Biden-Harris Administration announces $1 million for Environmental Justice project to address radon risks in North Dakota as part of Investing in America Agenda

Project part of largest investments through EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement and Environmental Justice Government-to-Government grant programs funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act

Bismarck, N.D. (October 24. 2023) -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $1 million to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) develop a radon awareness, testing and mitigation project to reduce radon’s impacts in low-income homes in three pilot regions in North Dakota. This project is part of a national announcement of grants awarded nationwide which will advance environmental justice as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to ensure disadvantaged communities that have historically suffered from underinvestment have access to clean air and water and climate resilience solutions in alignment with the Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 Initiative.

Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in U.S. history—this funding is a part the largest investment ever announced under these two longstanding EPA programs. This is the first in a series of environmental justice grant announcements the agency will announce before the end of the year.

“No President has invested more in environmental justice than President Biden, and under his leadership we’re removing longstanding barriers and meaningfully collaborating with communities to build a healthier future for all,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Together, these community-driven projects will improve the health, equity, and resilience of communities while setting a blueprint for local solutions that can be applied across the nation.”

“This Environmental Justice grant will help our partners in North Dakota reduce radon risks and health impacts across a diverse set of communities across the state,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “We are proud to support projects identified by our state, local and nonprofit partners and bring positive change to communites disproportionately impacted by pollution.”

The grants announced today deliver on President Biden’s commitment to advance equity and justice throughout the United States. The two grant programs directly advance the President’s transformational Justice40 initiative to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving (EJCPS) Program

EPA’s EJCPS program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations working to address local environmental or public health issues in their communities. The program builds upon President Biden’s Executive Orders 13985 and 14008, creating a designation of funds exclusively for small nonprofit organizations, which are defined as having 5 or fewer full-time employees, thus ensuring that grant resources reach organizations of lower capacity that historically struggle to receive federal funding. Eleven of the organizations selected for EJCPS this year are small nonprofit organizations, receiving over $1.6 million in total.

Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G)

EPA’s EJG2G provides funding at the state, local, territorial, and Tribal level to support government activities in partnership with community-based organizations that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms.

EPA EJG2G grant selection in North Dakota includes the following:

The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality has been selected to receive approximately $1 million to partner with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, the North Dakota Cancer Coalition and the Community Action Partnership of North Dakota to develop a radon awareness, testing and mitigation campaign to reduce radon’s impacts in low-income homes in three pilot regions across the state.

Additional Background:

From day one of his administration, President Biden has made achieving environmental justice a top priority. And in August 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Inflation Reduction Act into law, creating the largest investment in environmental and climate justice in U.S. history. EPA received $3 billion in appropriations to provide grants and technical assistance for activities advancing environmental and climate justice.

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA has launched and expanded innovative programs to provide more support than ever before to communities that unjustly bear the burdens of environmental harm and pollution. This includes the $177 million for the creation of 16 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs) to remove barriers to federal resources and help communities pursue funding opportunities like those made available through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. EPA has also launched and will award funds through the $550 million  Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program before the end of 2023.

Learn more about environmental justice at EPA.

See the full listing of all 98 organizations receiving an EJCPS grant and learn more about EJCPS.

See the full listing of all the selected 88 EJG2G projects and learn more about EJG2G.