EPA Announces $4.6b in Pollution Reduction for PNW

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it has launched a $4.6 billion competition to fund state, local, and Tribal programs in order to cut pollution, and deploy clean energy solutions.

The new competition is the second round of funding from EPA’s $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program. That program was created as a part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

It should be noted that the EPA has already made $250 million available to fund the development of climate action plans. This new funding of $4.6 billion in the form of the implementation grant competition is slated to fund initiatives developed under the first phase of the program.

In an email from the EPA, Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller stated, “The Pacific Northwest is witnessing firsthand the urgent need to act on the climate crisis. We are proud to support the efforts by states and tribes to reduce emissions and transition to a green economy.”

In Phase 1, EPA Region 10 awarded 28 grants totaling nearly $20 million to support climate planning efforts across the region. The awardees in Phase 1 in Washington state are the Washington State Department of Commerce, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Yakama Nation, Lummi Nation, Nisqually Tribe, Tulalip Tribe, Samish Indian Nation, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, The Suquamish Indian of the Port Madison Reservation, Snoqualmie Tribe, and lastly the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.

The availability of $4.6 billion is across two implementation grant competitions; one general competition and one specifically for Tribes and territories. The deadline to apply to the general competition is April 1st, 2024. The deadline to apply to the Tribes and territories competition is May 1st, 2024.