Maryland to receive nearly $130 million for community driven solutions to cut climate pollution across the Mid Atlantic Region

Maryland to receive nearly $130 million for community-driven solutions to cut climate pollution across the Mid-Atlantic Region

Maryland Department of the Environment and Maryland Department of Transportation are part of a coalition selected by the EPA to receive more than $670 million in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants to tackle climate change, improve air quality, and advance

July 22, 2024

Contact Information

EPA R3 Press Office: [email protected]

PHILADELPHIA(July 22, 2024) - Today, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Maryland Department of the Environment and Maryland Department of Transportation as partners in coalitions that will receive a total of more than $670 million in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants 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 project will deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure for commercial zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles on the Interstate-95 freight corridor as a joint venture among the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Delaware Department of Transportation, and Maryland Departments of the Environment and Transportation, as well as provide technical assistance for workforce development and corridor planning across New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Maryland.

The Atlantic Conservation Coalition is a regional approach focused on natural climate solutions to reduce GHG emissions. The project will fund efforts across North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia to leverage the carbon sequestration power of natural and working lands, including coastal wetlands, peatlands, forests, and urban forestry. The Atlantic Conservation Coalition is a partnership among the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, South Carolina Office of Resilience, Maryland Department of the Environment, and Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

"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 tostates, 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 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 Inflation Reduction Act is the single biggest investment we've made in fighting the climate crisis - and it is powering key projects like these that bring together neighboring states to tackle pollution, restore landscapes that store carbon, and put cleaner vehicles on our roads. As these initiatives show: in fighting the climate crisis we're not just working to protect our environment - we're also creating jobs and building a better, healthier future for our communities," said Senator Van Hollen.

"The impact of Maryland's transition to clean energy - from electric vehicles to investments in renewable energy - extends beyond our state's borders. This funding will help accelerate our effort to protect our environment, reduce our carbon emissions and expand these efforts along I-95 corridor," said Senator Cardin. "In partnering with our neighboring states and with federal investment, we can create a more sustainable region."

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

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