Background
The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) are a five billion dollar program, created under the Inflation Reduction Act and administered through the EPA, to help state and regional governments reduce greenhouse gases.
The first phase involves noncompetitive planning grants that are presumptively allocated to each state, and then to particular Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). In the case of Connecticut, the three MSAs that will receive one-million-dollar planning grants are Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, New Haven-Milford, and Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown – all of which include NVCOG towns.
This text comes directly from the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant webpage.
The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program will provide grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. Section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act provides an investment of $5 billion to support efforts by states, municipalities, air pollution control agencies, tribes, and groups thereof to develop and implement strong, local greenhouse gas reduction strategies. This two-phase grant program provides funding of $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants, and $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants.
Phase 1: Planning grants
The CPRG program is designed to provide flexible support to states, local governments, tribes, and territories regardless of where they are in their climate planning and implementation process. Planning funds can be used to update existing climate, energy, or sustainability plans, or to develop new plans.
Phase 2: Implementation grants
EPA is committed to supporting the development of climate action plans and the expeditious implementation of investment-ready policies, programs, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the near term. Through the CPRG program, EPA will support developing and deploying technologies and solutions that will reduce greenhouse gases and harmful air pollution and transition America to a clean energy economy that benefits all Americans.
EPA expects to hold two competitions for CPRG implementation grants – a general competition and a competition only for tribes and territories. These competitions will be open to entities that receive planning grants to develop Priority Climate Action Plans under phase 1 of the CPRG program, and they will be open to entities that did not directly receive a planning grant but that apply for funds to implement measures included in an applicable PCAP. For example, collaborating partners who developed joint plans or regionally based plans would be eligible to apply for implementation funds, regardless of who administered the planning grant, as long as they are an eligible entity under the program (i.e., state, municipality, air pollution control agency, tribe or territory). Municipalities and air pollution control agencies will also be eligible to apply for funding for measures identified in their state’s or metropolitan area’s plan for implementation at their level. Tribes can also partner with a neighboring state or metropolitan area.
The evaluation criteria will prioritize both overall greenhouse gas reductions and the benefits of GHG reduction measures to low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The implementation grants will fund a wide variety of greenhouse gas reduction measures contained in Priority Climate Action Plans.
For the general competition, EPA anticipates awarding individual grants between $2 million and $500 million, with funding tiers allowing comparably sized projects to compete against one another. For the competition for tribes and territories, EPA anticipates awarding individual grants ranging between $1 million to $25 million.
New Haven Plan
Includes the NVCOG municipalities of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Cheshire, Derby, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oxford, Prospect, Seymour, Southbury, Watertown, and Wolcott. Their webpage can be found here.
Bridgeport MSA Plan
Includes the NVCOG municipality of Shelton. We will link their webpage here when it becomes available.
Hartford Plan
Includes the NVCOG municipality of Bristol. Their webpage can be found here.
State Plan
Includes the NVCOG municipalities of Bethlehem, Plymouth, Thomaston, Watertown, and Woodbury. We will link their webpage here when it becomes available.
Upcoming Events:
- Tabling at Southbury Energy Fair and Green Expo, 9/30/23 at 10am – Flyer
Past Events:
- White House Press Release
- EPA’s CPRG Webpage
- EPA Webinars & Listening Sessions (recordings + upcoming events)