|
|
|
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!
| |
|
1200+ Comments on the Environmental Justice Policy
| |
In March, DEP released a draft of the Environmental Justice Policy for public comment. The 60-day public comment period ran from March 12 – May 11 and included four virtual public hearings. Overall, DEP received 1267 combined comments and testimonies from Pennsylvanians across the state. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate in the public comment period. When finalized, this will be the first update to DEP’s EJ Policy since 2004, when it was first adopted.
| |
|
Environmental Justice Advisory Board Meeting in Johnstown, PA – August 18
| |
PA DEP’s Environmental Justice Advisory Board (EJAB) will host its annual traveling meeting on Thursday, August 18 from 1-7pm at the Cambria County Library -- 248 Main Street, Johnstown, PA 15901. The meeting will include a public comment period and presentations from community and non-profit organizations based in southwestern Pennsylvania. For more information, visit the Environmental Justice Advisory Board webpage.
| |
|
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PAPUC) Offers Advice on Increasing Utility Prices
| |
As of this June, utility prices have steeply increased for many Pennsylvanians. Through PAPUC's #CallUtilitiesNow campaign, anyone experiencing difficulty paying their monthly bills is urged to contact their utilities provider as soon as possible to explore their Customer Assistance Programs, national programs, and local non-profit recommendations. PAPUC also advises consumers to compare electric generation suppliers and check out their utility’s voluntary Standard Offer Program (Standard Offer).
| |
|
Public Participation Trigger Permits Can Be Viewed on the Department’s Website
| |
Don’t forget: Permits that automatically prompt the implementation of DEP’s Environmental Justice Public Participation Policy, called “trigger permits,” can be viewed on the DEP website. The ‘Pending Trigger Permits’ list shows permits that are currently under review by DEP. The ‘Disposed Trigger Permits’ list shows permits that were subject to the Policy, but are no longer under review because they were approved, denied, or withdrawn. These lists are regularly updated.
| |
Gary Horton
We’re pleased to highlight Gary Horton as an EJ Champion. Gary is the co-founder and CEO of the Urban Erie Community Development Corporation and serves on DEP’s Environmental Justice Advisory Board. Gary lives and works in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is an avid gardener, the father of a daughter, and grandfather to three grandsons.
How did you get involved in the fight against environmental injustice?
When you are born a poor kid in a poor neighborhood, those issues are brought to you. You don’t have to go looking for them. And when you find out that cancer and other respiratory diseases like bronchitis have a disproportionate impact on the people who live in your neighborhood it’s hard to escape them. And when your parents are involved in civic activity to standup for the rights of others it kind of seeps into your DNA. I can’t recall not being involved. From a young age I have been growing food and fighting for people.
| |
What has been your greatest success in your fight against environmental injustice?
My greatest success has been being able to bring new people into our work and to leverage partnerships to integrate the efforts of other organizations working towards similar goals. Collaboration has made the effort to meet the challenge more meaningful. I strive to get the big guys – industry and government – to realize that their interests are better served by including others in their aims. I would much rather that they think of us necessary partners than that they think of me as the enemy.
| |
Describe your work in environmental justice.
There are a lot of environmental issues in the neighborhood in which I live – the second poorest census tract. The railroad and bomb cars travel through the day and night, there are known carcinogens in the air and water. If you look, the cumulative impacts present a lot of challenges for the people in the neighborhood. You must work on developing a relationship and working together to mitigate the negative environmental impact; to get the industries to see themselves as a neighborhood partner and with neighborhood responsibility around the issues. My role is building relationships in the neighborhood and giving voice to the black and brown residents because they tend not to be a part of the conversation on any level. So we give a voice to people who have the least voice.
How long have you been involved with EJ work?
I am a lifelong member of the NAACP, I have been working at Urban Erie for 22 years, I served 8 years on the local board of education. I have picketed, demonstrated, educated and given voice on environmental issues under all of the hats I wear. I have over 30 years of overall involvement no matter what my position title was.
| |
RESOURCES – TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE
| |
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 to all Pennsylvania counties.
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentive Grant
Open to any PA school district, municipality, nonprofit organization, and business looking to transition to alternative advanced biofuels (electricity, compressed natural gas, biodiesel, etc.). The funding covers incremental costs to purchase alternative fuel vehicles and retrofit existing vehicles to operate with alternative fuels. Deadline: 4:00 PM on August 26, and then again on December 16, 2022.
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 expected to open before the end of July.
Environmental Education Grants
Applicants should submit innovative formal and non-formal environmental education projects that: 1. Address climate change, water, and/or environmental justice; 2. Provide opportunities to expand the public’s understanding of Pennsylvania’s environmental issues; and 3. Develop skills required to make informed decisions and take responsible action. Application round opens August 1, 2022. Application deadline: December 9, 2022 at 4:59 p.m. A 2023 Environmental Education Grants Program webinar will be held Tuesday, September 27, 2022 from Noon - 1:30 pm. Register for the webinar.
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.
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.
| |
EPA Releases List of Programs Covered by Justice40
The Justice40 Initiative to deliver at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from Federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released an initial list of new and existing organizations and programs that will benefit from Justice40. The EPA is now working with the White House to develop a method to track the benefits going towards disadvantaged communities. The initiative will include programs like the Clean School Bus Program that is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2020, along with Targeted Airshed Grants, and Diesel Emissions Reductions Act (DERA).
| |
Children's Environmental Health: A Workshop on Future Priorities for Environmental Health Sciences
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is hosting a free, virtual public workshop to discuss the state of science and knowledge about children's environmental health. The workshop will bring together experts in epidemiology, toxicology, dose response methodology, and exposure science to explore advancements in understanding the health effects from early life exposures to environmental hazards with effects across the life course, and implications for future priorities.
| |
|
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:
| |
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17101
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
