EPA awards UArizona $10M for new environmental justice center
The grant will fund the university's Western Environmental Science Technical Assistance Center for Environmental Justice, selected as part of a new EPA and U.S. Department of Energy program.
A $10 million grant from the EPA will allow researchers to advance environmental justice, which is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
Kris Hanning/University of Arizona Health Sciences
The Environmental Protection Agency awarded $10 million to the University of Arizona to fund the Western Environmental Science Technical Assistance Center for Environmental Justice, or WEST EJ Center, for five years.
The EPA's promise of clean air, land and water has not reached many historically marginalized communities due to a complex interaction of physical, social and economic factors. Led by principal investigator Paloma Beamer, professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at UArizona Health Sciences, the WEST EJ Center brings together a diverse coalition with longstanding relationships and extensive expertise working with communities to overcome these barriers.