The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in late July that Nebraska was selected as ...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in late July that Nebraska was selected as a recipient of a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG). The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) was awarded $307 million in grants from EPA to fund environmentally beneficial agricultural practices in the state. NDEE has rebranded the grant as the ONE RED program (Opportunity for Nebraska: Reducing Emissions and Decarbonization) and is now focused on distributing the funds to fulfill the commitments outlined in its grant proposal.

The CPRG program is part of the broader Investing in America Agenda, which has provided the EPA with substantial funding from multiple sources. A portion of this funding was allocated to establish a grant program dedicated to reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases. The CPRG program outlined specific criteria for funding applications, and NDEE's submission for Nebraska emphasized the state's largest industry - agriculture.

The development of Nebraska's grant proposal involved significant effort, including multiple stakeholder meetings to gather input and feedback. Nebraska Farm Bureau played an integral role throughout the process, offering insights on agricultural practices that would benefit from funding.

The CPRG program received approximately 300 applications, with $33 billion in requested funding. Nebraska's allocation of $307 million was the sixth largest among the 25 projects selected and the fourth largest at the state level. NDEE had originally requested $340 million, resulting in over 90 percent of the requested funds being approved.

With the grant awarded, NDEE is now tasked with designing the implementation strategy for the grant funds. Nebraska Farm Bureau will remain actively involved, ensuring the implementation process is practical and beneficial for the state's farmers and ranchers.

You can find more info in the NDEE official press release. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Kole Pederson, Director of Environmental & Regulatory Affairs, at [email protected].