SCAG is working with partners throughout the region to identify strategies to reduce climate pollution through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). In 2023, the U.S. EPA awarded planning grants to select metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) and states across the county, including three MSAs in the SCAG region:
- Los Angeles and Orange counties
- San Bernardino and Riverside counties
- Ventura County
Using these grants, MSAs and states developed Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) and submitted them to the U.S. EPA on March 1. The PCAPs identify priority measures and strategies to reduce climate and air pollution and support additional objectives such as benefiting low-income and disadvantaged communities, reducing energy costs, and supporting economic development.
Local, regional, and state agencies, and federally recognized tribes were also eligible to apply for grants to implement projects that align with the measures and strategies in state or MSA PCAPs from a total competitive pot of over $4 billion. A nearly $500 million application, headed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in collaboration with SCAG and other regional agencies, was among the grant recipients. This implementation grant, the largest ever made by the U.S. EPA, will be invested in zero-emission goods movement technologies in the region.
The final major CPRG milestone is the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan. These plans, due in 2025, will build on the PCAPs and include measures and strategies to comprehensively reduce climate pollution from all economic sectors over the near-, medium-, and long-term.
Completed Priority Climate Action Plans:
Resources
