Texas Southern University granted $50M for environmental initiatives
HOUSTON - Texas Southern University was granted $50 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Program, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee announced.
The grant will be awarded to the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at TSU.
According to Jackson Lee, the grant is supported by the Biden-Harris Administration and EPA Administrator Regan as the university is home to Professor Robert D. Bullard, who is known as the "Father of Environmental Justice".
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"I am proud to say Texas Southern University is the HBCU that served as the launching pad for my environmental justice career way back in 1979—before EJ had a name or initials. And today, 44 years later, TSU was selected to serve as a Regional Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaker," said Dr. Bullard.
TSU's Bullard Center will work closely with Achieving Community Tasks Successfully (ACTS), a community partner led by Bridgette Murray to focus on supporting communities impacted by industrial sources of pollution.
Bullard's work in environmental justice has helped make it a national priority, Jackson Lee stated.
In a release, the Congresswoman said, "I applaud the work of EPA Administrator Regan and his team for positively receiving communications from my office on the cancer clusters and their effort to focus energy and resources on the environmental problems faced by at-risk communities like Fifth Ward, Kashmere Gardens, and the larger Northeast community along with other communities in the 18th Congressional District. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Administrator Regan and his team's leadership, and our office, this funding was generated."
To read more about the grant, visit the Texas Southern University website.