Climate Justice Newsletter - March 2023

Events/Opportunities

1. By Mar 3: Energy Equity Project is seeking applications from community groups/practitioners to be further involved in their critical work: EEP is looking to support a limited number of energy justice related projects, prioritizing those put forth by grassroots community organizations working in frontline, majority BIPOC, and low-income communities. In addition, EEP is looking to increase the use of its communication channels to uplift goals and visions of our partners. 

   1. Learn more here

   2. Apply here by March 3

2. Mar 1: White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) 

   1. WHEJAC will hold a virtual public meeting from approximately 3:00 - 7:30 PM ET. This free meeting is open to all members of the public. Individual registration is REQUIRED and is available through the scheduled end time of the meeting day. Register here

3. Mar 9: TRB Webinar: Advancing Transportation Equity—Key Insights from 2021 and Looking to 2024

   1. The 2021 TRB Conference on Advancing Equity featured presentations from those working on the front lines of transportation equity and justice within community-based and non-profit organizations. The webinar will provide insights from this conference.

4. By Mar 17: EPA Seeks Input on Inflation Reduction Act Environmental and Climate Justice Program

   1. EPA issued a RFI seeking input on its Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) program funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. This program provides EPA with approximately $3 billion for ECJ program grants and technical assistance for environmental and climate justice efforts that benefit overburdened communities.

5. Recording: WRI webinar, “Two Years of Justice40: How the Initiative is Delivering Solutions to the Climate Crisis,” view here

6. Reader ask: one of the people on this list is asking for examples of IOUs that have voluntarily implemented community solar programs (outside of policy or regulatory mandates), please reply if you are able to share information!

Articles

1. EPA Announces Initial Program Design of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (EPA, 2/14)

   1. EPA announced initial guidance on the design of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) program, created by the IRA. EPA published two Federal Assistance Listings outlining key parameters of the grant competitions that will ultimately award nearly $27 billion to leverage private capital for clean energy and clean air investments across the country. Federal Assistance Listings are the first public notice requirement to implement a federal grant program.

   2. The initial program design guidance follows a robust stakeholder engagement effort with input collected from state, local and Tribal governments, community financing institutions, environmental justice organizations, industry groups and labor and environmental finance experts.

2. Argonne Laboratory names first Office of Community Engagement director (Chicago Crusader, 2/2)

   1. Argonne created the Office of Community Engagement in 2022 to enhance its local, state, and regional community outreach and engagement efforts. It announced that Robyn Wheeler Grange will serve as the first director of the Office.

3. Why the White House’s environmental justice tool is still disappointing advocates (Grist, 2/27)

   1. A Grist analysis has found that the addition of new data and methodological changes did not dramatically alter the tool’s effectiveness at capturing communities of color shouldering environmental burdens. In fact, some advocates argue that the tool’s focus on communities of color has actually been diluted by the addition of many rural, majority-white tracts. Overall, the tool now considers many more rural communities disadvantaged.

4. How policymakers can tackle power shutoffs, utility greed and the climate emergency (The Hill, 2/5) 

   1. The article discusses a report by the authors “Powerless in the United States” that examines utility shutoffs: In 2022, electricity disconnections jumped nearly 30 percent compared to the year before. The report finds that 12 utility companies were responsible for five out of six of those shutoffs and examines the utilities’ shareholder dividends and executive compensation, recommending that utilities be required to disclose shutoff data, that utility shutoffs are banned, and that utilities invest in debt relief measures.

5. House Republicans dig into EPA environmental justice grants (E&E, 2/27)

   1. On Monday, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, and Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas), chair of the Economic Growth, Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan requesting documents and a staff briefing on the environmental justice grants. The lawmakers said case studies of one environmental justice grant program found several problems, including that grantees failed to define health or environmental concerns.

6. New and recent books about climate and environmental justice (Yale Climate Connections, 2/20)

   1. 2022 NGO and Foundation Transparency Report Card (Green 2.0)

   2. Educator & Activist: My Life & Times in Pursuit of Environmental Justice (Bunyan Bryant)

   3. Before the Streetlights Come On: Black America’s Urgent Call for Climate Solutions (Heather McTeer Toney)

   4. Fighting to Breathe: Race, Toxicity and the Rise of Youth Activism in Baltimore (Nicole Fabricant)

   5. The Pandemic Divide: How the Pandemic Increased Inequality in America (ed. Gwendolyn L. Wright)

   6. Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want (Ruha Benjamin)

   7. Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists (ed. Leah Penniman)

   8. Evolution of a Movement: Four Decades of California Environmental Justice Activism (Tracy E Perkins)

   9. Environmental Justice and Resiliency in an Age of Uncertainty (edited by Celeste Murphy-Greene)

   10. Reframing Climate and Environmental Justice (edited by Lars Otto Naess and Amber Huff)

   11. Reparative Environmental Justice in a World of Wounds (Ben Almassi)

Reports

1. See report above from CBD, Energy and Policy Institute, and Bailout Watch, “Powerless in the United States”