Provide funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the narragansett indian tribe

This Cooperative Agreement award, totaling $6,627,691, was provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CFDA 66.046) program. The purpose of the award is to enable the Narragansett Indian Tribe to implement greenhouse gas reduction programs, policies, projects, and measures identified in a priority climate action plan. Key activities include conducting energy audits, implementing energy efficiency measures, installing solar energy systems, and deploying battery storage to replace fossil fuel generators across tribal facilities. The anticipated outcomes are the completion of comprehensive energy audits, implementation of priority energy efficiency upgrades, and the development of a strategy to replicate these measures across all tribal buildings. This award will benefit the Narragansett Indian Tribal community through significant greenhouse gas reductions and community-wide benefits, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged areas.

Description

The purpose of this award is to provide funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the narragansett indian tribe. The recipient will implement greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction programs, policies, projects, and measures identified in a priority climate action plan (PCAP) developed under a climate pollution reduction grants (CPRG) planning grant. Activities conducted through this grant will benefit all residents and visitors to narragansett indian tribal lands through four main objectives: implementation of ambitious measures that will achieve significant cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions by 2030 and beyond; pursuit of measures that will achieve substantial community benefits, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities; complementing other funding sources to maximize these greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and community benefits; and, pursuit of innovative policies and programs that are replicable and can be scaled up across multiple jurisdictions.activities:the activities include the completion of energy audits at narragansett indian tribe (NIT) owned and operated buildings to identify priority energy efficiency measures (EEMS) that would reduce energy consumption and associated costs; implementation of identified priority energy efficiency measures (EEMS), including building energy management systems; installation of solar (rooftop, carport, and ground-mounted) on six narragansett indian tribe-owned and operated buildings; and installation of battery storage systems to replace propane and diesel generators at eight narragansett indian tribe-owned and operated buildings. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include: the completion of comprehensive energy audits on all tribal owned facilities and the implementation of priority energy efficiency measures; a strategy to replicate energy efficiency measures across all tribal buildings; installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage on tribal-owned facilities; and educational opportunities for tribal members on energy-efficiency efforts and solar/battery installations. The expected outcomes include: reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 39.32 million tonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2E) annually, beginning in 2030, through energy efficiency measures; reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 246.02 million tonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2E) annually, beginning in 2029, through solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery installation; decreased energy usage and costs; reduced criteria air pollutants, which benefits public health; improved energy resilience and reduced dependence on fossil fuels; and increased awareness of energy efficiency best practices and solar photovoltaic (PV) installation efforts and opportunities. The intended beneficiaries include the narragansett indian tribe, its members, the larger community, and visitors to tribal facilities. With asthma and cancer rates in the 80-90TH percentile on tribal lands, deploying these greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures will improve air quality on tribal lands and in the surrounding town of charlestown, where the majority of tribal members reside.