PHILADELPHIA (July 23, 2024) – Today, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the general competition selection of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to receive approximately $150 million through two Climate Pollution Reduction Grants to implement community-driven solutions that tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate America’s clean energy transition.
The Virginia DEQ’s selected application, submitted as a coalition with Virginia Energy, will receive more than $99 million through a competitive grant program for projects that will capture and convert or reuse methane emissions from coal mines and landfills. The selected application will also establish a partnership with other state agencies to fund a competitive grant program for food rescue and composting programs at agencies, colleges and university campuses across Virginia.
Additionally, the Virginia DEQ will also serve as a coalition member in another selected application led by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The coalition is set to receive more than $420 million, with approximately $50 million allocated for Virginia DEQ to reduce GHG emissions through carbon sequestration projects on natural and working lands, including coastal wetlands, peatlands, and forests.
“President Biden believes in the power of community-driven solutions to fight climate change, protect public health, and grow our economy. Thanks to his leadership, the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program will deliver unprecedented resources to states, local governments, and Tribes to fund the solutions that work best in their communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “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.”
“Investments such as this are paramount to ensuring communities across the region who are impacted the most have access to reduced climate and air pollution,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “We need our partners to help us in tackling climate challenges. The work of these organizations will allow them to take the steps to ensure better quality air for future generations.”
“I’m thrilled Virginia is receiving this nearly $100 million grant to reduce air pollution throughout the Commonwealth, including through a proposed project that will reduce methane emissions at coal mines and landfills,” said U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). “In addition, I’m excited Virginia will serve as a coalition member in a multi-state regional application that was selected to receive more than $420 million to fund projects designed to reduce carbon emissions through natural climate solutions on natural and working lands, forested lands, wetlands, and coastal habitats.”
“Reducing methane emissions is critical to ensuring clean air and protecting our communities from the effects of climate change,” said U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). “I’m glad this federal funding is headed to Virginia to reduce pollution, improve air quality, and protect our beautiful Commonwealth.”
“The Inflation Reduction Act continues to deliver for Virginia,” said U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-3). “This funding, through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, will enable Virginia to curb heat-trapping methane emissions. This funding will reduce air pollution in some of the commonwealth’s most underserved communities while helping to combat the climate crisis.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration is leading an historic fight against climate change in the United States and across the globe,” said U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11). “Today’s announcement of $150 million for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is just the latest in a long line of investments this Administration has made to help communities like ours respond to and prepare for the threat of climate change. This funding will go a long way toward cleaning our air and reducing our emissions to the benefit of all Virginians. I can’t wait to see these dollars at work.”
“I am pleased that Virginia will be taking advantage of EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program – one of the successful climate initiatives to come out of the Biden-Harris Administration and the Inflation Reduction Act, which I strongly supported in Congress,” said U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (VA-8). “This investment will enable VADEQ to implement vital, community-driven solutions to reduce harmful methane emissions from landfills and coal mines while improving air quality and protecting public health, in addition to supporting food rescue and composting programs. I thank the EPA for their critical work to tackle greenhouse gases and harmful pollutants and help build a more sustainable America.”
“I was proud to vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act — which made today’s grant announcement possible — to help our Commonwealth and our country invest in our clean energy future,” said U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-7). “As the only Virginian on the House Agriculture Committee and as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology, I’m focused on building a healthier environment for the next generation through voluntary conservation programs and responsible land management. This significant investment will further empower our Commonwealth to responsibly address climate change, and I look forward to seeing the on-the-ground impact of these federal dollars in Virginia.”
“I am pleased that the Inflation Reduction Act is once again delivering to create a cleaner and more sustainable future for our children here in Virginia,” said U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (VA-10). “This grant, which was made possible by our work in Congress alongside the Biden-Harris administration, will improve air quality by helping to crack down on methane emissions from landfills and coal mines. I look forward to continuing to work to implement new ways to protect our environment for future generations.”
“For too long, marginalized communities have borne the brunt of our worsening climate crisis,” said U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-4). “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, we have made historic investments to address climate change and advance environmental justice. I am glad to see the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Priority Methane Reduction Project receive funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills and coal mines. I commend EPA Administrator Regan for his leadership, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.”
EPA made its selections through a rigorous grants competition that was designed to be fair and impartial. The Agency reviewed nearly 300 applications that were submitted by entities from across the country and requested a total of nearly $33 billion in funding.
The 25 selected applications – from states, a Tribe, local governments, and coalitions of these entities – will receive federal funding to implement local and regional solutions. Many of these projects can be expanded and provide examples that other states, local governments, Tribes, and even businesses can replicate in their work to tackle the climate crisis.
Together, these selected projects will implement ambitious climate pollution reduction measures designed by states, Tribes and local governments that will achieve significant cumulative GHG reductions by 2030 and beyond.
When estimates provided by all selected applicants are combined, the proposed projects would reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 971 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, roughly the emissions from 5 million average homes’ energy use each year for over 25 years.
EPA expects to announce up to an additional $300 million in selections under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program for Tribes, Tribal consortia, and territories later this summer.
State, Tribal, and local action is vital to deliver on the President’s commitment to reduce climate pollution by over 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050. The innovative measures contained in the selected applications, developed with input from local communities, are expected to achieve substantial public health benefits such as reducing exposure to extreme heat, improving air quality, reducing energy burden for lower income Americans, improving climate resilience, and providing workforce and economic development opportunities, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants advance President Biden’s historic Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure 40% of the overall benefits of certain climate, clean energy, and other federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
The grants will fund projects supporting the deployment of technologies and programs to reduce greenhouse gases and other harmful pollution across the country and build the infrastructure, housing, industry, and competitive economy needed for a clean energy future.
These grants will also help businesses capitalize on new opportunities, spur economic growth and job creation in new and growing industries, and support development of training programs to prepare workers. EPA expects to award the funds later this year, once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.
Many of the proposed projects contained in the selected applications announced today, as well as the $250 million in planning grant funding that EPA is providing under the CPRG program for development of Climate Action Plans by state, local, and Tribal governments across the country, will complement the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic federal actions and national climate strategies across sectors. Those include: the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, the Administration’s efforts to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035 and make zero emissions construction common practice by 2030, the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, the U.S. Buildings Decarbonization Blueprint, the Administration’s climate-smart agriculture efforts and Nature Based Solutions Roadmap, the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan, the National Climate Resilience Framework, and more.