Ricardo J.J. Edwards Jr.

Clean The Bottoms Coalition

12 Main St
Bountiful, SC

August 30, 2018

Mr. Austin Bell, Grant Officer

Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Justice
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460

RE: Letter of Inquiry

Dear Mr. Bell:

Thank you for the opportunity to be considered for EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative

Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement. We at Clean the Bountiful Coalition (CTB) are

grateful to have the ability to bring positive change and restructure to the many families, residents, and

lives within the Bountiful County. Many of our community organizers, such as myself, live within and

amongst Bountiful residents. We view this letter and grant opportunity as a vital step, moving our action

plan into a progressive and proactive direction.

As Bountiful has been impacted by environmental circumstances, having a disproportionate

amount of commercial waste facilities, and constant pollution within proximity to residential homes, our

organization has worked with EPA for several months. Though our communication has been mostly

concerning FOIA requests, CTB has also utilized EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-

Solving Model formulated by your office. We have incorporated the model to (1) identify common issues

facing Bountiful residents; (2) develop a community vision with strategic goal setting; (3) implement

capacity building and leadership development among residents; and (4) build consensus to achieve our

common goals and resolve community disputes.

Also, the model has allowed CTB, in conjunction with Bountiful community leaders, the

knowledge to understand how to gain multi-stakeholder partnerships and use our available resources. We

have obtained partnerships thus far with other non-profits, governmental entities, and individual donors.
The CPS model has allowed us to understand how to engage with them beneficially, communicatively,

and constructively. Aligning with the EJCPS Program we have used and continue to use its model to

assist in achieving our community vision of a safer, cleaner, healthier, and productive Bountiful.

Therefore, I am pleased to write to you as CTB has continued our efforts to resolve the

environmental issues encountered by our community such as declining health, economic disparity, and

food insecurity. Despite our support, resources are minimal, and there is a lot more cost associated with

the efforts needed for residents to achieve compensation from the environmental impacts that affect their

daily lives. CTB is seeking $120,000 throughout the course of five years to not only focus on the Toxic

Substances Control Act, Section 10(a) and Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001(a) that the grant funds

but also logistical aspects.1 Such as the hiring of more personnel (i.e., environmental consultants, project

managers, and medical staff to asses community needs.), needed supplies (i.e., air filters, home renovation

materials, and meeting rooms for community members), and anticipated litigation expenses.

We further ask for your support because of OEJ’s demonstrated interest in underserved, minority,

rural, vulnerable, and low-income communities that have been disproportionally impacted by

environmental harms and risks. We critically need funds to provide sufficient resources to a community

already affected by poverty but battling environmental hazards simultaneously. The Bountiful is mostly

African American making up over 50% of the population while an estimated 10% are White; all

community members live below the poverty threshold. Bountiful residents struggle to feed their children,

provide for their overall families, and access emergency services. Unfortunately, as school officials who

support CTB mention, many children from this community go to school hungry and are affected by the

pollution generating facilities close to their homes.

1
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Justice. (2018). EPAs environmental justice
collaborative problem-solving cooperative agreement program (pp. 1-9). Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Justice. Retrieved December 3, 2018,
from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-01/documents/ej-cps-rfp-2018_amended_1.4.2018.pdf.
 To combat some of these issues, we plan to work alongside community members contacting and

meeting with state, local, and federal entities. For example, we intend to send letters to our state

representative, propose amendments to a state environmental/public health oversight committee, gain

attention by using social media to advance our cause and hire more staff to lobby at the state and federal

levels. Likewise, we would like to partner with afterschool programs, health facilities, local farmers, and

small businesses to implement ways their services could benefit the Bountiful. Aligning with Section

10(a) and Section 8001(a) we further plan to hire an independent research company to examine the effects

of pollution on residents, acquire a pollution monitoring system to gauge the severity of toxic emissions

and provide public community education on toxic substances to our community.2

Further, TBE has worked hard to bring attention to the issues within the Bountiful when many

residents felt unheard and ignored by local and governmental officials. We have already raised over

$30,000 by working with necessary stakeholders but require more funding to accomplish our proposed

plan and objectives outlined in our mission statement. Members of TBE are dedicated, passionate, and

committed to bringing the Bountiful community to a status of equity, where they have meaningful

involvement with decisions made within their place of residence. A unique component of our

organization is that it was formulated within the Bountiful, during a time when many residents were

frustrated by the harmful pollutants they breathed in every day.

As previously implied many individuals in CTB are community members living in the Bountiful,

who have first-hand encounters with the many circumstances’ residents endure. They want to observe a

change in their communities, not for themselves but because they have seen the adverse effects of

environmental damage and poverty. We know that environmental equality and economic stability can be

achieved because our neighboring county (Bountiful) does not bear the same challenges that many of our

community members withstand. As an organization that was founded because of the injustices many

2
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Justice. (2018). EPAs environmental justice
collaborative problem-solving cooperative agreement program (pp. 1-9). Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Justice. Retrieved December 3, 2018,
from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-01/documents/ej-cps-rfp-2018_amended_1.4.2018.pdf..
Bountiful dwellers tackled, we believe that we understand what the resolution, potential, future, and

ideology of what our community could become. We ask that you work with us to strengthen our growth,

possibilities, and capacity to transform the Bountiful. The need for effective change is dire due to the

many public health and safety concerns impacting many families in our area.

Thank you for your time and consideration, as possible funding will tremendously impact the

residents of the Bountiful. We look forward to hearing back from our request and the opportunity to

submit a formal grant proposal for review. CTB is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, and I will gladly

provide any other supporting materials upon request. Please feel free to contact me via email

(rico.edwards100@gmail.com) or phone (706)-575-5904.

Sincerely,

Ricardo J.J. Edwards Jr., Community Organizer Clean the Bottoms Coalition.