This grant agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the west virginia office of energy (wvoe) to develop a comprehensive, economy-wide energy/climate plan or update an…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a $2,993,309 Cooperative Agreement under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program (CFDA 66.046) to the West Virginia Office of Energy (WVOE). This 4-year award will support WVOE in developing a comprehensive, statewide energy and climate action plan in collaboration with local governments, air pollution control districts, and disadvantaged communities. Key activities include building emissions inventories, modeling greenhouse gas reduction scenarios, facilitating stakeholder engagement, and identifying funding for priority pollution reduction projects. The grant aims to produce a Priority Energy Action Plan by March 2024 and a final Comprehensive Energy Action Plan within 2 years, which will quantify expected greenhouse gas and co-pollutant reductions, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged areas of West Virginia. WVOE will also provide subrecipient funding to support implementation of the climate planning effort.

This grant agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the west virginia office of energy (wvoe) to develop a comprehensive, economy-wide energy/climate 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. Through this grant, wvoe will expand ongoing efforts to develop inventories of emission sources and site-specific data; identify issues, opportunities, and potential solution paths; and collaborate with other states.activities:in general, activities include the development, updating, and evaluation of plans to reduce energy consumption and pollution. In partnership with state organizations, universities, nonprofit organizations, and technical contractors, wvoe will build on previous work conducted for west virginia's 'pathways to a low carbon future' program. The program is based on collecting input from a diverse set of stakeholders to develop an unbiased view of current conditions and to identify future outcomes and potential solutions. Low-income and disadvantaged communities, which have suffered for decades from pollution, job losses, and economic impacts, will be the focus of community engagement activities to ensure that community input is collected and integrated in planning; such collaboration will also help foster support for projects. Efforts will also be taken to identify and leverage other funding sources for high-priority pollution reduction projects.subrecipient:these subawards provide wvoe with support for implementation of the cprg. Additional activities include, but not limited to, outreach facilitation (at least 4 meetings, coordination and compilation of information received during meetings), modeling, GHG emission inventory updates, GHG projections, and workforce projections. Outcomes:three key deliverables will be produced and submitted over the course of the four-year program period, including: a priority energy action plan (peap), due march 1, 2024; a comprehensive energy action plan (ceap), 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 peap and ceap 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 and consistent communication among stakeholders and enhanced knowledge and understanding of communities about the plans, priorities, and potential solutions. The intended beneficiaries include all residents of and visitors to west virginia. Wvoe will focus on job creation and retention and equitable economic outcomes for residents of the state. West virginia has a disproportionate share of disadvantaged communities as defined by the climate and economic justice screening tool, with more than 60% of census tracts in this category compared to 37% nationwide. Planning priorities will address maximizing benefits to disadvantaged communities through such activities as deploying technologies, focusing on local air quality, and conducting energy efficiency projects.