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Environmental Justice Newsletter
December 19th, 2024
Summary of Important Dates
Announcements
EPA Announces $1M in Brownfields Job Training Grants to New Jersey
On December 17th, the EPA announced Groundwork Elizabeth and Montclair State University as the New Jersey selectees for two Brownfield Job Training Program grants to help recruit, train, and place workers in community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites. Groundwork Elizabeth's training program aims to empower underserved youth and young professionals living in public housing or participating in the Youth Corp program, training 75 students in a range of topics and equipping them with technical skills for future employment in environmental fields. The Montclair State University program will train 100 students from Essex and Passaic Counties and will assist students in finding meaningful job placements.
Both initiatives are leveraging local partnerships to remove employment barriers in underserved communities and deliver specialized training curriculum including topics like HAZWOPER certification, construction safety, and environmental data analytics. Together, these initiatives will create essential career pathways for the next generation of remediation professionals, advance sustainable brownfield redevelopment, and expand local economic opportunity in NJ's environmental justice communities. More information is available online.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Community Change Grant Awardees to Further Environmental and Climate Justice
On December 12th, EPA announced the selections of 105 applications for the Community Change Grants Program, totaling nearly $1.6 billion in awards to advance local, on-the-ground projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity. Made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, the Community Change Grants Program constitutes the single largest investment in environmental and climate justice in history and provides critical funding to address the diverse and unique needs of disadvantaged communities nationwide.
In New Jersey, Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC)'s Enhancing Community Resilience with Microgrid Technology project has been selected. The project will develop mobile microgrid powered by solar panels and battery energy storage systems in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark. The project will establish Community Resilience Hubs at critical community facilities to provide backup power during emergencies and produce energy for electric vehicle charging stations. Funding will also be used to purchase two electric passenger vehicles to meet resident transportation needs. Learn more online.
DEP Honors New Jerseyans with Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards
On December 10th, DEP presented the 2024 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards (GEEAs) to honor New Jerseyans committed to caring for our environment. Awardees were honored for a range of projects including efforts to address climate change, build a healthy community with lead danger awareness, and protect waterways through improved stormwater management. The winner for the Environmental Justice Category, City Green, addresses the lack of green, natural spaces in urban neighborhoods. Through its Dig In! program – a collaboration with the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners – City Green has helped to create more than 75 community gardens, most in overburdened communities. These gardens produce and provide access to healthy food, as well as reducing stormwater runoff, providing wildlife habitat, combating the heat island effect and beautifying neighborhoods. Dig In! also offers financial, technical and educational assistance in developing, building and supporting these gardens and neighborhood farms. Through Dig In!, City Green helps to improve participants’ gardening skills, build community and sow environmental stewardship, adds safe outdoor spaces and strengthens gardens’ resilience. Learn more online.
Weekly Drought Updates and Water Conservation Guidance
NJDEP's Division of Water Supply and Geoscience has launched a new webpage to provide residents with weekly status updates on drought conditions that have persisted statewide since June. The website describes current strains on water supply and details state actions that have been taken to communicate ongoing drought risk and conserve water. It also offers specific recommendations for how residents can conserve water in their daily lives. Additionally, NJDEP has created a Drought Outreach Toolkit to support local governments and stakeholders in their own efforts to raise public awareness of droughts and encourage water conservation. Learn more online.
Participation Opportunities
Upcoming Environmental Justice Law Public Hearings
February 13- Reworld Union Title V Renewal, AO-25 (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
 Statewide Trail Needs Assessment Survey for Trail Professionals
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Department of Transportation are partnering to update statewide trail planning documents with the goal of providing guidebooks to assist in the development of a system of trails and greenways throughout the state. As part of this effort, DEP has released a survey intended for those who plan, manage, or contribute to the development and maintenance of trails and greenways in New Jersey, such as:
- active transportation and recreation planners who identify potential trail connections,
- municipal administrators or clerks who navigate trail funding,
- elected officials who oversee trails or who are working to develop trails within their community,
- and public works or park employees and volunteers who maintain trails.
The goal of the survey - the Statewide Trail Needs Assessment for Trail Planners and Managers - is to better understand the needs and priorities of our communities. The survey addresses key topics that have been identified by the planning team, including funding, connecting and facilitating trail projects, trail user safety, and action items for further developing the state's system of trails. Survey responses will inform guidebook content and technical assistance program development, working to ensure that all New Jersey residents have safe and equitable access to quality outdoor recreation and active transportation opportunities.
NJDEP Seeking Nominations for Inaugural Natural Resource Restoration Council
As authorized by Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette’s Administrative Order No. 2023-08, NJDEP is now seeking candidate nominations for the inaugural Natural Resource Restoration Advisory Council. The Advisory Council will provide insight and feedback concerning the DEP’s identification, planning, and implementation of restoration projects in response to natural resource damage settlements. The council will also assist the department in communicating restoration project objectives and outcomes to the public. Council members from distinct sectors, including local government representatives, conservation advocates, remediation professionals, academics, and environmental justice organizers, will work together to establish priorities for restoration projects, develop recommendations, and support public engagement efforts related to these projects.
Nominations are due by December 31, 2024. Interested applicants may self-nominate or be nominated by another individual or organization. Learn more 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.
DOE Community Energy Connectors: Regional Clean Energy & Economic Development Support
The Department of Energy's Office of State and Community Energy Programs is launching the Community Energy Connectors: Regional Clean Energy & Economic Development Support Opportunity. This initiative aims to expand the capacity of local and regional stakeholders to foster economic development through clean energy. This program seeks organizations that can support disadvantaged and Tribal communities, improving their access to clean energy resources and economic opportunities.
The Department of Energy is requesting applications from organizations that possess a strong understanding of renewable energy strategies and demonstrated experience providing tailored technical assistance, resources, and outreach to support clean energy transitions in these communities. Selected organizations will provide advisory and technical support, focusing on building equitable and inclusive energy development strategies that align with local priorities.
Applications are due January 28, 2025. Learn more online.
Clean Bus for Schools Rebate Program
Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean School Bus Rebates Program offers public school districts and local governments rebates to replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission models. The program funds the replacement of up to 50 buses for eligible applicants and be used to support costs associated with workforce training for drivers, mechanics, electricians, and other essential personnel. The funding provides access to cleaner energy alternatives for school districts, particularly those that are under resourced, reducing air pollution emitted by traditional diesel school bus fleets and better protecting the health of schoolchildren.
Applications are due January 9th, 2025 by 4pm. Learn more online.
Bringing Youth Outdoors Together and Environmental Steward Program
Administered through the US Department of Interior and the National Park Service, the Bringing Youth Outdoors Together and Environmental Steward Program provides young people, particularly youth from underserved communities in urban, rural, military, and native settings -- with outdoor experiences and excursions to their local national park. The program focuses on youth development, recreation, service, social and environmental responsibility, and healthy living that emphasizes the value and significance of natural and cultural resources in nearby parks and communities. Local governments, school districts, non-profits, higher education institutions, and tribal organizations are eligible to apply.
Applications are due February 8th, 2025. Learn more online.
Green Acres 2025 Funding Round Now Open!
The Green Acres Program 2025 funding round is now open! These grant opportunities are for local governments and non-profits seeking to acquire open space for recreation and conservation purposes, develop outdoor recreational facilities, and steward natural resources on land held for those purposes. Non-profit grants specifically consider recreational development in urban and densely populated areas to increase accessibility of green space. Applications for land acquisition, park development, stewardship, Jake’s Law (Completely Inclusive Playgrounds), and Urban Parks projects are now being accepted. All applicants must provide opportunity for meaningful public engagement to ensure park planning and development decisions incorporate community input.
All applications are due February 5th, 2025. More information is available online.
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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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