Almost $20 Million Awarded for Environmental Justice Projects in San Diego

Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, on Thursday announced nearly $20 million in Environmental Protection Agency funding for projects intended to boost climate resilience in San Diego.

The funding is expected to benefit neighborhoods such as Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Stockton, Grant Hill, Mt. Hope, Sherman Heights, Southcrest and Shelltown.

The money, to be administered by the Environmental Health Coalition and San Diego Foundation, is for projects intended to improve air quality, mitigate extreme heat and expand green space, among other goals.

“Today’s announcement is welcome news for families in San Diego and across the region,” Vargas said. “This funding demonstrates our continued commitment to addressing long standing environmental and climate justice challenges and investing in the health and wellbeing of our communities.”

Some projects include expanding a free micro-transit shuttle service and electrifying regional buses; electrifying homes, adding energy storage, installing air filters and performing weatherization upgrades, and connecting residents to clean energy job opportunities and apprenticeships in the electrical and construction fields.

“We are grateful to the EPA for recognizing how transformational this funding will be for San Diegans,” said Mark Stuart, president and CEO of the San Diego Foundation. “This federal grant is an endorsement of our coalition of partners and community-driven approach to fund much-needed projects that will improve the health and lives of residents in our central historic barrios and create a healthier, more vibrant and resilient community.”

According to a statement from Vargas’ office, the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program is the single largest investment in environmental and climate justice in history.

Thursday’s funding announcement is the first of nearly $2 billion from the program, which was designed based on community input. Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis.

The precise local EPA grant, $19,999,317, will be combined with a $22 million grant received in December from the California Strategic Growth Council for the Transformative Climate Communities initiative.

José Franco García, executive director of the Environmental Health Coalition, cited long-time woes in affected communities, including toxic pollution, disinvestment and chronic diseases like asthma, and argued that they leave residents “especially vulnerable” to impacts from climate change.

“Residents that suffer these conditions have voiced the community’s need for investments in clean air, green spaces, healthy homes and pollution-free transit,” he said. “Now, we can put their vision into action in order to help their families and neighbors thrive for generations to come,” he said.

The grant is one of seven awarded in California and one of 21 nationwide by the EPA during the inaugural round of funding.

– City News Service