Press Release | July 22, 2024

Southern Leaders receive $530 million in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants to curb pollution and tackle climate change.  

The EPA grants will reduce climate risks and protect vulnerable communities

WASHINGTON – Today, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virgina won Climate Pollution Reduction grants from the Environmental Protection Agency in a competitive grant program under the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The $4.6 billion in implementation grants builds on earlier planning grants, which funded states and municipalities to create Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) that inventory and prioritize projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. 

Grant awards include:   

  • Virginia received nearly $100 million to improve air quality in overburdened, underserved communities by controlling methane pollution from abandoned and active coal mines, landfills, and better managing food waste.  
  • A $421 million multistate grant covering North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia will restore coastal wetlands and bottomland forests, improve water quality, and reduce risks of floods, fire, and heat. 
  • Cities in Central South Carolina received over $8 million to help 7 counties and 34 cities deploy municipal solar power and “smart surface” projects to reduce extreme heat and flooding in urban areas that disproportionally impact lower income residents.  

The EPA received over $30 billion in applications for the IRA’s CPRG program, showing a strong demand for local and state projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Applications drew from Priority Climate Action Plans that included a large range of projects: for example, launching E-bike programs, restoring coasts, converting gas-fired compressor stations to electric motor operations, and expanding bike lanes, which have the power to conserve natural resources and transform transportation, energy, and waste management systems. The oversubscription of the grant program underscores the demand for locally-led projects to tackle pollution. Projects that were not funded through today’s awards are eligible for other sources of federal funding, and the application materials will give localities and states a head start on other grant opportunities. 

“EPA created an unprecedented opportunity for state and local leaders to take climate action in the South,” said Southern Environmental Law Center’s Climate Initiative Leader Alys Campaigne. “Thoughtfully implemented, these grants will help alleviate pollution and health risks for millions of overburdened and underserved people in our region. We look forward to working with local leaders to implement these important programs and projects.” 

During the planning phase of the CPRG program, states were given $3 million, and large cities, $1 million, to draft PCAP plans that identify top sources of pollution and priority projects to curb greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air pollution across multiple sectors (industry, electricity generation, transportation, buildings, agriculture, working lands, and waste management). For the first time, over forty cities in the South and every state in the region has climate plans or goals and an inventory of greenhouse gas sources.                

These climate plans and federal grants are critical tools in the South, where climate pollution threatens health and where impacts are urgently felt as sea level rise, storms, extreme heat, and flooding become increasingly dangerous. Recognizing that pollution impacts exacerbate inequality, plans were required to prioritize projects that reduce health impacts and create economic opportunities for low-income, disadvantaged communities.

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