ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is awarding nearly $700 million to four states in the Chesapeake Bay region to reduce and trap greenhouse gas emissions.
Nationwide, the agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants are spreading $4.3 billion across 30 states. The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022.
“These grants will help state and local governments improve the air quality and health of their communities, while accelerating America’s progress toward our climate goals,” said John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for International Climate Policy.
The Bay region’s funding totals $690 million from the grants, according to the July 22 announcement.
Maryland is set to receive $130 million to finance a pair of initiatives.
Maryland is joining a multi-state pact, called the Atlantic Conservation Coalition, that will work to boost the use of wetlands, urban forests and other natural lands to store carbon. The other partners include The Nature Conservancy, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
The state also is collaborating with Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey to create a Clean Corridor Coalition. Its aim is to provide technical assistance and workforce development in the effort to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure along Interstate 95 for zero-emission medium– and heavy-duty vehicles.
The Delaware Department of Transportation will put its $14 million in federal funding toward the Clean Corridor initiative as well.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is being awarded $150 million. In addition to its participation in the Atlantic Conservation Coalition, the state is receiving funding to reduce methane emissions. Those efforts will include capturing and reusing emissions from coal mines and landfills, as well as rescuing edible food before it can be thrown away and generate methane emissions in landfills.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection plans to use its $396 million allocation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial sector through decarbonization grants. The Reducing Industrial Sector Emission in Pennsylvania project is seeking to slash 5.2 million tons of carbon by 2050, or about 10% of the state’s annual industrial emissions.
