The Environmental Protection Agency is supporting the University of Connecticut with a five-year $10 million federal grant for an Environmental Justice Thriving Community Technical Assistance Center, according to an Oct. 30 press release by EPA. The center will support projects in New England communities more likely to be at risk of suffering from environmental issues like pollution or flooding. Communities throughout New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine and Connecticut, as well as federally recognized tribes can submit requests for aid, whether it be identifying funding sources, preparing for grant applications and/or accessing other resources. The press release outlined how the center can help assist communities through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, established by the Biden administration.
The Editorial Board believes this center is a great way to aid communities who suffer from environmental injustice and is a beneficial use of UConn resources and expertise. As a large state and public university, UConn has a moral responsibility to give back to communities and this center will address prominent issues plaguing communities across New England.
The EPA selected UConn to establish one of the 18 Thriving Community Technical Assistance Centers across the country. The center provides UConn faculty and staff with the opportunity to engage in meaningful efforts outside of the university, using their professional expertise. UConn faculty and staff across the School of Social Work, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Native American Cultural Programs will lead the center, according to UConn Today. Carolyn A. Lin, professor in the Department of Communication, will lead the team as director.
Along with the EPA, the UConn center is partnering with the Institute for New England Native American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston; the New England Environmental Finance Center at the University of Southern Maine; the New England Rural Health Association; Groundwork USA, and the Environmental Protection Network. As UConn leads this initiative with federal assistance, it puts the university at a forefront of addressing environmental justice region wide. But what are UConn’s plans for local and university action?
In recent years, student activists have demanded that the university release a plan to transition UConn to carbon neutral by 2030 and zero carbon by 2040. In February, a plan was released but faced scrutiny from coalitions like Fossil Fuel Free UConn, claiming “there is an utter absence of pragmatic propositions or detailed outlines for the implementation of the meaningful carbon reduction.” The Editorial Board has written in depth about these issues and placed support behind Fossil Fuel Free UConn, advocating for stronger sustainability initiatives.
While the university has faced backlash over their sustainability plan, this new initiative is promising for the future of the university as they begin putting resources and support toward environmental issues. This is a positive step forward for New England as a whole, and the Editorial Board hopes that the university can grow their environmental justice efforts on campus too.