register Now for OEJ's Upcoming Environmental Justice Community Engagement Session in Newark!
Discuss your concerns at the next EJ Community Engagement Session with DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette and EPA Region 2 Senior Advisor of Equity Olivia Glenn. In a previous email, the date was listed as Monday, April 30th. Please note that the correct date is Tuesday, April 30th.
Date and Time: Tuesday April 30th, 2024, 6:00-7:30pm
Location: Newark Main Public Library, 5 Washington Street Newark, NJ 07102
Attend in-person or virtually via Zoom. Translation is available in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Brazilian Portuguese.
This community engagement session is part of the Administration’s commitment to promoting environmental justice in New Jersey to ensure that all state residents, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, or income are able to live, learn, work, and recreate in a healthy and clean environment and to have equal access to green space, clean energy resources, and other environmental benefits.
Environmental Justice Advisory Council Applications
Join the Environmental Justice Advisory Council (EJAC) and help drive positive change in New Jersey's environmental justice efforts! Members represent diverse sectors and have contributed to crucial initiatives like the Environmental Justice Law, the Environmental Justice Seminar series and the What’s in My Community Tool. Seize this opportunity to influence policies and practices targeting environmental injustices in our communities.
NJDEP is seeking applications to fill four (4) vacancies for 3-year terms through 2027 and two (2) currently vacant terms expiring in 2025. Applications are due April 15th, 2024. Apply now.
Upcoming Environmental Justice Law Public Hearings
April 15- Safety-Kleen Solid Waste Modification Expansion- Linden Union County, EJ Rule (hybrid)
May 8- Middlesex County Utility Authority- Sayreville Middlesex Couty, AO-25 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
NEJAC Public Meeting and Public Comment Request
The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) will convene a hybrid public meeting from April 23rd to April 25th. The meeting discussions will focus on several topics including, but not limited to, workgroup updates, final recommendations for council consideration, presentations, panels, and discussions on protentional charges with various EPA national program offices. The meeting is free and open to all members of the public. Individual registration for this event is REQUIRED.
The NEJAC is also interested in receiving public comments relevant to the Cumulative Impacts Framework Change and the EPA Policy on Environmental Justice for working with Federally Recognized Tribes and Indigenous Peoples Update.
The public can submit written comments by May 7, 2024 by using the webform at National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) Public Comment Submission or by sending comments via email to nejac@epa.gov.
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.
EPA Funding Available for Community Air Quality Information Analysis Initiatives
As part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, The EPA is seeking applications proposing community-engaged research to advance the use and communication of air pollution data for addressing community-identified air pollution concerns. Despite advancements in community air monitoring methodologies, challenges remain in accessing, analyzing, interpreting and then translating the data into information for the public that can be used to inform community actions.
Eligible research initiatives should develop practical methods for making sense of and effectively communicating community exposure data in underserved communities to facilitate greater public engagement with decision-makers and adequately address community-identified air pollution concerns associated with criteria air pollutants or hazardous air pollutants. Solicitations are open until June 26th, 2024.
Call for Artists: "Communicating Climate Change Flood Risks in the Coastal Community"
DEP and the NJ Council on the Arts are announcing a funding opportunity for the 2024 Community-Based Art Grant Program to raise awareness and start a conversation about flooding related to climate change in our coastal areas through art installations. Past grantees include the Atlantic City Arts Foundation and Bayshore Center at Bivalve in Port Norris. DEP is accepting applications for funding at this time.
Applications are due at 5pm on April 29, 2024.
Applications Open for NJEDA's Atlantic City Food Security Pilot Program
The Atlantic City Food Security Grants Program is a pilot program awarding grants between $50,000 and $500,000 for projects to strengthen food access and food security in Atlantic City as a state designated Food Desert Community.
In this program, NJEDA will use $5.25 million funding from the American Rescue Plan State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund and general state funds to award grants to projects that can have an impact for Atlantic City residents’ ability to access fresh, affordable, healthy food in advance of the construction of a supermarket, while simultaneously benefitting employment by helping applicants expand or increase their activities.
Applications will be accepted until Wednesday, May 14, 2024, at 5:00 PM EST.
EPA Community Change Grants Program and Upcoming Webinars for Applicants
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 applications, with informational webinars on the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and Community Change Technical Assistance.
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.
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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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