Schiff, EPA Announce Nearly $500 Million to Address Climate Pollution in Southern California
Washington, D.C.— Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the general competition selection of South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) to receive a $499,997,415 Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. This national grant program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, aims to implement community-driven solutions that tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate America’s clean energy transition.
“This Climate Pollution Reduction Grant will enable Los Angeles to build innovative environmental solutions – from incentives for electric charging equipment to getting more zero-emission vehicles on the road,” said Rep. Schiff. “I thank the Biden-Harris Administration and the EPA for their transformative commitment to building a cleaner and healthier economy in Southern California.”
“The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants being unveiled today will deliver unprecedented resources to states, local governments, and Tribes – here in Southern California and across the U.S. -- for local solutions that can provide national examples to accelerate the needed transition off of fossil fuels,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “These efforts will create jobs, reduce the emissions fueling climate change, and clean up the dirty, dangerous air that too many already overburdened communities have breathed for too long.”
“We are so grateful for this award, which is the largest in our agency’s history and one that underscores the needs of our communities,” said Vanessa Delgado, Chair of South Coast AQMD’s Governing Board. “Over the next 25 years, these funds will help reduce 12 million metric tons of carbon emissions. On top of that, 1600 tons of smog-forming emissions will be avoided annually while creating green jobs and fostering economic growth.”
The South Coast AQMD project will fund efforts across Southern California to decarbonize transportation and goods movement in, but not limited to, the Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ontario areas through a) providing incentives for electric charging equipment, b) increasing the number of zero-emission freight vehicles, and c) replacing or converting cargo handling equipment and diesel freight switcher locomotives.
When combined, the estimates provided by all selected applicants show that the proposed projects will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 971 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, roughly the emissions from 5 million average homes’ energy use each year for over 25 years. Many of these projects can be expanded and provide examples that other states, local governments, Tribes, and even businesses can replicate in their work to tackle the climate crisis.
###