The Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) has announced a substantial $4.3 billion in funding for 25 new climate projects across the United States. This funding aims to address climate change by supporting initiatives proposed by states, tribes, local governments, and territories. The projects are expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 971 million metric tons by 2050, roughly equivalent to the emissions from five million homes over the same period.
Among the beneficiaries, Nebraska will receive $307 million to improve energy efficiency in homes and buildings while reducing agricultural waste. Pennsylvania is set to get $396 million to cut industrial pollution and create approximately 6,000 new jobs.
“This is an exciting day for Lincoln and for Nebraska,” said Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird of Lincoln, Nebraska. She noted that the funding could lead to a 77 percent reduction in the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The funding will also support various other regions. Southern California will use the funds to decarbonize freight vehicles, Michigan and tribal partners will adopt new renewable energy projects, and Atlantic coastal states will work on carbon sequestration through wetland preservation. Alaska will replace residential oil-burning systems with heat pumps, and the Nez Percé Tribe will retrofit homes.
Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania emphasized the dual benefits of the funding, stating, “We can and must protect both the planet and our jobs.”
This funding is part of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which was established under the Inflation Reduction Act. The act represents a major climate and clean energy investment by the Biden administration, with a total allocation of $396 billion for climate-related initiatives.
In the first phase of the program, states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia received $3 million each to develop climate action plans. Most states submitted their plans by March, with a few exceptions. The program also allocated $1 million each to the 67 most populous metro areas, $25 million to tribes and tribal consortia, and $2 million to other U.S. territories.
