Austin receives $1M from EPA for plans to combat pollution

The city has received a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency that will fund climate action plans for Central Texas. The grant was announced Monday morning at City Hall, where members of City Council and federal lawmakers gathered to celebrate the award that is part of the EPA’s $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program.

The city will use the funds to complete the Priority Climate Action Plan by March 1, the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan by fall 2025 and a final status report by fall 2027, with the Office of Sustainability acting as the fund manager. Temporary staffers are already being hired to form a project management team that will create quarterly reports, conduct technical analysis and work with relevant consultants.

The new plans are intended to complement the Austin Climate Equity Plan and the Travis County Climate Action Plan.

Mayor Kirk Watson said the city will work with communities across the five-county region to address climate issues such as extreme heat, water availability and severe winter storms that caused widespread damage to local infrastructure.

“We know that the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions extends beyond Austin’s city limits. Our partnership with neighboring communities is vital in addressing this shared challenge in an effective manner, and Austin is proud to be leading on this initiative in this region,” he said, noting that 34 percent of local greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. “Our collective efforts aim to set a model for others to follow, inspiring positive change beyond our region. And we look forward to the positive impact that this grant is going to have and the great work that it’s helping us fund.”

Communities that take part in the planning phase of the program will be able to compete for larger implementation grants of between $2 million and $500 million.

Earthea Nance, regional administrator for the EPA, said the impacts of climate change felt recently in the Austin area demonstrate the need for aggressive action between neighboring communities.

“​​Climate shocks multiply and amplify existing risks such as deteriorating infrastructure, stressed ecosystems and long-standing inequalities. However, with this challenge comes an opportunity to invest in a cleaner economy that can spur innovation and economic growth while building more equitable, climate-resilient communities,” she said. “At EPA, we are focused on ensuring that communities, especially those who have historically been excluded or overlooked, have a voice in the decision-making table. This grant will build on the strong foundation of work that the city of Austin has already achieved in their climate equity plan.”

The grant money is the latest allocation to the area from the EPA, following more than $6.25 million awarded last month to fund the purchase of 25 electric school buses for Austin ISD and another 20 buses for Del Valle schools.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett referenced those grants when praising work by Austin Energy to meet its carbon-free goals. Doggett also noted the action expected to be taken at Thursday’s City Council meeting that could lead the way to a November bond vote to pay for a variety of climate change-related infrastructure needs.

“Anyone who’s been around here through last summer knows it’s too hot. It will get hotter if we don’t do something and do it quickly. It will get so hot in this area and around the world, it will become unsustainable for our children and our grandchildren,” he said. “We need less fossil fuels and less fossilized thinking to do something about it. It’s time to end the dithering and the delay. … We know we’ll have more of that from the state of Texas, so that’s why our local government and this kind of initiative is so very important.”

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