PSU, Willamette Partnership win EPA grant to create environmental justice center serving Pacific Northwest

Published 12:07 pm Monday, April 24, 2023

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded $10 million to Portland State University, Willamette Partnership and the Rural Community Assistance Corporation to lead the creation of a new center focused on environmental justice.

The Environmental and Energy Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center, also known as TCTAC, will support clean energy and climate resilience for underserved communities by providing leadership training and technical assistance, such as aiding in policy analysis, grant navigation and construction projects.

“This investment is a crucial step towards resourcing communities to tackle ongoing injustices,” Lynny Brown, health and environment partner with the Willamette Partnership said. “This is an opportunity to drive meaningful change and build a more just future for all who live, work, play and pray in our region.”

The center will be based at PSU’s Institute for Tribal Government and will be one of two in the Pacific Northwest aiding tribes and other underserved and rural communities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska. In total, the EPA has released $177 million to create 17 environmental justice technical assistance centers throughout the U.S.

The EPA also this week awarded $12 million dollars to the University of Washington to establish a second center in the Pacific Northwest with the same goals of providing assistance to communities disproportionately impacted by pollution and climate change.

Read the full story at OPB.org.