{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Advocacy for Environmental Justice","description":"In today's episode continuing our eight-part series, we examine how nonprofits are effectively advocating for environmental justice. We'll analyze practical strategies for building awareness and securing advocacy funding while navigating the regulatory frameworks that govern nonprofit activism. Join us for a clear-eyed look at how organizations are making meaningful progress in environmental protection and climate action.    Attorneys for this episode\u202f  Tim Mooney  Quyen Tu  Susan Finkle Sourlis    Shownotes   Current Events \/ Executive Orders:  \u2022 Trump Administration Environmental Rollbacks  \u2022 Rescinded EPA\u2019s Environmental Justice Screening Tool (EJSCREEN)  \u2022 Repealed Biden-era executive orders on Justice40, climate equity, and cumulative impacts assessments  \u2022 Reinstated NEPA rules from 2019, reducing environmental review for pipelines, highways, and factories  \u2022 Revoked protections for sacred Indigenous lands (e.g., Bears Ears downsizing, drilling leases on Chaco Canyon perimeter)  \u2022 Impacts on Vulnerable Communities:  \u2022 Halted all EPA funding for community air monitoring programs in EJ-designated census tracts  \u2022 Suspended grants to community-based climate resilience projects  \u2022 Cut FEMA\u2019s BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) equity prioritization language  \u2022 Reopened refineries and power plants previously closed for Clean Air Act violations, especially in Black and Latino neighborhoods  \u2022 EPA DEI cuts:  \u2022 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to cancel nearly 800 environmental justice grants, totaling over $1.5 billion, which were intended to support projects mitigating climate change impacts in vulnerable communities .  \u2022  Additionally, the EPA is undergoing a reduction in force, affecting employees in its Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, as part of a broader effort to realign the agency\u2019s mission    \u00b7      Non-Lobbying Advocacy o   Nonpartisan Advocacy 101: 501(c)(3)s cannot support or oppose candidates for public office, but they can\u2026 o   Educate the public about issues of importance to your organization. \u00a7  Waterkeeper Alliance is holding EPA Admin Lee Zeldin accountable for cuts to PFAS research. o   Hold a rally \u00a7  Memphis Community Against Pollution rallied to celebrate a victory for clean water, while turning its attention to a clean air fight against an Elon Musk-owned company\u2019s proposed data center. o   Initiate or participate in litigation \u00a7  AFJ member Earthjustice has sued the Trump administration\u2019s improper withholding of IRA grant funds for projects that included Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants to install solar panels on small farms. o   Fund Advocacy \u00a7  Meyer Memorial Trust funded  41 organizations with EJ awards totaling $6.9 million in 2024 with a focus on frontline and indigenous communities   \u00b7      Lobbying o   501(c)(3) public charities are also allowed to use unrestricted funds to engage in some lobbying activities. o   Tax Code Lobbying 101: Public charities can lobby, but they are limited in how much lobbying they may engage in. \u00a7  Insubstantial part test vs. 501(h) expenditure test. \u00a7  Under either test, lobbying includes attempts to influence legislation at any level of government. \u00a7  Track your local, state, and federal lobbying, and stay within your lobbying limits. o   State\/local level lobbyist registration and reporting requirements may also apply when engaging in legislative and executive branch advocacy. o   Ballot measure advocacy (direct lobbying) could also implicate state \/ local campaign finance and election laws. o   Lobbying wins \u00a7  Hawaii just passed a first-of-its-kind climate tax on short-term accommodations to fund defenses against climate change fueled disasters. Sierra Club of Hawaii has been actively lobbying on climate change legislation for years. \u00a7  Ballot measure wins (h\/t The Nature Conservancy) \u00b7      California: $10 billion climate bond that funds climate resilience, protecting clean drinking water and preventing catastrophic wildfires.  \u00b7      Washington: An effort to roll back the state's Climate Commitment Act was defeated. The CCA provides millions for conservation, climate and wildfire funding, including funding for Tribal nations and at-risk communities. \u00b7      Minnesota: Renewal of the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund for another 25 years. The fund will provide $2 billion ($80 million per year from state lottery proceeds) to protect water, land and wildlife across the state. Resources \u2013 \u00b7      Earth & Equity: The Advocacy Playbook for Environmental Justice \u00b7      Public Charities Can Lobby (Factsheet) \u00b7      Practical Guidance: what your nonprofit needs to know about lobbying in your state \u00b7      Investing in Change: A Funder\u2019s Guide to Supporting Advocacy \u00b7      What is Advocacy? 2.0   ","author_name":"Rules of the Game: The Bolder Advocacy Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/afj.org\/podcast","html":"