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EPA offers up to $150,000 for environmental work in low-income and minority communities

Release Date: 09/11/2006
Contact Information: Running Grass, Environmental Justice Program Manager, (206) 553-2899, grass.running@epa.gov Tony Brown, Public Affairs, (206) 553-1203, brown.anthony@epa.gov

(Seattle, WA – Sep. 11, 2006) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now seeking grant applications for projects to assist low-income and minority communities in assessing and dealing with their specific and sometimes increased environmental and public health risks.

Up to $150,000 is available to non-profit organizations through EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice. Grants will be awarded through two separate programs: the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement and the Environmental Justice Small Grants Programs. The deadline for grant applications is October 23, 2006.

The intent of these programs is to encourage low-income and minority communities to develop locally-based solutions to their sometimes disproportionate share of environmental and public health issues.

Four Pacific Northwest organizations have received these grants in the past:

· The Indochinese Cultural and Service Center in Tacoma is working to educate immigrants about potential risks from eating shellfish during periods of beach closures. Their second project educates immigrant communities about toxic risks in households.

· The Environmental Justice Action Group in Portland and the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice in Seattle are both working on reducing harmful diesel emissions which can exacerbate respiratory illnesses in vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly.

· The Farm worker Pesticide Project in Yakima is working to educate migrant farm workers about health risks associated with exposure to pesticides.

Interested potential applicants can participate in three application assistance conference calls scheduled for September 12th and 26th and October 12th.

Conference call participants should send an e-mail to: moore.rosa@epa.gov and provide the following information: (1) participants name; (2) the name of the organization; (3) organization address; (4) phone number; (5) and the preferred date for the call. Participants may also register by calling the toll-free number: 1-800-962-6215. Once registered, participants will be provided the call-in number and conference code to access the conference call.

For more detailed information about these grant programs, visit the following websites:

https://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/ej/grants/rfa-cps-grant-6-13-06.pdf

https://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/publications/ej/grants/rfa-sg-grant-6-13-06.pdf

For additional questions after visiting the websites, please contact Ayako Sato at 202-564-5396 or sato.ayako@epa.gov or Sheila Lewis at 202-564-0152 lewis.sheila@epa.gov.

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