Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Grant Program (CA)

The Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Grant Program (EEM) in California provides annual funding for projects aimed at reducing environmental impacts from public transportation facilities. The program focuses on sustainable community development, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity protection, encouraging projects that improve air and water quality, conserve natural resources, and enhance local water supply reliability.

Purpose
It offers grants to local, state, and federal governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations for projects to mitigate the environmental impacts caused by new or modified public transportation facilities. There are three types of EEM project: Urban Forestry, Resource Lands, and Mitigation Projects Beyond the Scope of the Lead Agency.
Introduction
EEM projects must contribute to mitigation of the environmental effects of transportation facilities. The California Natural Resources Agency (Agency) prescribes procedures and criteria to evaluate grant project proposals and submits a list of projects recommended for funding to the California Transportation Commission (CTC). The CTC awards grants to projects from Agency’s list.
Related Transportation Facility
EEM projects must mitigate, either directly or indirectly, the environmental impacts of:

• the modification of an existing Transportation Facility orthe construction of a new Transportation Facility (hereafter Related Transportation Facility or RTF).
• The EEM project can be the required mitigation for the RTF or enhancement to mitigation required for the RTF.
• Statewide Project Goals

Agency grant programs assist state and local entities to develop more sustainable communities, increase adaptability to climate change using nature-based strategies, and protect biodiversity in compliance with Executive Order N-82-20, the Pathways to 30 x 30 California, and the Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy. Projects that demonstrate the following multiple benefits will be more competitive:
Improved air and/or water quality.Reduced consumption of natural resources and energy.Increased reliability of local water supplies.Increased adaptability to climate change.Increased protection and restoration of biodiversity