Biden-Harris Administration announces $3 million for Environmental Justice projects in communities across Montana as part of Investing in America Agenda

Projects announced as 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

Helena, Mont. (October 24, 2023) -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced nearly $3 million to fund projects across Montana that advance environmental justice as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Missoula County and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will each receive funding for projects 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.”

“These Environmental Justice grants will address local needs and challenges across a diverse set of communities in Montana,” 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 communities 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 selections in Montana include the following:

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality will receive approximately $1,000,000 to focus on building capacity within rural communities to address environmental issues related to the redevelopment and reuse of property for housing. Montana DEQ will provide training and technical assistance focused on increasing local awareness of environmental resources and processes so rural communities can identify, prioritize and cleanup sites for use as safe, affordable housing across Montana.
Missoula County will receive approximately $999,600 to create a vital one-stop shop resource that will provide comprehensive and hands-on assistance to County residents, including rural, low-income, and Indigenous communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change. This initiative will also provide up to $20,000 per household to fund no-cost retrofits for approximately twenty-one low-income projects.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will receive approximately $904,300 to support health projects on the Flathead Indian Reservation, and the towns of Elmo, Polson, and nearby rural areas. The main objective of this project is to reduce the incidence of cercarial dermatitis (swimmer’s itch) in vulnerable populations around Flathead Lake on the Reservation in Western Montana. The project will develop local partnerships; install rinse stations and outdoor message boards at five public-use beaches; deliver public education and outreach about the parasite and how best to avoid impacts; and install community-designed artworks at the rinse stations.

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.