Biden-Harris Administration Selects Pennsylvania DEP to Receive $396M for Community-Driven Solutions to Cut Climate Pollution
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
PHILADELPHIA – Today, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) to receive a more than $396,100,000 Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to implement community-driven solutions that tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate America’s clean energy transition
The PA DEP’s proposed project, Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA), will support the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial sector through a competitive grants program and incentives for small, medium, and large-scale decarbonization projects across Pennsylvania.
“President Biden believes in the power of community-driven solutions to fight climate change, protect public health, and grow our economy. Thanks to his leadership, the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program will deliver unprecedented resources to states, local governments, and Tribes to fund the solutions that work best in their communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Selected recipients have put forward ambitious plans to advance sustainable agriculture, deploy clean industrial technologies, cut emissions and energy costs in homes and commercial buildings, and provide cost- and energy-efficient heating and cooling to communities, creating economic and workforce development opportunities along the way.”
“Investments such as this are paramount to ensuring communities across the region who are impacted the most have access to reduced climate and air pollution,” said EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “We need our partners to help us in tackling climate challenges. The work of these organizations will allow them to take the steps to ensure better quality air for future generations.”
“Thanks to this grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Biden administration, Pennsylvania will continue to be an industrial leader and a leader in environmental protection,” said PA DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “My family has a long history of working blue-collar manufacturing jobs like millions of Pennsylvanians. The Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) program that will be funded through this grant has the potential to create good paying union jobs , reduce millions of tons of greenhouse gases, and increase manufacturing competitiveness in Pennsylvania.”
CPRG Selectees and Impact
The EPA made its selections through a rigorous grants competition that was designed to be fair and impartial. The Agency reviewed nearly 300 applications that were submitted by entities from across the country and requested a total of nearly $33 billion in funding.
The 25 selected applications – from states, a Tribe, local governments, and coalitions of these entities – will receive federal funding to implement local and regional solutions. Many of these projects can be expanded and provide examples that other states, local governments, Tribes, and even businesses can replicate in their work to tackle the climate crisis.
Together, these selected projects will implement ambitious climate pollution reduction measures designed by states, Tribes and local governments that will achieve significant cumulative GHG reductions by 2030 and beyond. When estimates provided by all selected applicants are combined, the proposed projects would reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 971 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, roughly the emissions from 5 million average homes’ energy use each year for over 25 years.
The EPA expects to announce up to an additional $300 million in selections under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program for Tribes, Tribal consortia, and territories later this summer.
State, Tribal, and local action is vital to deliver on the President’s commitment to reduce climate pollution by over 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050. The innovative measures contained in the selected applications, developed with input from local communities, are expected to achieve substantial public health benefits such as reducing exposure to extreme heat, improving air quality, reducing energy burden for lower income Americans, improving climate resilience, and providing workforce and economic development opportunities, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants advance President Biden’s historic Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure 40% of the overall benefits of certain climate, clean energy, and other federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
The grants will fund projects supporting the deployment of technologies and programs to reduce greenhouse gases and other harmful pollution across the country and build the infrastructure, housing, industry, and competitive economy needed for a clean energy future. These grants will also help businesses capitalize on new opportunities, spur economic growth and job creation in new and growing industries, and support development of training programs to prepare workers. The EPA expects to award the funds later this year, once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Many of the proposed projects contained in the selected applications announced today, as well as the $250 million in planning grant funding that the EPA is providing under the CPRG program for development of Climate Action Plans by state, local, and Tribal governments across the country, will complement the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic federal actions and national climate strategies across sectors. Those include: the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, the Administration’s efforts to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035 and make zero emissions construction common practice by 2030, the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, the U.S. Buildings Decarbonization Blueprint, the Administration’s climate-smart agriculture efforts and Nature Based Solutions Roadmap, the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan, the National Climate Resilience Framework, and more.
Learn more about the selected applications
Learn more about the CPRG program
What They’re Saying
“The threat of climate change demands that our nation leads the charge in growing clean industry opportunities and reducing emissions as quickly as possible. Investing in communities with legacy industries is key to advancing that effort,” said Senator John Fetterman (D-PA). “We must reject the false choice between protecting jobs and protecting our environment. We can and must do both – and this nearly $400 million funding for Pennsylvania is a significant step toward a sustainable industrial future. This grant directly invests in our workforce by creating thousands of jobs, ensuring apprenticeship opportunities, and guaranteeing fair wages. I commend the Biden-Harris Administration for their commitment to reducing carbon emissions while supporting forgotten communities overburdened by pollution.”
“Nobody is more equipped to lead the next generation of industry and manufacturing than Pennsylvanians. This grant is a game-changing investment that will support greenhouse gas-reducing projects, create good jobs, and bolster economies across the Commonwealth,” said Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). “I will keep fighting for investments that secure the Commonwealth as our Nation’s industrial backbone.”
“I am pleased to have voted for the Inflation Reduction Act that allows this grant program to benefit communities in Pennsylvania”, said Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02). “This funding supports innovative, community-driven solutions that address the urgent challenges of the climate crisis and air pollution. By empowering local initiatives, we foster sustainable change and create healthier, more resilient communities for future generations.”
“I was proud to vote for the Biden-Harris administration’s landmark clean-energy law, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act, and I’m pleased that this law continues to deliver for Pennsylvania in addressing climate change, cutting air pollution, making progress on environmental justice, and creating clean-energy jobs,” said Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-3). “I also want to congratulate the Shapiro-Davis administration for winning this competitive $396 million grant!”
“The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants illustrate the Biden Administration’s continued commitment to tackling our climate crisis — and I’m glad that Pennsylvania remains a strong partner in this shared goal,” said Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04). “These grants will not only further us in our fight against the climate crisis but will also boost our state and local economies. Thank you to all those involved in this meaningful climate action, especially EPA and PADEP, for bringing nearly $400 million to our Commonwealth.”
“Every family deserves to know that the air they and their kids breathe is clean,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05). “As the representative for a region with one of our country’s highest rates of childhood asthma, I proudly voted for the Inflation Reduction Act to help make clean air a reality here in Pennsylvania. Since its passage, I’ve worked to secure opportunities for Pennsylvania to tap into the once-in-a-generation investment, so I’m glad to see $396 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding flow into the commonwealth to help reduce air pollution and create a cleaner future for all of our children and families.”
Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-selects-pennsylvania-dep-receive-396m-community-driven
