FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2021
Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragan introduced the Climate Justice Grants Act to support community driven climate solutions in environmental justice communities. The climate crisis disproportionately impacts low-income and communities of color, which are hit first and worst by natural disasters and the health impacts that come from living with polluted air, land and water. This bill addresses that inequity by authorizing a new Climate Justice Grants program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support those hardest-hit by climate change and environmental pollution.
“In my majority-minority district and in districts like it across the country, climate change is a direct threat to our health and livelihoods,” said Rep. Barragán. “As Congress works toward comprehensive climate legislation, it’s investments directly into our communities like the Climate Justice Grants Act – combined with an aggressive transition off fossil fuels – that must make up the backbone of our approach. It is the only way for our nation to meaningfully, and equitably, tackle the climate crisis.
The Climate Justice Grants Act would create and authorize a 10-year Climate Justice Grants program at EPA that provides $1 billion per year in climate justice grants for projects and initiatives proposed by environmental justice communities. Grant recipients can accept up to $2 million for community clean energy projects, weatherization, home and building electrification, energy storage projects, electric vehicle deployment, installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure, building natural infrastructure, and climate resilient infrastructure. This bill is based off an amendment Congresswoman Barragán proposed to Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act of 2020, which has been included in the Environmental Justice subtitle of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s CLEAN Future Act.
The Climate Justice Grants Act is one of three climate and environmental justice bills that Representative Barragán has proposed in the 117th Congress. The others are the Climate Smart Ports Act (H.R. 501) and the Energy Resilient Communities Act (H.R. 448). All three have been included in the CLEAN Future Act.
The full text of the Climate Justice Grants Act can be found here.
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Nanette Diaz Barragán is proud to represent California’s 44th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Florence-Firestone, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, San Pedro, South Gate, Walnut Park, Watts, Willowbrook and Wilmington. She serves as chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Border Security.