Schiff, EPA Announce Over $50 Million for California Tribes to Address Climate Pollution

Washington, D.C.- Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in announcing California's recipients of $50,398,151? million in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants for Tribal communities. The projects will tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, and advance environmental justice while boosting the economy. This funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act which Schiff supported in August of 2022.

The grants for the proposed projects will support the implementation of greenhouse gas reduction measures that were identified by Tribal and territorial communities. When estimates provided by all selected applicants across the United States are combined, the proposed projects would cumulatively reduce greenhouse gas pollution by over 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050 - equivalent to the carbon dioxide emitted from nearly 1.4 million homes' electricity use for one year.

"For a very long time, tribal governments have faced some of the harshest impacts of climate change without the tools to respond," said Rep. Schiff. "This round of Climate Pollution Reduction Grants will give tribes in California the resources they need to lead in the fight against climate change with projects chosen and shaped by members of their own communities."

"Thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris' leadership, today's investment marks one of the largest climate investments EPA has ever made in Tribal and territorial communities. The ambitious projects selected will deploy community-driven solutions to fight climate change and protect public health," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "The Tribal and territory leaders selected today will fund innovative projects that improve air quality, deliver cleaner affordable electricity, and create economic and workforce opportunities that can be scaled up and replicated across Tribal lands and U.S. territories."

"Through President Biden's Investing in America agenda, our administration continues to make transformational investments to strengthen Indian Country and enable Tribal communities to tackle the existential threat of climate change," said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. "I am grateful to travel with Administrator Regan to showcase the resiliency of Native people and demonstrate the critical need to get resources to Tribal Nations so they can make decisions for their communities. Today's announcement builds on our work at the Interior Department to electrify Tribal homes, upgrade sanitation and irrigation systems on Tribal lands, and invest in climate resilience and adaptation measures that will serve these communities for generations to come."

Schiff also recently announced a nearly $500 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, aimed at decarbonizing transportation and goods movement with technology such as electric freight vehicles and chargers in California.

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