03D25824

**Description:** This action approves an award in the amount of $421,238,074 to provide funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The recipient will implement greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction programs, policies, projects, and measures identified in a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) developed under a Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) planning grant.

**Activities:** The activities to be completed during the project period are described in 21 projects under two measures.

Measure 1 of this proposal focuses on protecting and restoring high-carbon coastal habitats and peatlands to maximize carbon sequestration and coastal resilience benefits.

Nine activities will fall under this measure.

Measure 2 of this proposal addresses the protection, use, and restoration of forested land, promoting sustainable forestry management practices to increase carbon sequestration.

Twelve activities will fall under this measure.

**Subrecipient:** NCCF - Implement coastal habitat and peatland protection, restore projects, conduct monitoring and scientific analysis, report results;

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) - Project management, landowner outreach, project selection, subcontracting, verification, and tracking reporting metrics;

VA DEQ - Lead agency to administer and disburse funds as subawards to partners and manage all projects reporting to NC DNR;

VA Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) - Will implement projects 1-7 with partners, handle coastal shoreline, marshland, peatland protection and restoration projects, land acquisition, monitoring and analysis, hiring, reporting;

VPA - Responsible for implementing project 8. This entails working with partners to purchase a conservation easement and perform reforestation activities;

TNC - Acquiring interests in property, restoring ecological function, and increasing carbon retention/sequestration rates;

NC Forest Service - Create a rapid growth forest development cost share program and an urban tree planting grant program for municipalities and non-profits to apply;

Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project - Expand current geographical area to reach additional LIDACs and provide access to technical and financial resources;

Black Family Land Trust (BFLT) - Acquire conservation easements on land in LIDACs; in partnership with Roanoke SFLRP implement a cost share program to implement climate smart reforestation/forestry practices;

SCOR - Identify and acquire land for conservation, measure and monitor carbon benefits and co-benefits. It is SCOR's responsibility to develop, implement, and maintain the statewide resilience plan;

MD Dept. of Natural Resources - Project management, landowner outreach, project selection, subcontracting for implementation, verification and tracking project success, reporting metrics;

MD Dept. of Agriculture - Project management, landowner outreach, project selection, subcontracting for implementation, verification and tracking project success, reporting metrics;

and MD Department of the Environment (MDE) - Project management, inter-agency coordination, inter-agency project tracking implementation.

**Outcomes:** The anticipated deliverables for Measure 1 and 2 include the following:

33,000 acres of peatlands newly preserved and/or restored in NC and VA (TNC),

150 acres of tidal wetlands restored in VA (TNC),

15 acres of peatlands and 595 acres of coastal habitats newly preserved and restored (NC),

3,300 acres permanently added to state park system (NC),

10,000 acres of forests, current or future coastal habitats, or agricultural lands restored (MD),

1,540 acres of coastal habitats restored (MD).

67,647 acres of forests under improved management in the Appalachians in MD and VA (TNC),

25,447 acres of bottomland hardwood forest under improved management in SC and VA (TNC),

at least 55,000 acres of land reforested (NC),

approximately 12,240 acres placed into conservation, with.

North Carolina Department Of Cultural Resources

5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.1 - ENSURE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND RELIABLE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.2 - PROVIDE FOR CLEAN AND SAFE WATER 1 - TACKLE THE CLIMATE CRISIS 1.1 - REDUCE EMISSIONS THAT CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.2 - PROVIDE FOR CLEAN AND SAFE WATER 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.1 - ENSURE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND RELIABLE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 1 - CORE MISSION 1.2 - PROVIDE FOR CLEAN AND SAFE WATER 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.2 - PROTECT AND RESTORE WATERBODIES AND WATERSHEDS 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.2 - PROVIDE FOR CLEAN AND SAFE WATER 1 - TACKLE THE CLIMATE CRISIS 1.1 - REDUCE EMISSIONS THAT CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE

66.046 - Climate Pollution Reduction Grants

EPA Region 4: Atlanta [EPA - RO]

Raleigh, North Carolina 27699 United States

Single Zip Code

Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Program: Implementation Grants (General Competition) (EPA-R-OAR-CPRGI-23-07)