Federal Policy
EPA’s Carbon Pollution Standards: Equity Recommendations from Just Solutions
For decades, the burning of fossil fuels at power plants has resulted in adverse public health outcomes for some of the most environmentally-overburdened communities in our country. Black, Indigenous, communities of color and low-income communities breathing in the pollution from these facilities experience disproportionate rates of heart and lung diseases, asthma, bronchitis, a greater number…
DOE Guidance for Home Energy Rebates Adopts Recommendations for Equity
On July 27, the Department of Energy released long-awaited guidance for the Home Energy Rebate Programs, outlining requirements applicable to the states and territories that will administer these programs. (Separate guidance is forthcoming for Tribes.) We previously shared our recommendations to DOE to implement the Home Energy Rebates in a way that prioritizes equity and…
Federal Debt Ceiling, Environmental Justice Communities and NEPA
After weeks of negotiations and the looming threat of defaulting on our country’s debts, President Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) in May. The FRA ended the federal student loan repayment suspension and expands work requirements for food stamp recipients, which will impact low-income and working-class people the most. What might be less known,…
The White House Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights Explained
The White House Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights,1 issued in January of 2023, outlines a general plan for the enforcement and implementation of tenants’ rights. This article provides readers with key takeaways from the Blueprint and identifies opportunities to incorporate environmental justice and climate action elements within housing and tenant rights efforts. The…
Just Solutions Joins Invest in America Tour highlighting funds for equitable clean energy solutions
On Friday, July 14, 2023, Just Solutions was invited to join Vice President Harris in Baltimore, Maryland as she delivered remarks highlighting provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. Joined by EPA Administrator Michael Regan at Coppin State University, they announced $20 billion to capitalize investment in a clean energy financing network and projects in disadvantaged…
Demystifying the Federal Funding Landscape
Emerald Cities Collaborative, The Climate & Clean Energy Equity Fund, and Just Solutions demystify the federal funding process and discuss the pathways you can use to access funding for your community. This webinar explored competitive grants, formula grants, and tax credits, providing clarity on how each of these mechanisms works and the opportunities they present.…
Our recommendations for Treasury’s Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit program
With last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress took its most significant action yet to address climate through legislation. As we have previously discussed, the majority of climate and energy spending in the IRA comes in the form of tax credits. In turn, the vast majority of those tax credits are designed…
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: Best Practices for Equity and Governance
The $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) is the single largest climate program in the Inflation Reduction Act, second only to the suite of energy tax credits that make up the majority of the IRA’s spending. Because of its vast size, as well as the flexibility provided by the authorizing language in the law,…
New Executive Order, “Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All”
On April 21, 2023, President Biden released a new Executive Order, “Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All”. Along with this release, he delivered remarks at a ceremony Friday afternoon on Building Healthy Communities and Advancing Environmental Justice which featured Catherine Coleman Flowers, founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice.…
Webinar: What you need to know about the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
The EPA recently announced parameters for its $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. This fund will provide competitive grants to finance clean energy and climate projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As the “single largest investment in clean energy, environmental justice, and carbon pollution reduction in American history,” what are the impacts and opportunities for…
