Hub News and Stories

The UMN is home to a new federal office intended to get as much climate investment into environmental justice communities as possible. As part of this effort, Minnesota political leaders, officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, and university staff held a roundtable discussion Wednesday highlighting the initiative. 

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s (GGRF) Solar for All is a competition to create and expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities primed for distributed solar investment. The application deadline is Sept 26 but letters of intent are due in August. 

EPA recently announced the $7 billion Solar for All competition, created by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). This competition will award up to 60 grants to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofit recipients to create and expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities primed for distributed solar investment—enabling millions of low-income households to access affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy.

The University of Minnesota is mentioned among the list of organizations housing a newly funded regional EJ TCTAC center. 

The Great Lakes TCTAC is mentioned among the 17 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

NOAA just announced a historic $575 million for coastal and Great Lakes climate resilience through the first of its kind Climate Resilience Regional Challenge. The Environmental Protection Network will be assisting groups interested in applying.

University of Minnesota Extension and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs will lead a multi-state effort to help rural, tribal and underserved communities access federal funding for energy and environmental improvement efforts.