EPA awards New England states $24M to plan for pollution reduction; competitive grant program planned later this year
As wildfires increase in intensity and frequency, improving air quality is an aspect of public health that cities and counties are prioritizing. Following the launch of an “unprecedented” federally led pollution data-collection initiative last month, the EPA announced Wednesday about $24 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding for New England states and metropolitan areas to aid in pollution reduction efforts.
Through the investment, “underserved and overburdened communities will be meaningfully engaged to ensure they benefit from the creation of good jobs, lower energy costs, and cleaner air through the climate pollution mitigation measures planned through these grants,” said David Cash, regional administrator for the EPA covering New England in a statement.
This round of funding will be followed later in the year by a competitive grant program of $4.6 billion that’s designed to enable communities to implement the plans they create.
Maine will receive almost $3 million, and New Hampshire and Vermont will receive $3 million. Massachusetts will receive $5 million, and the metro areas of Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Worcester, Mass. will each receive $1 million. Connecticut will likewise receive $3 million, and the metro areas of Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, and Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, and New Haven, Conn. will each receive $1 million.
The states and metro areas will use the funding “to update existing climate, energy, or sustainability plans, or to develop new plans in collaboration with municipalities and communities across the state and conduct meaningful public engagement on the plan, focusing on low-income and disadvantaged communities,” the statement says.
Those plans can include: Greenhouse gas emissions inventories. Emissions projections and reduction targets. Economic, health, and social benefits, including to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Plans to leverage other sources of federal funding, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Workforce development needs to support decarbonization and a clean energy economy. And future government staffing and budget needs.