The Methow Valley Citizens Council (MVCC) has been awarded a $460,504 grant by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program. The EJCPS program supports organizations dedicated to addressing local environmental and public health issues within their communities.

“These funds are an opportunity for historically underserved areas to advance community driven solutions that improve public health and the environment,” announced EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller.

This grant will fund three years of Resilient Methow climate and Clean Air Methow air programming, culminating in hosting a regional Air and Climate Conference. MVCC will plan and coordinate an inaugural North Central Washington Climate Resiliency and Environmental Justice Conference to build deeper partnerships, expand climate and air programming throughout the region and procure local government commitment to focus on climate resiliency and air pollution reduction through the lens of environmental justice.

For Resilient Methow’s climate work, this funding will help promote climate change resiliency by implementing actions outlined in the Methow Valley Climate Action Plan (MVCAP), a comprehensive local plan that serves as a shared guide for building a resilient Methow. While originally developed for the Methow watershed, the Climate Action Plan is relevant and can benefit vulnerable populations throughout Okanogan County. Activities funded by this EPA EJCPS grant will include:

• Quarterly educational Climate Action Plan forums for the public. These forums will educate and provide resources on relevant topics in the climate plan that can create resiliency and reduce fossil fuel emissions in our local community.
• Facilitation of a group of community volunteers known as the “Implementation Hub,” which will provide grant writing support, evaluation, metrics, and networking to advance climate action projects.
• Collaboration with stakeholders involved in implementing the MVCAP.

“We are so grateful for EPA’s support that will support our community in the implementation of our community climate action plan. We hope to lead the way as a rural community that is both reducing emissions and preparing for the impacts of climate change, including the heat, fire, and smoke, that we are already facing. It is crucial that as we respond to climate change as a community, we focus on solutions that will benefit those most impacted by climate change and ensure that the new opportunities to reduce emissions and improve health are available to everyone,” said Dana Golden, Resilient Methow Climate Program Coordinator.

This EJCPS grant will also support the Clean Air Methow (CAM) program in promoting equitable pollution monitoring and fuels reduction solutions. Due to Okanogan County’s unique geographical landscape and the prevalent use of woodstoves and outdoor burning, the towns within the county experience some of the most severe PM2.5 air pollution in the Pacific Northwest. The grant will fund:

• Four free chipping drives annually. Fire Adapted Methow Valley will help identify priority locations for chipping through their Equitable Mitigation Program.
• Expansion of the Clean Air Ambassador community-based air monitoring network to replace aging purple air sensors and recruit new sensor hosts in overburdened communities. This program aims to track cumulative exposure and make air quality information highly accessible by placing sensors in the homes of community members.
• The creation of communication and outreach materials in both Spanish and English to be distributed to households vulnerable to smoke from prescribed fires.

“This is a major win and a step in the right direction for air quality and climate resilience in Okanogan County. With this funding, we can better support our Clean Air Ambassador network, and provide more free chipping events for our community among many other initiatives. I look forward to strengthening relationships with our partners and convening for an Air-Climate conference in 2025,” said Anna Mounsey, Clean Air Program Coordinator at MVCC.

In Washington, $8.2 million from these grants will be distributed for environmental justice projects throughout the state over the next three years. Most of the funding was awarded to local governments implementing this work. MVCC and the Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc were the two nonprofit organizations selected for this grant.

More information on the EPA Grant and other recipients is available here:

EPA announces $8.2M for environmental justice projects in Washington  | US EPA