EPA Press Office:

EPA awards Portland State University over $640,000 for research

SEATTLE (August 24, 2023) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Portland State University $649,492 to understand the environmental justice impacts of renewable energy storage infrastructure.  

“As our energy systems rapidly shift toward renewables, it is critical that we better understand the environmental justice implications of this transition,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “Portland State University’s community-engaged research will help fill this knowledge gap and ensure that decision making regarding the energy transition is more attentive to environmental justice and community concerns.”  

Energy storage systems for renewable energy, such as batteries and pumped hydropower, have significant impacts at each stage of the systems’ life cycles.  

This research takes a community-engaged approach to deepen the understanding of how renewable energy transitions can benefit underserved communities. Specifically, researchers will engage with communities in the western U.S. through interviews, community-engaged workshops, and other forums to explore the environmental justice impacts of renewable energy storage infrastructure across the system's life cycles. The project will also strengthen community capacity.  

Portland State University is one of 11 institutions nationwide to receive a total of $11 million in grant funding to address the drivers and environmental impacts of energy transitions in underserved and Tribal communities. 

Learn more about Portland State University’s research and the other funded grant recipients.

Contact: EPA Region 10 Public Affairs Office, r10_press_team@epa.gov