PIMA COUNTY, March 7, 2024 -- The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, leading a regional partnership, submitted the Pima County Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 1.
The PCAP reflects the priorities and proposed projects from the County, City of Tucson, Town of Oro Valley, City of South Tucson, and the Tohono O’odham Nation.
The plan, which includes 25 projects that align with the EPA’s directive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through 2030, was a key deliverable after the Pima County Board of Supervisors approved a $1 million four-year Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) from the EPA on Sept. 5, 2023.
That planning grant was the first part toward the next big step, which is to develop a CPRG Implementation Grant application by April 1, 2024, in partnership with the jurisdictional coalition. The EPA is offering $4.6 billion in competitive implementation grants across the country through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Pima County is expected to request more than $150 million from this five-year grant, which would fund initiatives from the County and partner jurisdictions.
“We are very pleased that we have been able to develop a strong coalition partnership to develop this plan and work toward securing the funding to implement these important greenhouse gas emissions reductions measures,” said Pima County Department of Environmental Quality Director Scott DiBiase.
The PCAP projects reach across multiple sectors highlighted by the EPA, including transportation, residential and commercial buildings, natural and working lands, and waste and materials management.
Each project is designed to assure there is measurable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across the region. The implementation of these projects will improve public health, reduce costs for individuals and government agencies, create workforce opportunities, and address environmental injustices by improving access to green energy to the most vulnerable populations.
None of the projects includes regulatory measures.
The federal grant process is one part of Pima County’s broader goals under the name Pima CAN! – Climate Action Now!
Pima County has established a Climate Action Executive Team, with representatives from more than 20 County departments that are directed to augment the County’s Sustainable Action Plan (SAPCO) and form comprehensive approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including the development of the Pima County projects in the PCAP.
“This is the first step of many in Climate Action Initiatives for Pima County, and its area-partners and stakeholders,” County Administrator Jan Lesher wrote in a memo to the Board of Supervisors.