File photo of sun glinting off the pioneer atop the Oregon Capitol building in Salem, Ore., on June 29, 2019.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
State, local and tribal governments hoping to finance projects that curb pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have an opportunity to win millions in federal funding.
Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, announced late last month that they have $4.6 billion in total grants available for states and hundreds of millions for Northwest states and tribes, with priority funding for projects with the potential to cut the largest quantity of greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Pacific Northwest is witnessing firsthand the urgent need to act on the climate crisis,” Casey Sixkiller, EPA’s Northwest regional administrator, said in a news release. “We are proud to support the efforts by states and tribes to reduce emissions and transition to a green economy.”
There’s a general competition for grants and a separate competition for grants among tribal governments. Applicants in the general competition category have until April 1, 2024 to submit proposals and tribal governments have until May 1, 2024 to submit.
Up to 115 grants between $2 million and $500 million could be awarded in the general competition, and up to 100 grants between $1 million and $25 million are likely to be awarded in the tribal competition, according to the news release. Awards would be available by the fall and winter of 2024.
In April, EPA awarded 28 projects in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington nearly $20 million under the program, including $3 million to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and $1 million to Metro to develop and improve their climate action plans. This includes local and statewide strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2035 and 80% by 2050.
This story was originally published by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and X.
