NYC to receive $1 million in new federal funding to mitigate climate change pollution - SILive.com

NYC to receive $1 million in new federal funding to mitigate climate change pollution - silive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded New York City $1 million in grants through President Joe Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act to combat pollution related to climate change.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) will lead the city’s effort to utilize the funds, which are earmarked to either support or develop greenhouse gas reduction strategies — efforts experts say will need to increase to limit the planet’s warming.

Projects enhancing carbon sinks — spaces like wetlands that are adept at storing carbon that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere — are among the possibilities for the funding, officials said.

“EPA is providing a total of $10 million through the Inflation Reduction Act to find ways to address and reduce harmful climate pollution in New York and New Jersey, including in some of the largest metropolitan areas in the country,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa Garcia in a statement. “The States of New York and New Jersey both stepped up to the plate earlier this year, and now all of the largest metro areas in the region are following suit and showing up as real local climate leaders.”

The EPA is doling out the funds through its Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program. The initiative will provide multiple tranches of fiscal allotments to support technology designed to reduce emissions and confront noxious air pollution.

Low-income and disadvantaged communities are expected to be a focus of the allocation. New York recently finalized its list of disadvantaged communities, which mark where at least 35% of benefits of the state’s climate change investments will need to take place. Thirty-six of the state’s 1,736 census tracts considered disadvantaged are located on Staten Island.

The planning process for how the funds are spent will include public participation, officials said, and can either update existing climate, energy or sustainability plans, or develop new ones.

“The EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant will help New York City work with our regional partners towards a cleaner, greener future,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball. “These funds will strengthen the city’s existing sustainability initiatives, help us reduce emissions throughout the five boroughs and continue making New York City a great place to live, work, and play for now and for future generations.”

New York and New Jersey were already allocated $3 million through the grant program earlier this year to support its ambitious climate action. The state has set aside significant funding in its budget for the environment and passed a set of new policies aimed at reducing the state’s emissions and increasing affordability in its transition to green energy.

Beginning in 2026, new buildings under seven stories in New York will not be allowed to use fossil fuel equipment, according to the state’s budget, with a 2029 timeframe established for buildings over seven stories. That initiative is separate from New York City’s Local Law 97, which mandates the city undergo a 40% reduction in building emissions by 2030 by capping emissions for existing large buildings beginning in 2024.