July 23, 2024 | SWEEP and Utah Clean Energy staff
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On July 22, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced more than $4 billion in competitive grants to support community-driven solutions to fight climate change, accelerate clean energy deployment, advance efficiency, and increase equity. 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.
More than $400 million of that money is coming to the U.S. Southwest, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project’s (SWEEP) region of focus, where the State of Colorado, the Denver Metropolitan Council of Governments (DRCOG), and the State of Utah won awards:
- Colorado’s “Decarbonization Accelerator” will fund energy efficiency improvements in commercial and multifamily buildings across the state, reduce emissions from landfills and coal mines, and support an array of local government projects to tackle emissions from transportation, land use, buildings, waste management, and the power grid.
- The “Decarbonize DRCOG” initiative will help tens of thousands of households across the Denver metro area 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.
- Utah won support for its Beehive Emission Reduction Plan, which will help accelerate electric vehicle (EV) deployment, support active transportation, expand solar power generation, prevent methane pollution, and advance commercial and industrial energy efficiency.
It was a tough competition, with only 25 awards out of nearly 300 applications.
While not every proposal could be funded, we at SWEEP know that every jurisdiction that has participated in this program is a winner. That’s because all of the participants developed priority climate action plans with the first round of $250 million in funding, identifying policies and projects that can be carried out now — many of which are viable without special federal grants, and will save residents and businesses significant amounts of money. Many of those policies and projects involve energy efficiency.
Efficiency is a core climate solution
Energy efficiency is one of the best tools we have to cut pollution and protect our climate. Getting more done with less energy directly prevents climate-changing emissions. Moreover, improving the performance of our buildings, vehicles, and industries can save us money, strengthen our economy, improve our health, and increase our comfort.
According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), 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. That has put us much closer to achieving our climate goals than we otherwise would have been. And it has strengthened our economy, created millions of jobs, improved public health, made our homes and offices more comfortable, and made our communities more resilient.
Despite all the progress we’ve made, we haven’t even come close to exhausting the potential for efficiency. Further effort could get us halfway to our national climate goals while saving on the order of $700 billion dollars, making the transition to clean energy easier and cheaper to achieve.
It’s no wonder that states and cities across the Southwest have zeroed in on efficiency policies and projects as key near-term steps in their climate action plans.
Highlights of state, local, and tribal plans
SWEEP staff spent time this spring reviewing near-term climate action plans submitted by states, metropolitan planning organizations, and tribes. We were glad to see that leaders had, in many cases, incorporated our suggestions and carved out a significant role for energy efficiency in driving near-term progress.
Here are some of the highlights our staff appreciated in the plans:
State of Arizona
The Arizona Office of Resilience under Governor Katie Hobbs developed the Clean Arizona Plan, zeroing in on electricity generation and transportation as the two largest sources of emissions. The plan recommends:
- Expanding access to weatherization, energy efficiency upgrades and electrification at homes and businesses;
- Increased access to publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure and accelerated adoption of electric and zero-emission vehicles; and
- Workforce training for energy efficiency and emerging energy technology contracting.
Identified measures would prevent almost nine million tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and drive hundreds of millions of dollars in investment across the state.
Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), Arizona
MAG, the metropolitan planning organization for the greater Phoenix area, found that transportation and electricity consumption were the largest two sources of pollution in the region. MAG’s priority climate action plan included public fleet electrification and deployment of charging infrastructure as a key step to reduce vehicle emissions, since EVs are on the order of three times more efficient than combustion vehicles, and they can run on emission-free renewable energy. The plan also includes collaboration with the Arizona Office of Resilience to finance efficiency upgrades at residential and commercial buildings, including weatherization, lighting, and appliances. MAG notes that in addition to preventing climate pollution, these measures will improve air quality and public health, increase resilience to heat and other extreme weather events, reduce municipal energy costs, decrease home repair and improvement costs, and improve housing quality, comfort, and safety.
Pima County
Pima County is home to the city of Tuscon, in Southern Arizona. County staff used CPRG funding to develop the Pima CAN! (Climate Action Now) plan for the region. Similar to Phoenix, the main sources of emissions locally are vehicles and electricity consumption at buildings. Among the measures identified in the action plan is electrification of the City of Tucson, Pima County, and the Town of Oro Valley’s fleet vehicles. This step makes a lot of sense: for example, Arizona PIRG found that the 10 largest municipalities in the state could save a net total of nearly $80 million in lifetime vehicle ownership costs by replacing light-duty vehicles with electric versions at the end of their useful lives. Further, Pima County identified the potential to increase efficiency at municipal buildings, saving millions of kilowatt-hours of electricity and preventing more than three million metric tons of pollution.
State of Utah
The GHG emission reduction measures included in Utah’s priority Beehive Emissions Reduction Plan are implementation-ready, near-term, have stakeholder support, and advance the state of Utah’s climate and energy-related priorities. The plan tackles major sources of emissions, including transportation, buildings, industry, oil/gas operations, and electricity generation.
The transportation measures identified in the Beehive Emissions Reduction Plan are comprehensive and impressive. The plan includes an income-qualified EV replacement assistance program to get high-polluting vehicles off the road in priority counties. For businesses and institutions, the plan includes an EV incentive program to cover the incremental up-front cost of an electric vehicle. The medium- and heavy-duty vehicle measure includes an incentive program for Class 5 delivery vehicles for commercial and government fleets and an incentive program for Class 8 refuse haulers. This measure also includes an electric school bus ready program that will provide gap funding for electrical work and site preparation, as well as an electric school bus pilot with no minimum unit or scrappage requirement, making it easier for small districts to join. There are also measures related to EV charging, including incentives that would enable more vehicle charging infrastructure deployment for commercial and government fleets and incentives for charging at multifamily dwellings and workplaces. Finally, the plan proposes incentives for e-bikes and electric yard equipment.
On buildings, the plan includes an outreach, education, and workforce training proposal that could include energy coaching services, resources related to efficiency and clean energy, and programming such as workshops, individual assistance, and programs aimed at lowering the cost of household equipment upgrades.
SWEEP, and our partners at Utah Clean Energy, look forward to working with the state of Utah to help realize this plan, now that the EPA has awarded a grant.
Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area
Salt Lake City’s Clean Energy and Air Roadmap (SL-CLEAR) is a regional effort led by Salt Lake City’s Department of Sustainability and aims to address GHG emissions across Salt Lake and Toole Counties. Many of the priorities included in the SL-CLEAR plan are related to transportation and buildings. This includes groups of measures for the following:
- Residential energy efficiency: expanded access to weatherization, energy efficiency updates, tariffed on-bill retrofit programs, and a one-stop-shop for engaging with home energy upgrade opportunities. This also includes initiatives that support the deployment of energy efficient and electric technology in new construction, such as voluntary stretch codes.
- Residential electrification: incentives for efficient, all-electric appliances, workforce support, and a one-stop-shop to engage with and access electric retrofit opportunities.
- Active and innovative mobility and transit: incentives for e-bikes and bike sharing, and investment in transit facilities.
- Light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles: residential, commercial, and public EV charging incentives, vehicle incentives, and technical assistance for fleets. This also includes incentives to support municipal fleet electrification.
The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation
The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation has about 577 members who primarily reside in southern Idaho and northern Utah. The Tribe’s priority climate action plan addresses near-term, high-priority, and implementation-ready measures to reduce GHG emissions. The measures included in this plan focus on emissions from mobile combustion and electricity consumption and specifically addresses emissions from Tribal sources. These measures include:
- Replacing Tribal-owned fossil-fuel vehicles with EVs.
- Encouraging alternative transportation with e-bikes for Tribal members and employees to use as well as a program to encourage alternative transportation.
- Reducing electricity consumption by installing motion sensor lights in Tribal-owned buildings.
- Reducing emissions by implementing an electric tool loan program for Tribal members.
State of New Mexico
New Mexico’s Priority Climate Action Plan builds on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Executive Order 2019-003, which set ambitious targets for reducing GHG emissions. The plan outlines 10 key measures to mitigate climate pollution and enhance the state’s environmental and economic well-being. These measures include projects, programs, and policies designed to unlock tangible benefits such as reduced GHG emissions, cleaner air, high-quality job creation, a growing clean economy, and an enhanced quality of life for all New Mexicans. Key efficiency measures in the plan include:
- Clean I-40 Transportation Corridor: Establishes clean transportation fueling centers along I-40 to reduce emissions from heavy-duty vehicles.
- Clean truck incentives: Provides vouchers for zero-emission trucks and funding for charging infrastructure.
- ECO schools: Supports electric school buses and energy efficiency improvements in schools serving low-income communities.
- Community mobility: Enhances public transportation and bike infrastructure to reduce vehicle miles traveled.
- Pre-weatherization for low-income homes: Prepares low-income homes for weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades.
- Community Energy Efficiency Development Block Grant Program: Funds local government projects to reduce energy consumption. (See here and here for earlier SWEEP coverage of this excellent program.)
- Integrated low-income building-sector incentives: Maximizes decarbonization benefits for low-income residences.
These initiatives align closely with SWEEP’s priorities of promoting clean transportation, enhancing energy efficiency, and supporting sustainable community development. New Mexico’s action plan reflects a strong commitment to climate action, aiming to reduce emissions, promote clean energy, and improve the quality of life for all residents.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
The City of Albuquerque led the development of a regional Priority Climate Action Plan that emphasizes sustainable buildings, aiming to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions through the Community Energy Efficiency program and Multi-Family Decarbonization efforts. The plan also addresses transportation emissions with projects like electrifying the municipal fleet and transit vehicles, developing bicycle safety corridors, and establishing multimodal rail trails. These efforts are crucial for reducing transportation emissions and promoting clean, efficient mobility.
The Albuquerque plan is a testament to its leaders’ dedication to a sustainable and resilient future, addressing the urgent need to reduce GHG emissions and ensuring that the benefits of climate action reach those most affected.
State of Nevada
Nevada’s Priority Climate Action Plan includes important measures aimed at reducing the leading sources of emissions, including transportation and buildings.
A significant portion of the plan is aimed at accelerating the adoption of zero-emission vehicles. One identified measure would incentivize public fleets, including governmental and school districts, to switch to zero-emission vehicles through rebates covering vehicle replacements and charging infrastructure costs. The plan also contemplates supplementing existing federal incentives with extra financial support for fleets choosing zero emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles through a Clean Trucks and Buses Incentive Program. These moves not only support emission reductions but also enhance air quality, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
The plan also targets measures to enhance energy efficiency and reduce emissions at buildings. Washoe County leads the charge with comprehensive retrofits across municipal buildings, focusing on weatherization and upgrading energy systems to lower emissions. Additionally, the construction of high-efficiency electric buildings and a Clean Energy Revolving Loan Fund for affordable housing and schools would help improve indoor environments across Nevada.
Clark County, Nevada
Clark County is home to the Las Vegas metropolitan area, including Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Mesquite. The area faces unique environmental challenges tied to its location in the Mojave Desert, including increasingly extreme temperatures and prolonged drought conditions. Las Vegas is one of the fastest-warming cities in the United States.
Building on its earlier All-In Climate Action Plan, Clark County used federal support to identify a handful of key projects ripe for action in its Priority Climate Action Plan.
SWEEP staff are particularly excited about the “All-In Home and Building Improvement Hub,” an initiative aimed at enhancing building energy efficiency and decarbonization across residential structures in Clark County. This initiative targets retrofitting 10% of the region’s 730,000 homes by 2030. It offers comprehensive support including energy assessments, financial assistance, and workforce training to achieve substantial GHG reductions — while also delivering improved indoor air quality, increased water efficiency, and more affordable utility bills for residents. By focusing on hard-to-reach and disadvantaged communities, the Hub aims to ensure equitable distribution of benefits.
Additionally, Clark County envisions “Carbon-Free Shared Mobility,” transitioning buses to hydrogen fuel technology and expanding the area bike share program. With over 40 million passenger trips annually, the Southern Nevada transit agency plays a crucial role in reducing transportation-related emissions across the Las Vegas Valley and beyond.
Denver Regional Council of Governments, Colorado
The metropolitan planning organization for 58 local governments in the Denver metro area, the DRCOG, pulled together a strong Priority Climate Action Plan covering the major sources of emissions, including transportation and buildings. The plan envisions a building energy improvement advisors program to help stakeholders navigate the sometimes complex decisions that go into designing and executing a retrofit project; workforce development for decarbonization trades; subsidies for commercial, multifamily, municipal, university, school, hospital building electrification and efficiency upgrades; residential building electrification and energy audit support; free home weatherization and energy efficiency services for low-income and disadvantaged communities; and an expansion of high-quality transit infrastructure, including regional bus rapid transit lines and expansion of the regional active transportation network.
DRCOG won almost $200 million toward the zero energy home elements of its plan. The funding will “directly impact more than half of Coloradans […] and help achieve a regionwide goal of net-zero building-sector emissions by 2050.” DRCOG anticipates that the project will electrify and weatherproof more than 60,000 buildings and train 3,800 new workers and upskill 1,000 existing workers to address workforce gaps.
SWEEP is excited to support DRCOG and its member governments as they begin program implementation.
State of Colorado
Colorado, already one of the leading states for climate action in the country, is taking its leadership to the next level through its CPRG-funded Priority Climate Action Plan. To begin its planning process, branded the “Colorado GHG Emissions Reduction Roadmap 2.0,” Colorado contracted with think tank RMI to develop a model of future emissions and solicited policy ideas from a diverse group of stakeholders. The model is available to the public, who are able to experiment with different choices to see what might contribute — or delay — achieving Colorado’s statutory climate targets.
The Colorado plan is thorough, with many cutting-edge efficiency policies. Highlights include building energy performance standard implementation; support for local governments to adopt advanced energy-saving building codes; and incentives and financing for building efficiency and electrification upgrades. On transportation, the plan envisions local governments leading the way to plan and implement high-quality active transportation infrastructure and bus rapid transit lines; implementation of recently-approved location-efficient land use statutes; and support for increased electrification of refuse trucks. On the industrial front, the plan envisions investment in decarbonization strategy and efficient technology upgrades, including heat pumps. The plan also incorporates building and fleet electrification efforts at the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
Colorado did win funding from the EPA for its Decarbonization Accelerator, which will pull forward benefits in time. But even without these resources, Colorado has been finding ways to move forward using a wide variety of creative solutions, from simple policy adoption to the creation of new-state based revenue streams — because climate policy — especially efficiency — often makes sense to adopt based on its ability to save money, stimulate the economy, create jobs, improve living conditions, increase equity, improve public health, or offer other important co-benefits — even without taking into account the benefits of acting on climate change.
Conclusion
Every state and local government across the country should move forward with implementing their priority climate action plans right away. There are many smart energy-saving ideas within these plans that make sense to do now, even without direct federal grant support.
SWEEP staff stand ready to help state and local governments across the Southwest improve the efficiency of buildings; support the deployment of EVs; build more transit-rich, location-efficient communities; and deploy new energy-saving industrial technologies such as heat pumps. Together, we can protect our climate, save money, and build a better future for everyone.
The post Energy efficiency plays a major role in climate action plans across the U.S. Southwest first appeared on Southwest Energy Efficiency Project.