Title: Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Act of 2017
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Act of 2017
This bill establishes in the Environmental Protection Agency an Office of Environmental Justice. The office must create an environmental justice grant program that empowers and educates communities that are affected by local environmental or public health issues to understand those issues and identify ways to address them at the local level.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2695 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2695

 To establish an Office of Environmental Justice in the Environmental 
   Protection Agency and to authorize an environmental justice small 
                grants program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2017

 Ms. Jayapal (for herself, Mr. McEachin, and Ms. Barragan) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish an Office of Environmental Justice in the Environmental 
   Protection Agency and to authorize an environmental justice small 
                grants program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Environmental Justice Small Grants 
Program Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Despite Executive Order 12898 (relating to ``Federal 
        Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority 
        Populations and Low-Income Populations''), communities of 
        color, low income communities, people with limited English 
        proficiency, indigenous peoples, and people living with 
        disabilities experience the impacts of climate change at a 
        disproportionate rate.
            (2) The Environmental Protection Agency formed the 
        Environmental Justice Small Grants Program to support and 
        empower frontline communities that are working on solutions to 
        the disproportionate impacts of climate change.
            (3) Between 2000 and 2015, the Environmental Protection 
        Agency, through the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, 
        awarded more than 630 small grants to assist with the cost of 
        conducting research and education, as well as developing 
        community-based solutions.

SEC. 3. OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.

    There is established in the Environmental Protection Agency an 
Office of Environmental Justice, which shall be headed by a Director.

SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Environmental 
Justice shall establish an environmental justice grant program to make 
grants to eligible entities in accordance with this section.
    (b) Grants.--The Director may make a grant under this section, in 
an amount not to exceed $50,000, to an eligible entity to carry out an 
environmental justice project.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Affected community.--The term ``affected community'' 
        means a community that--
                    (A) may be disproportionately affected by 
                environmental harms and risks; and
                    (B) is affected by a local environmental or public 
                health issue that is identified in an application for a 
                grant under this section.
            (2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) an entity that--
                            (i) is an organization (including an 
                        environmental justice network, a faith-based 
                        organization, and an organization affiliated 
                        with a religious institution)--
                                    (I) described in section 501(c)(3) 
                                of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
                                and exempt from taxation under section 
                                501(a) of such Code; or
                                    (II) recognized as a nonprofit 
                                organization by the government of the 
                                State, territory, commonwealth, or 
                                federally recognized Tribe with 
                                jurisdiction over the area in which it 
                                is located;
                            (ii) demonstrates that it has worked 
                        directly with the affected community, as 
                        determined by the Director; and
                            (iii) is located in the State, territory, 
                        or commonwealth, or area over which a federally 
                        recognized Tribe has jurisdiction, in which the 
                        proposed environmental justice project is 
                        located;
                    (B) a federally recognized Tribal government with 
                jurisdiction over the area in which the proposed 
                environmental justice project is located; or
                    (C) a Tribal organization that demonstrates that it 
                has worked directly with the affected community, as 
                determined by the Administrator.
            (3) Environmental justice project.--The term 
        ``environmental justice project'' means a project consisting of 
        activities designed to empower and educate an affected 
        community to--
                    (A) understand environmental and public health 
                issues; and
                    (B) identify ways to address those issues at the 
                local level.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $16,000,000 for each fiscal 
year.
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