Delaware to benefit from $248 million grant for community-driven solutions to cut climate pollution

Delaware to benefit from $248 million grant for community-driven solutions to cut climate pollution

Department of Transportation is part of a coalition selected by the EPA to receive portion of a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to tackle climate change, improve air quality, and advance environmental justice

July 22, 2024

PHILADELPHIA(July 22, 2024) - Today, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the general competition selection of Delaware Department of Transportation as part of a coalition that will receive a $248 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to implement community-driven solutions that tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate America's clean energy transition.

The Clean Corridor Coalition application is led by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, in partnership with the Delaware Department of Transportation, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Maryland Department of Environment, and Maryland Department of Transportation. The selected application will fund work along the I-95 Corridor to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure for commercial zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and will provide technical assistance for workforce development and corridor planning across New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Maryland.

"President Biden believes in the power of community-driven solutions to fight climate change, protect public health, and grow our economy. Thanks to his leadership, the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program will deliver unprecedented resources to states, local governments, and Tribes to fund the solutions that work best in their communities," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "Selected recipients have put forward ambitious plans to advance sustainable agriculture, deploy clean industrial technologies, cut emissions and energy costs in homes and commercial buildings, and provide cost- and energy-efficient heating and cooling to communities, creating economic and workforce development opportunities along the way."

"Investments such as this are paramount to ensuring communities across the region who are impacted the most have access to reduced climate and air pollution," said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. "We need our partners to help us in tackling climate challenges. The work of these organizations will allow them to take the steps to ensure better quality air for future generations."

"The transportation sector is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the nation," said U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE). "This funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to build out our EV charging infrastructure will go a long way toward driving down tailpipe emissions and improving air quality in Delaware and across the region. I commend the Biden administration for continuing to take action to speed the adoption of EVs and protect our one and only planet."

"The Delaware Department of Transportation is taking a leading role in investing in green infrastructure through the Clean Corridor Coalition Project, which will allow for electric vehicle charging infrastructure along the I-95 Corridor," said U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE). "I'm constantly impressed by how President Biden's Climate Pollution Reduction Grants have helped lead our nation into a stronger, more sustainable future, and supporting zero-emission vehicles through projects like the Clean Corridor Coalition is a big step forward in that effort."

"The Inflation Reduction Act represents the greatest climate action in our nation's history, and it has been paying off for Delaware in a big way since President Joe Biden signed it into law," said U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)."This award for the Delaware Department of Transportation, as part of the Clean Corridor Coalition, represents a major investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our region. I look forward to continuing to work with the Biden-Harris Administration to fully realize our clean energy future."

EPA made its selections through a rigorous grants competition that was designed to be fair and impartial. The Agency reviewed nearly 300 applications that were submitted by entities from across the country and requested a total of nearly $33 billion in funding.

The 25 selected applications- from states, a Tribe, local governments, and coalitions of these entities - will receive federal funding to implement local and regional solutions. Many of these projects can be expanded and provide examples that other states, local governments, Tribes, and even businesses can replicate in their work to tackle the climate crisis.

Together, these selected projects will implement ambitious climate pollution reduction measures designed by states, Tribes and local governments that will achieve significant cumulative GHG reductions by 2030 and beyond.When estimates provided by all selected applicants are combined, the proposed projects would reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 971 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, roughly the emissions from 5 million average homes' energy use each year for over 25 years.

EPA expects to announce up to an additional $300 million in selections under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program for Tribes, Tribal consortia, and territories later this summer.

State, Tribal, and local action is vital to deliver on the President's commitment to reduce climate pollution by over 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050. The innovative measures contained in the selected applications, developed with input from local communities, are expected to achieve substantial public health benefits such as reducing exposure to extreme heat, improving air quality, reducing energy burden for lower income Americans, improving climate resilience, and providing workforce and economic development opportunities, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants advance President Biden's historic Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure 40% of the overall benefits of certain climate, clean energy, and other federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

The grants will fund projects supporting the deployment of technologies and programs to reduce greenhouse gases and other harmful pollution across the country and build the infrastructure, housing, industry, and competitive economy needed for a clean energy future. These grants will also help businesses capitalize on new opportunities, spur economic growth and job creation in new and growing industries, and support development of training programs to prepare workers. EPA expects to award the funds later this year, once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.

Many of the proposed projects contained in the selected applications announced today, as well as the $250 million in planning grant funding that EPA is providing under the CPRG program for development of Climate Action Plans by state, local, and Tribal governments across the country, will complement the Biden-Harris Administration's historic federal actions and national climate strategies across sectors. Those include: the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, the Administration's efforts to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035and make zero emissions construction common practice by 2030, the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, the U.S. Buildings Decarbonization Blueprint, the Administration's climate-smart agriculture effortsand Nature Based Solutions Roadmap, the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan, the National Climate Resilience Framework, and more.

Learn more about the selected applications

Learn more about the CPRG program