96704601

Description:
This agreement provides funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to Polk County/Des Moines, Iowa to develop or update existing regional climate mitigation plans to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduction measures throughout the entire metropolitan area and to conduct meaningful engagement with low-income and disadvantaged communities and coordinate with geographically proximate tribes as appropriate.

Specifically, the recipient will develop inventories of ongoing work and identify gaps to create a wide toolbox of measures and actions that people and institutions can pick and choose from to increase their efficiency, adaptive capacity, and resilience. Through this initial effort, the Central Iowa Climate Action Plan will identify priority goals and measures available to include in the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP). Polk County will also start working with partners to request, receive, and analyze GHG emissions data for 2019 (and before, if/where possible). This plan will build on that effort in the initial PCAP and continue to build on the portfolio with multiple years and sectors for comparison and analysis through the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) process. This effort will have tangible outcomes like GHG inventories and allow for refining goals and projections.

Activities:
In general, activities include the development, updating, and evaluation of plans to reduce climate pollution (i.e., to reduce GHG emissions and/or enhance carbon sinks).

Specific activities in the development of the PCAP include:
Polk County will review all sectors and any barriers to implementation to help identify options for entities to apply for implementation funding; gain the assistance to identify stakeholder groups and develop a strategy to engage them to discuss these potential reduction measures; and will consider plans developed by and/or within the Metropolitan Statistical Area for inclusion and coordinate activities with the lead agencies of these efforts to avoid duplication and enhance the outcomes of all projects.

Activities in the development of the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan include:
Creating a menu of options for entities within the MSA to choose from when developing emissions reduction projects; collaborate with stakeholders and the public to expand the greenhouse gas emission inventory, quantify emissions reduction measures, and implement authority to cover the entire geographic scope of the MSA and all sectors contributing to greenhouse gas emissions; and expand its low-income and disadvantaged community benefit analysis previously from the PCAP to include benefits from reductions in all sectors contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, Polk County will include a benefit analysis for the entire geographic scope covered by the plan.

The grantee will prepare and submit semi-annual reports and a project closeout report.

Subrecipient:
Assistance with developing their GHG inventories and forecasting, workforce analysis, cost benefit analysis, low-income diversity and inclusion (LIDAC) analysis, modeling research and analysis, and community engagement and translation services.

Outcomes:
Three key deliverables will be produced and submitted over the course of the four-year program period, including: a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), due March 1, 2024; a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), due two years from the date of the award; and a status report, due at the close of the grant period.

The expected outcomes include a PCAP and CCAP that identifies: tons of pollution (GHGs and co-pollutants) reduced over the lifetime of the measures; tons of pollution (GHGs and co-pollutants) reduced annually; and tons of pollution (GHGs and co-pollutants) reduced with respect to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Other expected outcomes include: improved staff capacity to implement policies; enhanced community engagement and public trust; impro

County Of Polk

1 - TACKLE THE CLIMATE CRISIS 1.1 - REDUCE EMISSIONS THAT CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE

66.046 - Climate Pollution Reduction Grants

EPA Region 7: Kansas City [EPA - RO]

Des Moines, Iowa United States

City-Wide

EPA-R-OAR-CPRGP-23-07