Times of SD: EPA Awards California More Than $216 Million for Resilience Projects, Including San Diego County
By Brooke Binkowski
The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the state of California a combined $216.5 million in order to strengthen climate resilience and reduce pollution in communities, with more than $30 million of that going to San Diego County.
Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla’s office made the announcement Monday afternoon.
“Overlooked communities across California have struggled for generations with air pollution and unaffordable water and energy bills,” Padilla said in a statement. “The climate crisis has only underscored these vulnerabilities.”
“Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, we’re delivering millions in environmental justice investments to reduce energy costs and improve air quality, while developing climate-resilient community workforces.”
The San Diego Foundation and the Environmental Health Coalition received nearly $20 million to implement a holistic approach to improve local air quality, mitigate extreme heat, and add more green space.
The project will fund home electrification, adding energy storage, installing air filters, and performing weatherization upgrades. It will also expand a free micro-transit shuttle and go toward electrifying regional buses.
The Healthy Borders Community Change Project received more than $12.5 million in order to address the effects of poor air quality in San Ysidro.
The project includes a low-cost e-share mobility project and provide indoor air monitors and purifiers to hundreds of low-income households in the area.
The rest of the California-specific projects can be found here.
The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act as part of the Community Change Grants Program, the largest nationwide investment in environmental and climate justice in history.
The Community Change Grants Program addresses the needs of disadvantaged communities by reducing air, water, and soil pollution; building infrastructure that is resilient against extreme weather events; and bolstering workforce development.
A full list of projects funded by this initiative nationally can be seen here.
Read the full article here.