EPA REGION 1 Recipient: University of Connecticut Applicant Type: Institution of Higher Education Award Amount: $10,000,000 Title: New England EJ Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center Location: EPA Region 1 (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, and 10 tribal nations) Partners:
New England Environmental Finance Center, University of Maine System DBA University Southern Maine (academic) Elevate Policy Lab, Yale School of Public Health (academic) Institute for New England Native American Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston (academic) New England Rural Health Association (non-profit) Hispanic Health Council (non-profit) Environmental Protection Network (non-profit) Environmental Justice Coordinators (state government) Connecticut Dept of Energy and Environmental Protection Massachusetts Dept of Environmental Protection Rhode Island Dept of Environmental Management New Hampshire Dept of Environmental Services Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation Maine Dept of Environmental Protection & Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation & the Future Goals and Description:
The New England EJ Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC) will build capacity in New England (EPA Region 1) underserved and rural/remote communities to address environmental and energy justice concerns, serving as a resource and technical assistance hub. The New England EJ TCTAC will provide technical assistance services, education, outreach and community engagement on environmental quality, energy justice, climate adaptation, and civic justice, and will feature a Tribal program. The EJ TCTAC will offer direct technical assistance to underserved communities and rural/remote areas in seven general areas: Technical Needs Assessments.
Through socioeconomic and environmental benefits analysis, the EJ TCTAC team will assess the needs of the community and barriers to the adoption of environmental and energy incentives. EJSCREEN, EnviroAtlas and CEJST tools will be integrated in the assessment analyses, along with local data collected in collaboration with state and regional agencies. An assessment of problem-solving opportunities through environmental justice authorities will also be provided. Funding Resource Roadmaps. Guidance on environmental and energy funding programs will be tailored to different community needs.
Through one-on-one consultations, the EJ TCTAC team will advise on individual projects, provide information on available funding resources, and guide communities on funding eligibility requirements. Project-specific Documentation Review. Review technical documents and translate those in plain language. The EJ TCTAC team will assist communities with summarizing technical documents,