US EPA to fund US$4.5bn worth of emission reduction projects

THE ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Agency (EPA) has announced grants worth more than US$4.5bn for climate projects aimed at reducing emissions in heavy industry.

Transportation, agriculture, and electric power projects in 30 states in the US are set to benefit from the funding, secured through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants programme, which is part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Designed by local governments, tribes, and states, the EPA expect the projects to reduce CO2 emissions by around 971m t by 2050, roughly the amount of energy five million homes would use for more than 25 years.

Michael Regan, the EPA administrator, said: “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.”

Decarbonising heavy industry

The EPA selected 25 applications for the grants. 11 came from states, 11 from local governments, and one from the Nez Perce Tribe.

California received the largest grant of around US$500m for the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s INVEST CLEAN scheme.

The transport-related project aims to decarbonise transport moving between Los Angeles and Long Beach by increasing the use of zero emission freight vehicles, providing incentives for electrical charging equipment, and moving away from diesel.

In the electric power, industry, and waste management sectors, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality aims to reduce methane emissions in the state.

Virginia, which is one of the US’s largest producers of oil, gas and coal, will use almost US$100m of funding to establish grants for projects that will capture and reuse methane from landfills and from abandoned and active coal mines.

State conservation

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources are focused on agricultural conservation in their respective states.

Minnesota’s Climate Smart Food Systems scheme aims to decarbonise the food system by restoring peatlands, electrifying vehicles and equipment, and investing in food waste prevention.

North Carolina’s scheme will use natural climate solutions, including carbon sequestration of wetlands, to reduce GHG.

Roadmap to clean energy

The projects funded by the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants programme complement several pieces of legislation recently introduced by the US government, including the US National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the US Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan.

The transportation blueprint has set the goal to cut all GHG from the transportation sector by 2050. This sits alongside the country’s ambition to reach 100% clean energy by 2035.

To achieve this, the government launched the IRA to put more funding into solar, offshore wind and other renewable energy sources.

Ali Zaidi, the White House National climate advisor, said the investments would give local politicians the resources “to reduce climate pollution, advance environmental justice, and spark economic growth in communities across America.”