Civil Municipal - Oct 2023

16 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 10 EPA MAKES AVAILABLE $4.6B FOR CITIES, COUNTIES AND TRIBES TO REDUCE CLIMATE POLLUTION Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program. The EPA previously made available $250 million for communities to develop climate action plans. Entries that achieve the greatest amount of greenhouse gas emissions reductions will be prioritized. Equity and climate justice will also be taken into account, among other criteria. The “program recognizes that to tackle the climate crisis and advance environmental justice, communities need to be in the driver’s seat steering toward their own clean energy future,” said John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for clean energy innovation and implementation in the statement. The statement notes the EPA expects to award between 30 to 115 applications grants between $2 million and $500 million under the general competition. Another 25 to 100 communities are expected to receive grants between $1 million and $25 million under the Tribes and territories competition. The deadline to apply to the general competition is April 1, and May 1 for the Tribes and territories competition. Implementation grants are expected to be awarded in the fall of 2024 for the general competition and in the winter of 2024-2025 for the Tribes and territories competition.