This agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to connecticut metropolitan council of governments (metrocog) to develop or update existing regional climate mitigation plans to…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $1,000,000 Cooperative Agreement to the Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments (METROCOG) under the EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program (CFDA 66.046). The purpose of this 4-year award is for METROCOG to develop and update regional climate action plans to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduction strategies for the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk metropolitan area. Key deliverables include a Priority Climate Action Plan due in 2024, a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan due 2 years after award, and a final status report. METROCOG will subaward $61,700 to the University of Massachusetts and $250,000 to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments to support GHG inventory development and stakeholder engagement, respectively. The expected outcomes include quantified GHG and co-pollutant reductions, enhanced local climate policy implementation, and a net-zero economy by 2050 for the region, with a specific focus on benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities.

This agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to connecticut metropolitan council of governments (metrocog) to develop or update existing regional climate mitigation plans to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduction measures throughout the entire metropolitan area and to conduct meaningful engagement with low- income and disadvantaged communities and coordinate with geographically proximate tribes as appropriate. Specifically, the recipient will design and implement priority and comprehensive actions to mitigate climate change. The work will build off of connecticut's 2023 greenhouse gas inventory and other existing regional plans. Public outreach and stakeholder engagement is an important component of metrocog's work and will be integrated into the development and implementation of their priority climate action plan (pcap), comprehensive climate action plan (ccap), and status report.activities:in general, activities include the development, updating, and evaluation of plans to reduce climate pollution (i.e., to reduce GHG emissions and/or enhance carbon sinks). Specific activities include 1) a GHG inventory; 2) GHG emissions projections; 3) GHG reduction targets; 4) quantified GHG reduction measures; 5) a benefits analysis for the full geographic scope and population covered by the plan; 6) a low-income and disadvantaged communities benefits analysis; 7) a review of authority to implement; 8) a plan to leverage other federal funding; and, 9) a workforce planning analysis.subrecipient:metrocog will subaward $61,700 to the networks for accessibility, resilience and sustainability laboratory (nars lab) at the university of massachusetts (umass) for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory in the pcap. Metrocog will subaward $250,000 to the western connecticut council of governments (westcog), which represents 16 of the 23 municipalities within the bridgeport-stamford-norwalk MSA. Westcog will be responsible for reviewing deliverables, planning and implementing meetings and convenings that foster collaboration among public, private, and non-governmental organization (NGO) stakeholders and outreach and education.outcomes:three key deliverables will be produced and submitted over the course of the four-year program period, including: a priority climate action plan (pcap), due march 1, 2024; a comprehensive climate action plan (ccap), due two years from the date of the award; and a status report, due at the close of the grant period. The expected outcomes include a pcap and ccap that identifies: tons of pollution (ghgs and CO-pollutants) reduced over the lifetime of the measures; tons of pollution (ghgs and CO-pollutants) reduced annually; and tons of pollution (ghgs and CO-pollutants) reduced with respect to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Other expected outcomes include: improved local ability and knowledge to implement policies related to GHG reduction and climate change, enhanced community engagement and awareness of climate change, and a net-zero economy in the bridgeport-stamford-norwalk metropolitan statistical area (MSA) by 2050. The intended beneficiaries include residents of the bridgeport-stamford-norwalk metropolitan statistical area (MSA), encompassing fairfield county plus the towns of bridgewater and new milford in litchfield county. Additional consideration for outreach and deliverable development will be given to low-income and disadvantaged communities (lidac) within the bridgeport-stamford-norwalk metropolitan statistical area (MSA) which will be identified using the climate economic justice screening tool (cejst) tool.