Provide funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to oregon department of environmental quality

This Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CFDA 66.046) program, will fund the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) to implement greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction programs, policies, and measures identified in a priority climate action plan. Key activities include expanding existing state rebate and grant programs for electric vehicles, medium/heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles, and charging infrastructure, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities. The award will also provide incentives for affordable, energy-efficient housing construction, commercial building performance standards, heat pump installations, and landfill methane controls. Subawards to 9 local governments will fund incentives for building reuse and space-efficient housing. The total award amount is $197,181,796, with a performance period from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2029. The anticipated outcomes include significant cumulative GHG reductions of over 6.5 million metric tons by 2050.

Description

The purpose of this award is to provide funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to oregon department of environmental quality. 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 the state of oregon through four main objectives: implementation of ambitious measures that will achieve significant cumulative 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 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 funding to expand on the following established oregon programs: oregon clean vehicle rebate, community charging rebate, medium and heavy-duty zero emission vehicle (ZEV) rebate, medium and heavy-duty diesel emissions mitigation grant, and the medium heavy-duty charging infrastructure grant programs. Other activities include incentives supporting construction on affordable, multi rental housing units; adoption of commercial building performance standards; purchasing and installation of heat pumps while prioritizing low-and moderate- income households; building reuse and space efficient housing along with offering assistance on home weatherization. Other activities include food waste recovery infrastructure improvements and landfill methane controls.subrecipient:subawards will funds will be passed through to 9 local governments (shown in map below). Each local government will administer a competitive grant program to distribute the funds as incentives for development of affordable and workforce housing that reduces the embodied GHG emissions associated with building materials for the new housing units. The two strategies funded through this incentive are: 1. Reuse of existing, underutilized buildings to housing, and 2. Development of new, space-efficient housing. The other subawards will be awarded to an estimated 4 or 5 projects at landfills across oregon. The actual number of awards and cost of each project will depend on applications received. A competitive grant solicitation allows DEQ, while working within the scope of CPRG, to be responsive to the needs and existing infrastructure of each community. Funds will be used for construction and procurement/installation of equipment such as horizontal and vertical collectors and flares, but will also be used for final engineering, construction verification and reporting. Outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include: 4,403 electric vehicle rebates to low income and disadvantaged communities (LIDAC), 688 new chargers in LIDAC, 164 rebates issued for new medium heavy duty zero emission vehicle (MHD ZEV), 37 grants issued/new MHD ZEV, 20 grants issued/new MHD ZEV charging stations, 9,420 housing unit incentives for construction of new , affordable, energy efficient housing, 321 incentives issued to commercial buildings for early adoption of building performance standards, 12,000 heat pumps incentives, weatherization assistance for 2,960 existing units, provide funding for 9 local government partners to issue incentives for new building reuse and/or space-efficient housing units, fund 22-26 projects around food waste infrastructure, and fund 3-6 projects with best cost effectiveness around landfill methane controls. The expected outcomes include estimated cumulative GHG reductions for 2025-2030 (in metric tons): 1,241,781 and estimated cumulative GHG reductions from 2025-2050 (in metric tons): 6,555,664 the intended beneficiaries include all people in the state of oregon, focusin