This assistance agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to southwestern pennsylvania commission (SPC) to develop or update existing regional climate mitigation plans to…

This assistance agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to southwestern pennsylvania commission (SPC) 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 tackle climate pollution while supporting the creation of jobs and lowering energy costs, accelerate work to address environmental injustice and empower community-driven solutions in overburdened neighborhoods, and deliver cleaner air by reducing harmful air pollution in places where people live, work, play, and go to school.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 conducting a multi-pronged public outreach effort to be inclusive of public interest groups, members of communities of concern, and other stakeholder organizations. SPC will focus on high-priority, implementation-ready programs, projects, and associated actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in multiple sectors, including industrial, transportation, residential, agriculture, and others. The priority climate action plan (pcap) will draw on existing planning work and the measures outlined below to identify high-priority targets. SPC will use inventory data gathered from its long range plan, statewide inventories conducted by the pennsylvania department of environmental protection (PA DEP), and other sources as needed. SPC will also work with the PA DEP, the steering committee and consultants to identify the most appropriate data sets to develop the preliminary regional GHG inventory.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. The expected outcomes include tons of pollution reduced over the lifetime of the measures included in the pcap and ccap; and tons of pollution reduced with respect to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Expected outcomes from SPC's climate pollution reduction grant program planning grants include: tons of pollution (ghgs and CO-pollutants) reduced over the lifetime of the measures identified in the pcap and ccap, tons of pollution reduced annually, tons of pollution reduced in low-income and disadvantaged communities, improved ambient air quality, improved staff capacity to implement policies relevant to addressing climate change, enhanced community engagement relating to policy implementation and outreach efforts, public health benefits achieved, increased public awareness of project/results, and the creation of 21ST-century jobs with an emphasis on increased workforce pathways for workers from underserved communities. The intended beneficiaries include all citizens and visitors to the seven-county pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area and surrounding areas.