EPA Announces Historic Funding in Major Step to Reduce Emissions and Support State Economies

WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the first Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRGs). Totaling $4.3 billion, this competitive implementation funding was included in the Lower Inflation Act and will support state and local greenhouse gas reduction strategies.

“Today’s announcement represents a significant victory for state and local efforts to reduce emissions while advancing their unique energy, economic and climate priorities,” said Jeremy Tarr, Director of U.S. State Policy at CATF“These grants will help advance innovative technologies to reduce emissions across multiple sectors, including transportation, industry, and methane, across multiple states. The CPRG program has already spurred unprecedented climate planning over the past year across states, tribes, and local governments.”

“The Inflation Reduction Act is already delivering on its promise, and today’s announcement of funding for projects in 30 states is a perfect example. We applaud EPA for creating, implementing, and delivering this program in such a short time frame, and we are encouraged by the interest in the grant program,” said Holly Reuter, CATF’s director of climate and clean energy policy implementation. “This funding will have an immense impact on the ability of states to combat emissions and simultaneously support local economic growth.”

“Pennsylvania has been a leader in American industry since the first steel mill opened in 1866, and with today’s award, it will continue that legacy with groundbreaking industrial decarbonization projects across the Commonwealth,” said John Carlson, CATF’s senior regional policy officer for the Northeast“We appreciate the opportunity to work alongside state leaders to ensure Pennsylvania maintains its leadership in energy, technology and a strong national workforce.”

Although a new program, the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program has already produced impressive results. In addition to today’s announcement of grants for specific projects, 46 states and many tribes and municipalities used planning grants earlier in the CPRG process to develop their own unique climate plans. The flexibility and scale of this program is demonstrated by the more than $33 billion in projects proposed across 46 states. This popular program has been oversubscribed with applications, indicating an appetite across the country for additional CPRG funding.

CATF works with states to develop and implement customized emissions reduction strategies. We have also developed many helpful resources for award winners and applicants who did not receive an award today. This includes resources to help identify other potential funding sources for projects related to clean trucks, fuel corridors, industrial decarbonization, and more. CATF and our partners are committed to helping states and municipalities ensure that the planning, collaboration, and hard work that goes into these initiatives pay off in the long term.

Press Contact

Samantha Sadowski, Communications Manager, United States, [email protected], +1 202-440-1717

Clean Air Working Group

Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to protect against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-friendly technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognized expertise in climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group that advances the bold ideas needed to combat climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington DC, and Brussels, and its staff works virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.