FAQ | CCTA

Project Area Map, CEJST, and EJScreen

Do applicants have to be located in a disadvantaged community to apply for a grant?

No, while applicants must meet the eligibility requirements in Sections III.A and B of the NOFO to apply for a grant, they do not have to be located in a disadvantaged community to apply. However, all applications must benefit disadvantaged communities as expressed throughout the NOFO and in Appendix A and will be evaluated based on the criteria in Section V of the NOFO.

If a Track I application involves multiple disadvantaged communities that are in a geographically contiguous area but are not all right next to another, is this eligible?

Yes, please refer to Appendix A to the NOFO which states that:

The Project Area Map should also reflect where each project submitted under the application is located within the Project Area. The Project Area may include multiple census block groups that are designated as a disadvantaged community by EPA as defined above, but the disadvantaged census block groups need not be fully contiguous with each other.

Can EPA modify the definition of disadvantaged community to include a community that isn’t identified as disadvantaged based on the tools in Appendix A to the NOFO?

No. Applicants must use the methodology described in Appendix A to determine which communities are designated as disadvantaged.

Can you explain the color coding on the EPA Disadvantaged Community Environmental and Climate Justice Program Map in Appendix A?

On the map, block groups highlighted in light orange are designated as disadvantaged communities. Block groups highlighted in light blue are not designated as disadvantaged communities.

Would an application be eligible if it primarily included projects benefitting communities that are not defined as disadvantaged in Appendix A to the NOFO?

No. Projects must primarily benefit disadvantaged communities as defined in Appendix A to the NOFO. Also see Section III.D.3 of the NOFO which states that:

“All applications must demonstrate, as required by CAA § 138(b)(1), that the projects will benefit disadvantaged communities as defined in Appendix A. While projects may have an incidental benefit to census block groups or other areas that are not considered disadvantaged communities as defined in Appendix A, the applicant must demonstrate how all the projects in the application will primarily benefit disadvantaged communities as defined in Appendix A.”

Can a project be on private land, such as the reclamation of polluted legacy mine land, if it benefits a disadvantaged community?

If the term “reclamation” means cleaning up the soil and subsurface contamination from mine-scarred land that meets the definition of a Brownfields site in 42 U.S.C. 9601(39)(D), then the assessment and remediation portion of the project is not eligible for CCGP funding as indicated in Section I.G.3 of the NOFO. Please refer to the examples and guidelines for Climate Action Strategy 6 in Appendix C of the NOFO. The only exception to this exclusion would be if the private land was conveyed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and would be eligible for assessment and remediation funding as described in Appendix H of the NOFO. However, if the remediation at the non-ANCSA site is complete, CCGP funding could be used for post-cleanup redevelopment at the site if the project meets all other requirements described in the NOFO.

For the Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities category in Appendix A, can an application focus on all the unincorporated areas in a county, if they meet the Disadvantaged Unincorporated Community definition in Appendix A?

It is up to the applicant to design their project based on the NOFO requirements. The criterion for Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities is in Appendix A to the NOFO.

Can there be an application that benefits both residents of disadvantaged communities and residents of communities that are not considered disadvantaged communities?

Please see Appendix A to the NOFO which states that:

“All projects and activities should be located within the Project Area, except in cases where the project must be located outside of the Project Area to address the localized pollution issue at the source, or where otherwise necessary to ensure and/or facilitate that disadvantaged communities as defined above will benefit from the project. One such example is if the project addresses water quality issues upstream to benefit a downstream community. While projects and activities may have an incidental benefit to census block groups (or other areas) that are not considered disadvantaged communities, the applicant must demonstrate that the projects’ primary benefits will flow to disadvantaged communities in the Project Area.”

Please also see Section III.D.3 of the NOFO which states that:

Would a protected bike path that starts in a disadvantaged community tract, goes through a neighboring non-disadvantaged community tract, then goes through another disadvantaged community tract be eligible if they are geographically contiguous?

Yes, see Appendix A to the NOFO which states that:

“The Project Area Map should also reflect where each project submitted under the application is located within the Project Area. The Project Area may include multiple census block groups that are designated as a disadvantaged community by EPA as defined above, but the disadvantaged census block groups need not be fully contiguous with each other.”

Consistent with the Justice40 Initiative, is there a requirement that 40 percent of the project benefits flow to the census block groups designated as disadvantaged communities?

As required by Section 138 of the Clean Air Act, all grants under the NOFO must benefit disadvantaged communities. While projects and activities may have an incidental benefit to census block groups (or other areas) that are not considered disadvantaged communities, the applicant must demonstrate that the projects’ primary benefits will flow to disadvantaged communities in the Project Area as noted in Section III.D.3 of the NOFO and Appendix A.

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