This assistance agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the delaware valley regional planning commission (dvrpc) to develop a comprehensive, economy-wide climate…

This $1,000,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CFDA 66.046) program will fund the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to develop a comprehensive, economy-wide climate mitigation plan for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan statistical area. The key deliverables over the 4-year grant period include a Priority Climate Action Plan (due March 2024), a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (due 2 years from award), and a final status report. The planning process will involve public/stakeholder engagement, greenhouse gas inventory development, and identification of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, with a focus on the electricity, buildings, transportation, solid waste, wastewater, agriculture, and industrial sectors. The project aims to meaningfully engage low-income and disadvantaged communities and quantify the emissions reductions, energy savings, job creation, housing improvements, and health benefits in those communities.

This assistance agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the delaware valley regional planning commission (dvrpc) 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. The dvrpc will lead the development of the deliverables under the climate pollution reduction grant for the philadelphia-camden-wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The dvrpc is the largest metropolitan planning organization in this MSA and will coordinate the overall approach, including collaborating with the four states that are preparing state plans under the climate pollution reduction grant (cprg) program. Climate mitigation planning will be focused on the decarbonization of the electricity and building sectors, while also addressing opportunities in the transportation, solid waste, wastewater, agriculture, and industrial process sectors. 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, the dvrpc will conduct public and stakeholder engagement, coordinate interagency and intergovernmental efforts, develop greenhouse gas inventories, and identify measures to reduce climate pollution. Efforts will build on existing GHG inventories and reduction goals established by the four states. Dvrpc will develop a public and stakeholder outreach strategy to ensure stakeholders, including community-based organizations that can engage with low-income and underserved communities in the region, sustain their meaningful involvement in the four-year planning process. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.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 reduced annually; and tons of pollution reduced with respect to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Other expected outcomes include: improved community trust through increased transparency of local climate action planning efforts; increased workforce capacity and partnerships with climate workforces; enhanced coordinated community engagement; updated benefits analysis for low-income and disadvantaged communities; and increased public awareness of the project and intended results. The intended beneficiaries include all residents and visitors of philadelphia-camden-wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area, with a specific focus on underdeveloped and disadvantaged communities. The project will also engage dvrpc's existing public participation task force, whose members represent the geographic, racial, ethnic, cultural, gender, age, education, and economic diversity of the residents in the region. Research and analysis will be conducted to ensure that planning considers the projected results of energy savings, decreased energy burden, job creation, housing improvements, and health benefits in disadvantaged communities.