The EPA has released $4.6 billion in grants for state, local, and Tribal efforts to reduce climate pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate clean energy solutions in the United States.
The grants, a part of EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Program (CPRG), are available across two implementation grant competitions, one general competition and one designated for Tribes and territories specifically. In evaluating the applications, the EPA will reportedly prioritize projects that will achieve the most greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
The program offers communities the opportunity to decide how emissions reductions take place in a given area, and the grant initiative will contribute toward President Biden’s goal of reducing climate pollution by 50% to 52% by 2030. About 30 to 115 of the grants will range between $2 million to $500 million, while about 25 to 100 grants will fall in the $1 million to $25 million range.
“The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program is the largest program of its kind to help state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to develop and implement a wide variety of greenhouse gas reduction measures,” said Lisa F. Garcia, regional administrator. “From devastating hurricanes to widespread flooding across our area, our region is experiencing firsthand the urgent need to make progress on climate action. These grants give our partners the opportunity to invest in a cleaner economy that can spur innovation and economic growth while building more equitable, resilient communities.”
The CPRG program cites specific commitment to measures that will bring economic and health benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Such communities have been identified as being most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change, such as heat waves, wildfires, and flooding.
The Biden administration also announced funding for coastal communities’ climate resilience earlier this year, as sea-level rise and natural disasters increasingly threaten these regions of the U.S.
This new funding announcement follows the EPA’s first phase of the Climate Pollution Reduction Program, which made available $250 million for the development of climate action plans. Nearly all states and major cities opted into receiving funding for such planning. The $4.6 billion will go towards the second phase, or the implementation phase.
Once awardees are selected, the EPA will offer training and technical resources needed to support grants as projects are put into practice.
