Climate Pollution Reduction Grants
Identifying, evaluating and implementing measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas emissions and associated air pollution.
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded NHDES a planning grant under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program to develop climate action plans that describe how New Hampshire could reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and associated air pollution.
On March 1, 2024, NHDES submitted the first climate action plan to EPA, the State of New Hampshire Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), which allowed NHDES to apply for competitive CPRG program funding to implement GHG reduction measures that NHDES described in the PCAP. EPA plans to announce CPRG program implementation funding awards in July 2024. NHDES must submit a comprehensive climate action plan to EPA by December 2025.
The objectives of the CPRG program are to:
- Reduce GHG emissions while supporting the creation of good jobs and lowering energy costs for families.
- Accelerate and empower community-driven solutions in low-income, disadvantaged communities (LIDACs). Under the White House’s Justice40 Initiative, the program’s goal is to have 40% of overall benefits flow to these communities.
- Deliver cleaner air by reducing harmful air pollution in places where people live, work, play and go to school.
Use the tabs below for more information about the CPRG program, public participation, and deliverables to EPA:
Engagement Opportunities
The EPA has made clear that meaningful community engagement is essential for this climate action planning process and accessing funding for the implementation grants that follow (i.e., support for local ideas, policies and programs to reduce pollution and build more equitable and resilient communities).
NHDES’ first CPRG deliverable
Required by EPA’s CPRG Planning funding, the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) is a narrative report that was due on March 1, 2024, that includes a focused list of near-term, high-priority, implementation-ready measures to reduce GHG pollution and an analysis of GHG emissions reductions that would be achieved if the measures are implemented. The PCAP can focus on a specific sector or selected sectors, and do not need to comprehensively address all sources of GHG emissions and sinks in New Hampshire.
Putting the PCAP into action
EPA will award competitive grants to eligible applicants to implement GHG reduction measures (i.e., programs, policies, and projects) that are identified in PCAPs. EPA expects to award up to 115 grants nationwide that range between $2 million and $500 million. EPA will give precedence to applications that reduce GHG emissions by 2030 and benefit low-income and disadvantage communities.
Strategy and goal-setting
NHDES’ second deliverable required by EPA’s CPRG Planning funding is a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), which is due December 1, 2025. The CCAP must touch on all significant GHG sources and sinks across economic sectors present in New Hampshire and identify strategies and measures to reduce GHG emissions in the near- and long-term.
CCAP Kickoff Events
- Virtual, December 10, 2024 – 5:30 p.m.
- In-Person, Concord, December 11, 2024 – 9 a.m.
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Program overview and background
EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program “provides flexible support to states, local governments, tribes, and territories regardless of where they are in their climate planning and implementation process. Planning grant recipients are using the funding to design climate action plans that incorporate a variety of measures to reduce GHG emissions from across their economies in six key sectors (electricity generation, industry, transportation, buildings, agriculture/natural and working lands, and waste management).” Under the federal Inflation Reduction Act, this program “provides $5 billion in grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution” through non-competitive planning grants and competitive implementation grants.
Work under the Planning Grant (non-competitive award)
- August 15, 2023 - NHDES received a $3 million planning grant to work on three deliverables: a Priority Climate Action Plan, a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan and a Status Report.
- March 1, 2024 – NHDES submitted the first climate action plan to EPA, the State of New Hampshire Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), which focused on actionable measures to reduce GHG emissions in New Hampshire. Timely submittal of the PCAP allowed NHDES and state municipalities to compete for $4.3 billion in Implementation Grant funds (applications submitted April 1, 2024).
- December 2025 – NHDES must submit a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) to EPA. The CCAP will build upon the PCAP and include additional GHG emission reduction measures to reach near- and long-term GHG emission targets.
- August 15, 2027 – NHDES must submit a Status Report to EPA, which will describe the implementation status of GHG emission reduction measures included in the PCAP and CCAP.
- Learn more about EPA’s CPRG Planning Grants.
Work under the Implementation Grants (competitive awards)
- April 1, 2024 – NHDES submitted a competitive grant application to EPA to implement GHG reduction measures that NHDES described in the PCAP. In addition, NHDES is included in two applications that were submitted by a coalition of states to fund specific measures identified in each state’s PCAP. There are $4.3 billion available nationally for states and municipalities to implement GHG reduction measures.
- July 22, 2024: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced 25 selected applications (out of almost 300) for over $4.3 billion in implementation grants under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program. The New England Heat Pump Accelerator program, a multi-state coalition including New Hampshire, was selected with an award of $450 million to “rapidly accelerate the adoption of cold-climate air-source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and ground source heat pumps in single-family and multifamily residential buildings across the region.” See the EPA announcement and NHDES comments for more details.
- Learn more about EPA’s CPRG Implementation Grants.
Other Aspects of this Work
- Engagement - The EPA has made clear that meaningful community engagement is essential for this planning process and accessing funding for the implementation grants that follow (i.e., support for local ideas, policies and programs to reduce pollution and build more equitable and resilient communities). To assist NHDES with community engagement, NHDES partnered with New Hampshire Listens, a civic engagement initiative of the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy. Learn more about the engagement events that informed the drafting of the PCAP at the New Hampshire Listens website.
- Sectors - Emissions reductions and associated benefits should be across a range of economic sectors defined by EPA.
- Transportation.
- Electricity generation.
- Natural and working lands.
- Industry.
- Agriculture.
- Residential and on-residential buildings.
- Waste and materials management.
- The Justice 40 Initiative - “…the Federal Government has made it a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution”
Reference Documents
- The NHDES Workplan under the CPRG Planning Grant
- The 2009 New Hampshire Climate Action Plan drafted by the New Hampshire Climate Change Policy Task Force.