A partnership of agencies in the greater New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, including the NJTPA, submitted a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) on March 1 as part of a multi-year grant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and other harmful air pollution in the region.
The PCAP is the initial step in fullfilling the terms of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Reduction Grant (CPRG), awarded in September. It includes a GHG inventory, emissions projections, proposed reduction measures, and an analysis of how the measures could benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The plan identifies nine priority GHG reduction measures, aimed at addressing the largest sources of emissions in the region. These measures include:
- Zero emission passenger vehicle adoption
- Zero emission bus and truck adoption
- Alternative freight modes
- Travel demand management and reduction of VMT
- Maritime and air travel emissions
- Building electrification and energy efficiency
- Grid decarbonization
- Waste disposal reduction
- Additional cross-cutting measures
The next step will be to create a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) which is due in September 2025, two years from the date of the grant award. The comprehensive plan will include additional research, analysis, stakeholder engagement and community outreach to further develop measures that will help the region meet its emissions goals.
The CPRG is a nationwide grant program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. The first phase provided $250 million in noncompetitive planning grants to states and other entities to develop both the PCAPs and CCAPs. With a PCAP in place, the states, counties and municipalities in the region can apply for $4.6 billion in competitive grants to implement priority measures. The deadline to apply for implementation grants is April 1.
To view the PCAP and learn more, visit bit.ly/NYNJClimatePlan