By: Savannah Scarborough, Follow South Jersey Intern
SOUTH JERSEY — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a grant awarding New Jersey $3 million to develop innovative climate projects to cut pollution and build clean energy across the state as a part of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
The Inflation Reduction Act allocated these funds, which now represents the first set of grants given to states, local governments, Tribes, and territories, under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG), with New Jersey being among the first states to sign on to this opportunity.
President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act works to create well-paid jobs and create advanced environmental justice while funding active work to combat climate change.
“Now more than ever, it’s clear that we must confront the urgency of the worsening climate crisis by leveraging every resource and tool at our disposal,” Governor Phil Murphy stated. “Made possible by President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, these funds will provide support for updates to our foundational climate plans and allow us to further prioritize and implement our accelerated clean energy goals and ongoing efforts to build resilient communities across the state.”
New Jersey intends to utilize these funds to augment planning already underway in the state to support its ongoing effort to achieve a low-carbon economy and reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. These efforts include expanding clean energy infrastructure and building resilient communities across the state.
“The state of New Jersey, having met its greenhouse gas reduction goals set in 2020 ahead of schedule, will utilize these funds to craft modernized approaches that will continue reducing carbon emissions, harmful air pollution, and aid the state in achieving a low carbon economy for its citizens by 2050,” said Senator Bob Menendez.
CPRG grants support creating comprehensive, innovative strategies for reducing pollution and ensuring that investments maximize benefits, especially for low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Climate plans include: greenhouse gas emissions inventories, emissions projections and reduction targets, economic, health, and social benefits, plans to leverage other sources of federal funding, workforce needs to support decarbonization and a clean energy economy, and future government staffing and budget needs.
“South Jersey has proven time and again to be a leader in fostering a cleaner, more reliable economy for our families and workers,” said Congressman Donal Norcross (NJ-01). “By supporting our state’s best and brightest, we will continue to harness the power of our offshore wind industry and create good-paying jobs that last. I will continue fighting to ensure South Jersey and its workers get their fair share of these historic investments.”
After all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied, the EPA expects to award and administer the funding agreements in the summer of 2023.
To learn more about how the EPA describes how they award and manage CPRG funds to eligible entities, visit https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/climate-pollution-reduction-grants#CPRGProgramGuidance. For more information on CPRG’s, visit https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/climate-pollution-reduction-grants.
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