The agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to salt lake city, utah to develop a comprehensive, economy-wide climate mitigation plan or update an existing plan in…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under its Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program (CFDA 66.046), awarded a $1,000,000 Cooperative Agreement to the Salt Lake City Corporation to develop a comprehensive, economy-wide climate mitigation plan for the Salt Lake City-Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The grant activities will be led by a collaborative multi-jurisdiction effort called the Greater Salt Lake Area Clean Energy and Air Roadmap (CLEAR), which will engage with air pollution control districts, municipalities, tribal governments, and low-income/disadvantaged communities to create near- and long-term strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air pollutants. Key deliverables include a Priority Climate Action Plan, a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan, and a final status report, focused on quantifying pollution reductions, air quality/public health improvements, energy cost savings, and climate resilience benefits. Salt Lake City will sub-award portions of the grant to partners such as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and University Neighborhood Partners to support the planning and community engagement activities.

The agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to salt lake city, utah to develop a comprehensive, economy-wide climate mitigation plan or update an existing plan in collaboration with air pollution control districts, large and small municipalities statewide, and tribal governments that will support actions to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and harmful air pollutants and to conduct meaningful engagement with low-income and disadvantaged communities. With near-and long-term goals, salt lake city is leading the development and implementation of innovative strategies to reduce GHG emissions. Grant activities will be led by a collaborative multi-jurisdiction effort, named the greater salt lake area clean energy and air roadmap (clear), which will develop plans for the salt lake city-utah metropolitan statistical area (MSA) that includes salt lake county and tooele county. By actively engaging with various stakeholders and jurisdictions, salt lake city is creating a collective approach that will consider the community's most pressing environmental challenges, while also considering the public's opinion and input. Transportation and electricity use in commercial and residential buildings are the primary sectors to be addressed in the mitigate plans.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). Specifically, salt lake city will analyze GHG emission inventories and emission projections, create a consensus-generated suite of GHG reduction measures, and conduct outreach programs to enhance public awareness and participation.subrecipient:salt lake city corporation will pass through as subawards to the international council for local environmental initiatives (iclei), university neighborhood partners, and other as needs are identified during the development of plans.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. 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 air quality, public health, economic, energy cost decreases, energy use reductions, climate change resilience benefits associated with the GHG reduction measures; increased regional understanding of implementation of GHG reduction measures and climate action; a defined pathway to lead to parity between metro-area workforce development priorities, training, and funding with climate-related investments; increased capacity by jurisdictions and stakeholders to engage in pollution reduction planning; increased community awareness of the risks of adverse climate impacts and the benefits of GHG emission reduction measures; and increased capacity of community-based organizations and jurisdiction partners to convene meaningful environmental justice engagement forums for residents in low income and disadvantaged communities. The intended beneficiaries include all residents and visitors of the salt lake city, utah MSA, with a specific focus on low income and disadvantaged communities to promote environmental equity. Salt lake city will take active measures to engage these communities to increase involvement and create a comprehensive benefits analysis.