EPA gives grant to Barrow organization

The Environmental Protection Agency has given a $20,000 environmental justice grant to the Barrow-based Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope.

EPA said March 24 that the goal of the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope project is to ensure that local people have a voice in decision making on oil and gas development projects in their community and the adjacent offshore areas, which they depend upon for subsistence.

“These grants help communities take an active role in solving local environmental problems,” Michelle Pirzadeh, EPA’s acting regional administrator in Seattle, said in a statement. “EPA is committed to ensuring that all people receive fair treatment and meaningful involvement in our efforts to protect human health and the environment.”

EPA said the project goal is to identify and document subsistence practices of local indigenous people, identify marine resources upon which they depend and incorporate that information into development planning at a stage early enough that the information can be used to avoid detrimental impacts.

EPA is awarding $800,000 in grants to organizations working with communities facing environmental justice challenges throughout the country. Forty community-based organizations (four per region) will receive grants of $20,000 each.

—Petroleum News