SEATTLE – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the general competition selection of the Southeast Conference of Alaska to receive a $38,646,534 Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. The Southeast Conference of Alaska (Alaskan Southern Coastal Communities) is among 25 selected applications to receive $4.3 billion in funding for community-driven solutions that tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, and advance environmental justice.
Lead by the Southeast Conference (Alaskan Southern Coastal Communities), the Accelerating Clean Energy Savings in Alaska’s Coastal Communities grant will provide advisory services and incentives to replace residential oil burning systems with energy-efficient heat pumps in 50 Alaskan communities.
“Every community is feeling the impacts of climate change, from heat waves and drought conditions to increased wildfire smoke and severe winter storms. We must act collaboratively to reduce carbon emissions and to address the adverse impacts on people’s health and our economic prosperity,” said EPA Regional Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “Through the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, EPA is partnering with states and local communities to make the largest investments ever in green buildings, clean energy transportation, and climate justice, and the Pacific Northwest continues to lead the way.”
“Southeast Conference has long worked with Alaska’s distressed coastal communities to displace imported fossil fuels and utilize clean, renewable resources,” said Southeast Conference Executive Director Robert Venables. “We are grateful for this award which will make transformational changes toward our shared mission of sustainable, vibrant communities with a healthy environment.”
EPA made its selections through a rigorous grant competition, reviewing nearly 300 applications to ensure the competition was fair and impartial. Applications 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 and blueprints that other states, local governments, Tribes, and even businesses can replicate in their work to tackle the climate crisis.
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. Together, these grants are estimated to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 148 million metric tons by 2030 and by 971 million metric tons by 2050, based on estimates provided by the selected applicants. Learn more about the selected applications.
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 in the coming weeks. Learn more about the CPRG program.
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 by supporting 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.