Lee Ziesche, lee.ziesche@sierraclub.org
Little Rock, AR – On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Arkansas Tri-Region Coalition was awarded $100 million in funding as part of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program implementation awards. The EPA selected 25 total applications from state, local, and regional entities on the frontlines of fighting climate pollution. The grants awarded will support their efforts to develop and implement a variety of strong, local greenhouse gas reduction strategies.
The coalition, made up of the Metropolitan Planning Organization for Central Arkansas (Metroplan), the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, and the City of Fort Smith, was awarded funding for solar energy and workforce development, among other programs to reduce greenhouse gasses and support low-income and disadvantaged communities.
“It’s an exciting day for the people of Arkansas that federal funding will be flowing to communities to build distributed solar and train the workforce for a just transition, especially in Northwest Arkansas where the development of municipal solar will bring us closer to retiring the dirty and expensive Flint Creek coal-burning power plant,” said Emma Hopkins, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Organizer. “We thank the EPA for approving these funds and local leaders in Little Rock, Fayetteville and Fort Smith who applied to bring these crucial IRA dollars to Arkansas communities. The return on these investments will be cleaner air, good jobs, and more affordable electricity for those who need it most.”
A full list of recipients of CPRG implementation grants can be found here. All of the climate pollution reduction efforts selected to receive funding align closely with the goals and missions of the Sierra Club’s campaigns, from working to decarbonize the industrial sector, to efforts to electrify homes and buildings, invest in clean public transportation and zero emission vehicles, and accelerate America’s clean energy transition.
“This funding will be a game-changer for states, cities, and regions working to tackle climate change head-on and improve health outcomes for their communities and the people who call them home,” said Ben Jealous, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. “The Inflation Reduction Act continues to deliver for the American people, and these transformational awards will expand access to clean air and clean water, and move us closer to meeting the mark in the fight to stave off the very worst of the climate crisis.”
The EPA estimates that the proposed projects would reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 971 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, roughly the emissions from 5 million average homes’ energy use each year for over 25 years.
###
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.