EPA awards $4.3 billion to fund projects in 30 states to reduce climate pollution
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $4.3 billion in grants to fund projects in 30 states to reduce climate pollution. The money will go to 25 projects that target greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, electricity, commercial and residential buildings, manufacturing, agriculture, and waste and materials management.
The subsidies are paid by the climate law of 2022 approved by congressional Democrats. The bill, officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes nearly $400 billion in spending and tax credits to accelerate the expansion of clean energy such as wind and solar power, speeding the country’s transition away from the oil, coal and natural gas that are largely driving climate change.
The latest round of grants includes $396 million to the state of Pennsylvania to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions from cement, asphalt and other materials. EPA Administrator Michael Regan will join Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in Pittsburgh on Monday to announce the grant recipients in his state — a political battleground in the 2024 election — and across the country.
Senior EPA leaders will also join Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California on Monday to announce nearly $500 million for transportation and cargo decarbonization at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The grants will provide incentives for electric charging equipment, zero-emission freight vehicles and the conversion of cargo handling equipment to lower emissions.
“President Biden understands that America needs a strong EPA,” Regan told reporters on Friday, noting that the Biden administration “has made the largest climate investment in history, providing billions of dollars to state, local and tribal governments to address climate change with the urgency it demands.”
The new grants “will help implement community-driven solutions that reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice and accelerate America’s clean energy transition,” Regan said.
Shapiro, a Democrat now being mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate, Biden has withdrawn from the presidential racesaid his government has taken steps to tackle climate change while continuing to create jobs in the energy sector and grow the economy.
The grant announced Monday is “one of the largest federal grants Pennsylvania has ever received,” Shapiro said. The state will work with RISE PA, a new initiative aimed at reducing emissions in Pennsylvania’s industrial sector.
The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy is receiving $307 million to boost “climate-smart” agriculture and reduce agricultural waste from livestock, officials said. The grant will also fund projects to improve energy efficiency in commercial and industrial facilities and low-income households, as well as install solar panels and electrify irrigation wells.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird of Lincoln, Nebraska, said the grant will improve the energy efficiency of homes and commercial buildings in her city. A city analysis indicates that investing in energy efficiency and electrification could reduce Lincoln’s emissions by 77 percent by 2050, Baird said Friday during a call with the White House.
The grant will also ensure Lincoln residents have “equal access to the clean energy transition” by providing assistance to low-income residents, she said.
Other grants include nearly $250 million to boost electric vehicle infrastructure along Interstate 95 from Maryland to Connecticut. The project will provide charging infrastructure for zero-emission commercial vehicles and technical assistance for workforce development along the I-95 corridor, one of the most heavily used in the country.
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine will receive a total of $450 million to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps and water heaters for cold climates.
Michigan is getting $129 million to accelerate the deployment, zoning and permitting of renewable energy. The grants will help Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, another potential vice presidential candidate, reach a goal of 60% renewable energy by 2035.