Justice40
In 2025, federal executive actions have removed programs on environmental justice for underserved communities. The Justice40 initiative (J40) established that 40% of overall benefits from hundreds of Federal investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act go to communities that have been overburdened by pollution and historically underinvested in. It provided technical assistance for workers and businesses to support sustainable outcomes.
Key categories for Federal investments included: climate change, energy efficiency and clean energy, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, and development of clean water and wastewater infrastructure.
Information on Justice40 has been removed from federal websites. As of March 12, 2025, EPA has closed regional J40 offices and terminated the program. However, a number of organizations have archived the tools and resources so they are available to those that find them useful.
Leveraging Assistance to Benefit Your Community
Funding opportunities are presented in detail on Energy On Wisconsin under the funding tab at the top of the page.
To help communities navigate the funding process, Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTACs) were set up in 10 regions across the country. While these have been suspended, the terminations are being appealed. Assistance with funding is available through other organizations. Some include the Environmental Protection Network (EPN), the Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association (MTERA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
What Determines a Justice40 Community?
Justice40 communities are historically underserved, underfunded, and overburdened by pollution. J40 communities include all Federally Recognized Tribes whether they have land or not and underserved urban and rural* communities. A community is considered underserved when its census tract is at or above the threshold for either an environmental/climate burden or an associated socioeconomic burden.
*Designation of rural is based on the U.S. Health Resources and Service Administration’s definition, which includes all counties designated as non-metropolitan (population> 50,000) as well as census tracts within metropolitan counties with a population of less than 2,500 (2020 Census Data).
The interactive mapping tools used to determine J40 communities were terminated by the current administration. However, the information from the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) that identifies census tracts within counties that fall under Justice40, is available here.
The CJEST tool evaluates communities for J40 status using the following categories and thresholds:
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Climate Change
At or above the 90th percentile for expected agriculture loss rate OR expected building loss rate OR expected population loss rate OR projected flood risk OR projected wildfire risk
AND are at or above the 65th percentile for low income
Housing
Experienced historic underinvestment OR are at or above the 90th percentile for housing cost OR lack of green space OR lack of indoor plumbing OR lead paint
AND are at or above the 65th percentile for low income
Workforce Development
ARE at or above the 90th percentile for linguistic isolation OR low median income OR poverty OR unemployment
AND more than 10% of people ages 25 years or older whose high school education is less than a high school diploma
Health
ARE at or above the 90th percentile for asthma OR diabetes OR heart disease OR low life expectancy
AND are at or above the 65th percentile for low income
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Energy
ARE at or above the 90th percentile for energy cost OR air pollution from energy at PM2.5 in the air
AND are at or above the 65th percentile for low income
Transportation
ARE at or above the 90th percentile for diesel particulate matter exposure OR transportation barriers OR traffic proximity and volume
AND are at or above the 65th percentile for low income
Legacy Pollution
Have at least one abandoned mine land OR Formerly Used Defense Sites OR are at or above the 90th percentile for proximity to hazardous waste facilities OR Superfund sites (NPL) OR Risk Management Plan facilities
AND are at or above the 65th percentile for low income
Water and Wastewater
ARE at or above the 90th percentile for underground storage tanks and releases OR wastewater discharge
AND are at or above the 65th percentile for low income
Underserved Communities in Wisconsin
Wisconsin was served by two TCTACs that include six states and 35 organized Tribal Nations in EPA Region 5.
The Great Lakes Environmental Justice TCTAC, led by the University of Minnesota, oversees efforts in Wisconsin and other MidWest states to help underserved remote rural* and tribal communities successfully navigate funding for projects in clean energy, pollution clean-up, and green workforce development. The Great Lakes EJ TCTAC includes University of Wisconsin-Extension and key partners that will help rural and tribal communities in the region. If you are interested in receiving support from the Great Lakes EJ TCTAC, please fill out this short intake form.
*Designation of rural is based on the U.S. Health Resources and Service Administration’s definition, which includes all counties designated as non-metropolitan (population> 50,000) as well as census tracts within metropolitan counties with a population of less than 2,500 (2020 Census Data).
The BIG Justice TCTAC led by Blacks in Green (BIG) in Chicago, partners with several organizations to serve communities of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) for environmental justice and economic development. They will help communities in EPA Region 5 build capacity, identify solutions, and obtain relevant training to address environmental injustices.