Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two virtual opportunities for the public to share input on a new Bipartisan infrastructure Law-funded grant program being developed to support clean water in underserved Gulf of Mexico communities. The input gathered will inform a new Request for Applications (RFA) to award up to $25 million total across the five Gulf states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

The virtual public listening sessions will be held on the last Thursday of April and May, and participants may register by following the links provided below:

• Thursday, April 27th, 2023 – 2:30PM – 4:00PM CST – Click Here to Register
• Thursday, May 25th, 2023 – 2:30PM – 4:00PM CST – Click Here to Register

On November 21, 2021, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), allocating over $60 billion to the EPA to invest in clean water infrastructure. Of that $60 billion, the EPA’s Gulf of Mexico Division (GMD) was appropriated $53 million over five years to develop funding opportunities for the public, with majority of the funding dedicating to activities supporting underserved communities. The new RFA, under development, is intended to allocate up $25 million of GMD’s BIL funding.

Participants in the virtual listening sessions will learn about BIL and the funding received by GMD, and will also have an opportunity to share ideas for projects that could be funded under the new RFA. Specifically, participants will be asked to share information about the environmental challenges that are currently impacting communities and how the RFA can be tailored to benefit underserved communities.

For more information about the virtual listening sessions, please email GCEJLS_GMD@epa.gov.

Original source can be found here.