Climate Justice Grants Act
Sponsored By: Representative Barragan
Introduced
Summary
Direct grants to environmental justice communities for local clean-energy and resilience projects. This bill would create the Climate Justice Grant Program at the Environmental Protection Agency to fund community-driven projects like solar, electrification, battery storage, microgrids, weatherization, and climate-resilient infrastructure.
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- Communities and households: Grants can fund community solar, home and building electrification, weatherization, energy storage, and other projects that lower energy costs and boost local resilience.
- Eligible groups: Tribal governments, local governments, and community-based nonprofits would be eligible. Applicants must show they represent the local environmental justice community and submit budgets, proposed outcomes, collaboration plans, and sustainability strategies.
- Program size and rules: Grants would be limited to $2.0 million per recipient and administrative expenses would be capped at 2% of each year's appropriation. EPA must publish annual reports on how the program helps address energy and climate justice.
*This bill would increase federal spending by $1.0 billion per year from 2026 through 2035.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New climate justice grants for communities
If enacted, the bill would create a Climate Justice Grant Program at EPA to give grants to Tribal governments, local governments, and community nonprofits. Grants would pay for community-driven, culturally and linguistically appropriate work on climate justice. Allowed projects include community solar and wind, energy efficiency, electrification and weatherization, storage, microgrids, EVs and chargers, natural infrastructure, and climate-resilient infrastructure. Applicants would need to submit a project outline, budgets, outcomes, a sustainability plan, and proof they represent the community. The bill would also define terms used to target help, including a "low income" test and a 30% low-income census-block threshold.
Annual funding and grant limits
If enacted, the bill would authorize $1 billion per year for the Climate Justice Grant Program for fiscal years 2026 through 2035. EPA could use at most 2% of each year's money for administrative costs, including outreach and technical help. The bill would also cap any single grant award at $2,000,000 per recipient.
Annual EPA reports on grants
If enacted, the bill would require EPA to report to specific House and Senate committees within one year and then every year. Each report would describe how the program helped address energy and climate justice issues. EPA would have to make each report public, for example by posting it on the EPA website.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Barragan
CA • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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