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Welcome to the latest e-newsletter of the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). We're sharing helpful information to benefit you and your community.
Know someone who’d benefit from this information? Please share and invite them to subscribe. Please help us spread the word!
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Join the staff at DEP’s Office of Environmental Justice
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OEJ currently has two open positions for Regional Coordinators in the Central Region and Western Region. Due to the transition of the Governor, these positions have been put on hold, until the new administration is in place. The existing OEJ team will be dividing up those responsibilities until the positions can be filled. If interested in hearing about these positions when they are open, please email the team at RA-EPOEJ@pa.gov or subscribe for updates at employment.pa.gov.
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Internship Program – OEJ has been approved to host an intern in the SERO office under the supervision of Regional Coordinator Juan Serrat. The internship position is posted on the Commonwealth’s employment website at www.employment.pa.gov, please share this opportunity with potential candidates across your networks.
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EPA Launches new National Office Dedicated to Advancing Environmental Justice and Civil Rights
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In September EPA announced that it is establishing a new national office charged with advancing environmental and civil rights. The new office will dedicate more than 200 EPA staff in EPA headquarters and across 10 regions towards solving environmental challenges in communities that have been underserved far too long. The office aims to improve the agency’s ability to infuse equity, civil rights, and environmental principles and priorities into EPA practices, policies and programs. For more information, please visit the new Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights website.
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White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) calls for participation
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Choose Clean Water program invitation for participation
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The next Choose Clean Water Conference is gathering in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, May 23-24, 2023. Each year, the Choose Clean Water Coalition's provides a two-day forum for participants to learn about the most important and up-to-date restoration issues throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. The Coalition is now accepting proposals to lead field trips and present sessions and workshops at the conference. Any person or organization is invited to lead presentations or field trips that energize participants through thoughtful engagement, share new and innovative learnings, and stir enthusiasm for envisioning a bright future for our clean water movement. Community leaders, business partners, and colleagues from outside the Bay watershed are also welcome to present. The application deadline is Friday, January 13, 2023. Learn more and apply! If you have any questions, please reach out to Mariah Davis at DavisM@nwf.org or Drew Robinson at RobinsonAQ@nwf.org.
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PennDOT has developed resources to help businesses and organizations to prepare in advance of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Notice of Funding Opportunity announcement, which is anticipated for late December/early January. To learn more, visit PennDOT’s NEVI webpage which houses the NEVI Funding FAQs, or email PennDOT’s EV team.
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The International Interdependence Hexagon Project (Art into Action; Action into Art)
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This project provides teachers, students, and community groups an opportunity to think about their responsibilities as global citizens and use art as a medium to address social justice problems and communicate their solutions, as well as take action at a local level. The 2023 Special Theme is Environmental Justice. The project asks young people and communities to create art within the infinitely inter-linking shape of a hexagon, a metaphor for interconnectedness. Templates and all materials can be downloaded here. The deadline for entries is June 30!
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RESOURCES – TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE
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PA Grants – Currently Open
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The Small Business Advantage Grant Program
A grant program for small businesses (100 or fewer employees) to undertake energy efficiency, pollution prevention or natural resource protection projects designed to enhance a small business's competitiveness while simultaneously improving the environment for Pennsylvania residents. The program offers small businesses a 50 percent matching, reimbursement grant of up to $5,000 for any project type.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Pennsylvanians can apply for LIHEAP and other public assistance programs online at www.compass.state.pa.us or by phone at 1-866-550-4355. On-site County Assistance Office (CAO) services are available if clients cannot access online services or need assistance that cannot be accessed through the COMPASS website, the myCOMPASS PA mobile app, or by calling the Customer Service Centers at 215-560-7226 for Philadelphia clients or 1-877-395-8930 for clients in all other counties.
Whole-Home Repairs Program
The $120 million Whole-Home Repairs Program will provide funding for county-wide agencies to address habitability and safety concerns, provide measures to improve energy or water efficiency and make units accessible for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, this program provides funding to counties for construction-related workforce development. To apply for funding, the county or a single eligible entity designated by the county must submit an application online, through DCED’s Single Application for Assistance website located at dced.pa.gov/singleapp. All applications and required supplemental information must be received by 5:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) on January 31, 2023.
Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant
This Grant Program will provide reimbursement for equipment used by not-for-profit agencies operating programs in the Commonwealth that provide food to segments of the public. The intent is to foster partnerships between retailers/wholesalers of foodstuffs operating in the Commonwealth and non-profits, to capture safe and wholesome foods before these items become waste, which can then be made available by these agencies to the public they serve.
901 County Planning Grants/HHW
Up to 80% reimbursement for the costs of preparing municipal waste management plans to meet Act 101 requirements and pollution prevention education. Open year round and available to all Pennsylvania counties.
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebate
Are you considering buying a new or pre-owned plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle for your household? You may be eligible for this consumer rebate. Rebates of up to $3,000 are available for Pennsylvania residents who purchase a new or pre-owned electric, or hybrid electric vehicle for personal use. This application is open as funding permits.
Cooking in Healthy Electrified Commercial Kitchens (CHECK)
Get a taste of the benefits of kitchen electrification in CHECK: Cooking in Healthy Electrified Commercial Kitchens, a new DEP program to help schools and nonprofits modernize their kitchens through energy efficiency and electrification. How it works: Simply attend one of three free educational webinars, and then apply for a rebate on a variety of types of equipment to make your commercial kitchen a healthier and more environmentally friendly place. Application closes June 30, 2023, or when funding expires.
Driving PA Forward - Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging Rebates
Businesses, non-profits, and government agencies that install Level 2 electric vehicle charging equipment may be eligible for this rebate. The equipment must be for public use at government owned property, public use at non-government owned property, non-public use at workplaces, or non-public use at multi-unit dwellings. The application is open until funding runs out.
Host Municipality Review of Permit Applications Grants
Municipalities that host waste landfills, resource recovery and commercial hazardous waste treatment, and storage and disposal facilities are eligible for reimbursement of some of the costs associated with the hosting these facilities. Open year round.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Grant
Provides partial reimbursement to registered sponsors of collection programs for household hazardous waste, electronics, and tires (but not tire pile cleanup). Eligible entities include municipalities, corporations, public, and trade associations. Open year round.
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Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program
The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTAC) Program provides grant funding to eligible applicants to establish technical assistance centers across the nation providing technical assistance, training, and related support to communities with environmental justice concerns and their partners. The new technical assistance centers will provide training, assistance, and capacity building on writing grant proposals, navigating federal systems such as Grants.gov and SAM.gov, and effectively managing grant funding. These centers will also provide guidance on community engagement, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants.
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OEJ welcomes your suggestions or inquiries about our work, programs and/or policies. We also want to hear your ideas for newsletter topics/stories. Please contact us at RA-EPOEJ@pa.gov, or directly:
Statewide Strategic Coordinator
Winnie Okello
(717) 772-5639
wokello@pa.gov
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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17101
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