HARRISBURG, PA—How should federal money to address climate change in Pennsylvania? The state wants residents to share their thoughts on how it should lead the way to a more equitable, climate-smart future.

The Energy Programs Office of the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host five public engagement sessions.

• The next session will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 7, at Hazleton Integration Project, 225 East 4th Street, Hazleton. To attend, register at tinyurl.com/33yc6txd. Sessions have already been held in Clairton and Williamsport.
  
• A virtual session will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 14. To attend, register at https://tinyurl.com/bdd3tz66.
• You can also submit feedback through the DEP’s Climate Strategy Opinion Survey Platform at tinyurl.com/pnrpbfp5.

The DEP has received $3 million in federal grants to create a Priority Climate Action Plan, to be completed by March 1, 2024, and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan, to be completed by July 1, 2025. They will help industries reduce air pollutants and emissions. For example, companies might use the funding to upgrade to cleaner technology or train workers to fill clean energy jobs.

The Priority Climate Action Plan will include reductions in emissions that are a priority for Pennsylvania communities and businesses, focusing on strategies for the industrial sector. These initiatives are funded by the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which provides funds to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop climate action plans, and to implement projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants. 

“Pennsylvanians deserve to have a say in decisions that impact their health and their environment,” said DEP’s interim acting secretary, Jessica Shirley. “That’s why DEP is providing residents this opportunity to weigh in on this critical funding to tackle climate change.”

She said industrial activity is one of the highest contributors to greenhouse gas pollution of any sector in Pennsylvania, and it is extremely difficult to reduce. “These resources will help our communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants,” she said. “DEP will gather feedback from all corners of the commonwealth in order to help put this funding to work in the most effective way possible.”

The Federal Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law in August 2022 and authorized many new programs, tax credits, and rebates designed to help households, businesses, and local governments across the country save money, lower energy usage, and reduce climate pollution.

The act provides a historic set of tax credits that will create jobs across solar, wind, storage, and other clean energy industries. It is estimated that the act will bring an investment of $270 million in large-scale clean power generation and storage to Pennsylvania between now and 2030, according to the DEP.