Pacific RISA is excited to announce that we are an official member of the newly launched Center for Community Energy and Environmental Justice (CCEEJ), one of 16 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs) established across the country in partnership with the US Department of Energy. The CCEEJ is committed to partnering with community organizations to provide technical assistance that includes: conducting environmental and energy justice needs assessment and analyses, facilitating navigation of government systems, identifying grant opportunities, increasing grant success and administration capacity, supporting decision-making, and advancing community champions.

A benefit of being a small part of a large network is the ability to meaningfully collaborate and share best practices with the many partner organizations who have decades of experience working in the energy equity and justice sector across EPA region 9, which includes California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaiʻi, Guam, American Samoā, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Pacific RISA will work closely with the Energy Equity Hui, a grassroots collaborative of public, private, non-profit, and NGO stakeholders working to advance environmental and energy equity through dialog, training, policy, and collaboration. The Hui already runs equity trainings, energy and climate policy workshops, and workdays partnering with community-based organizations across Hawai’i. A dedicated Network Coordinator for the Energy Equity Hui will collaborate with local and regional partners to expand services, as well as identify regional best practices with partners at the University of Guam and work with relevant climate and equity groups in the Governor’s Resilience Office of American Sāmoa in later years of the project.

Please bookmark the CCEEJ website, as it will be the main hub for information and technical assistance when projects officially kick off!