FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2024
Contact:
Christine Brinker, cbrinker@swenergy.org | 720-939-8333
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[DENVER, CO] – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced more than $4 billion in grants to support community-driven solutions to fight climate change. The awards were the second phase of the Biden Administration’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, authorized by Congress via the Inflation Reduction Act.
The State of Colorado won $129 million for its “Colorado Decarbonization Accelerator,” which will fund energy efficiency improvements in commercial and multifamily buildings across the state, reduce emissions from landfills and coal mines, and fund local government projects to tackle emissions from transportation, land use, buildings, waste management, and the power grid.
Separately, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) won a nearly $200 million grant on behalf of its 58 member governments for its groundbreaking and transformative “Decarbonize DRCOG” initiative for homes and buildings, which will help tens of thousands of households shore up older, leaky homes and trade out dirty, inefficient heating and water heating appliances for new, clean, efficient, all-electric systems. The initiative also includes a robust workforce training program, with a plan to train more than 4,800 local workers — including 1,000 upskilled workers. The initiative focuses on low-income and disadvantaged communities, ensuring the benefits of a clean energy transition reach all residents.
“With these awards, Coloradans can look forward to more comfortable and energy-efficient homes, workplaces, and communities, while helping the state clean up our air and meet our climate goals,” said Christine Brinker, Senior Buildings Policy Manager at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). These investments not only promise to reduce energy costs for families and businesses, but also create new job opportunities in the buildings, transportation, and industrial sectors across the state.”
In the first phase of the program, EPA awarded states and local governments funds to develop priority climate action plans, which formed the basis for applications for the competitive grant awards announced today. Energy efficiency played a key role in many of the proposed projects.
According to ACEEE (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy), efficiency measures have cut U.S. energy use in half relative to the size of our economy since 1980, saving more than $2,000 per person, per year — while also reducing pollution and helping to clean up our air. And we have the potential to save much more. Efficiency could get us halfway to our climate goals while saving hundreds of billions of dollars, making the transition to clean energy easier and cheaper to achieve.
“We’re excited to work with Governor Polis and local leaders across the state to help the two Colorado projects succeed,” said Brinker. “Beyond that, the projects awarded funding today are just the beginning of what is possible. We urge the state and local governments everywhere to advance efficiency and reduce pollution. Together, we can protect our climate, save money, and build a better future for everyone.”
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The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a public interest organization promoting greater energy efficiency and clean transportation in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. swenergy.org
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