Southeast Texans encouraged to take steps toward environmental resiliency

Specifically, Hall said a large portion of those funds are focused on reducing emissions. Due to the industrial base in Southeast Texas, Hall said Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange are good targets for the funds.

"A significant proportion of the emissions that need to be further reduced, come from their facilities. And that's a phenomenon that exists exist along the Texas Gulf Coast, because it is the region of Texas and the world where a significant proportion of our capacity for for oil and gas refining and petrochemicals exist," Hall said. "Part of the fund is focused on what can be done to reduce emissions for those facilities to improve public health, as well as to address the impacts of climate change."

Hall said the funds could also potentially assist with building resiliency from climate change and extreme weather, such as hurricanes and other storms. 

The available funding includes $55 million to help communities nationwide upgrade their water supply and wastewater facilities. Hall said there is also "significant funding" for energy efficiency to reduce the utility bills of homeowner households, nonprofit organizations' facilities and local government facilities. In addition, there is funding available for zero-emission technologies, such as zero emission vehicles and sources of electricity including solar.

To discuss Southeast Texas' needs and the possible solutions available, the Houston Advanced Research Center is hosting "The Golden Triangle Building Resilient Communities Summit" from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Sarah Street Event Center, located at 3455 Sarah St. in Beaumont. 

The event is open to the public and will feature community leaders, city officials and environmental experts discussing strategies to bring the funding to the area and how to build stronger communities.

"What we want to do (at our event) is brief leaders from the Golden Triangle on those opportunities and express our strong interest in working with them to bring as much of that funding to the region to help improve the region's infrastructure, and communities," Hall said. "There's a particular focus, with regard to the legislation, on low-income communities, and so that would also be a focus in terms of our potential engagement (for the region)."

Hall will be featured as an "expert panelist" alongside community leaders including Community In-Power and Development Association Founder Hilton Kelley; Port Arthur Community Action Network Founder, President and Executive Director John Beard; The Golden Triangle Empowerment Center Founder Melvin White; Houston Advance Research Center Texas Energy-Water Climate Nexus Research Associate Margaret Cook and other specialists, according to a news release.

"What we'll be talking about when it comes to resiliency is building homes in the Golden Triangle area more resilient," Kelley said. "When it comes to hurricanes, when it comes to flooding and tornadoes, a lot of the homes here are not flood resistant, they're not hurricane ready, and what we're doing is looking at ways and opportunities in which we can either strengthen structures, or build new structures to help withstand hurricanes and flooding and tornadoes and what have you."

Summit attendees will have access to a free lunch, gas cards for transportation and other community resources.

"It is our goal to identify problems and develop sustainable solutions that help reduce the impact of the interactions between the environment and our citizens," Hall said in the release. "The summit brings an excellent opportunity for strengthening our relationship with the community to successfully mediate on their behalf and provide palpable interventions for the health and vitality of future generations."