On February 21, DEP announced at the Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting it has two new tools available to communities and organizations to find energy funding and develop equitable climate action programs.

Finding Energy Funding

The new Energy Funding and Assistance Finder is now available to assist communities and organizations in identifying opportunities to receive funding and technical assistance for energy projects that can help to reduce pollution, lower bills, and drive the adoption of new, clean, and efficient technologies in Environmental Justice communities.

The tool compiles resources that can support the development of proposals to access opportunities available through the federal Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), as well as other opportunities.

This includes funding programs and technical assistance resources available for communities to apply for, as well as an accounting and assessment of the many web tools and resources published by various organizations to support in the search and pursuit of such opportunities.

Equitable Climate Action

Also available is a Equitable Climate Action Program Development Toolkit that  presents a variety of questions that could be posed by departmental (DEP) staff and/or other program developers.

These questions are designed to assist program developers in thinking through how their programs can be designed, administered, and implemented to increase positive and reduce potential negative impacts on Environmental Justice (EJ) communities and ensure their equal access to resources.

As federal funding programs are developed and launched, this Toolkit and its companion documents, including the resource list and the outreach template, should be built on and added to according to available resources.

For more information, visit DEP’s Energy Funding and Assistance Finder webpage.  Questions should be directed to Sarah Pinter, DEP Energy Office, by sending email to:  spinter@pa.gov.

More information on locating environmental justice areas through the PennEnviroScreen mapping tool and the permit application process and environmental justice, visit DEP’s Environmental Justice Policy Revision webpage.

Visit the DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board webpage for more information on environmental justice initiatives in DEP.  Questions should be directed to Jennifer McLuckie, at jmcluckie@pa.gov  or (717) 772-5633.

Related Articles - Climate/Clean Energy:

-- DEP Recommends 6 Major Legislative Proposals Be Adopted As Part Of 2024 PA Climate Action Plan [PaEN]

-- DEP Set To Receive $2 Billion+ In Federal Funds Over Next Decade+ For Oil & Gas Well Plugging, Clean Energy, Climate Resiliency, Clean Water  [PaEN]

-- New DEP Tools: Energy Funding, Assistance Finder Tool Available For Environmental Justice Communities, Organizations; Equitable Climate Action Program Development Tool  [PaEN]

-- Sustainable Pittsburgh Selected As 1 Of 10 Nationally To Advance To Phase 2 Of Quality Green Jobs Training Regional Challenge  [PaEN] 

-- Wesley Family Services Cut Ribbon On Rooftop Solar Energy System With West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund In Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

-- PUC To Seek Comments On Proposed Regulation On Use Of Distributed Energy Resources And Virtual Power Plants  [PaEN] 

-- Feb. 28 Webinar: Meet Local Experts Making Our Communities Sustainable  [PaEN]

-- Over 400 PA Faith Leaders, Advocates Unite At First-Ever Statewide Interfaith Convention, Setting The Stage For Legislative Change On Climate, Justice & Jobs  [PaEN] 

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Penn State Study Shows Themes For Farmers Negotiating Solar Leases

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: What Is Community Solar, And Why Do Lawmakers Want To Bring It To Pennsylvania

-- Utility Dive: Solar, Battery Storage Will Be 81% Of New Electricity Generation Capacity This Year: EIA

-- WESA: Form Energy To Begin Manufacturing Iron Air Batteries In Weirton, WV To Stabilize Electrical Grid

-- American Lung Association: New Report Reveals Transition To Electric Vehicles, Clean Power Would Prevent 148,000 Asthma Attacks In PA Kids

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Meet The Appalachian Sustainable Business Network, A Coalition Looking To Find Its Lane In A New Economy

[Posted: February 21, 2024]

2/26/2024