The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is accepting public comment through Sunday, January 28 on draft priority measures to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions as part of the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG).

As a part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program provides states, local governments, territories and tribes with funds to develop and implement plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollutants. The North Carolina CPRG project is an inter-agency effort across multiple state government agencies, with DEQ serving as lead.

North Carolina was awarded $3 million from the Environmental Protection Agency for the planning phase of the CPRG and is eligible to compete for the $4.6 billion in implementation funding that will be awarded later this year. As part of the program requirements, North Carolina is developing a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) due in early 2024 and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) due in 2025. The PCAP will identify North Carolina’s highest priority greenhouse gas reduction measures and determine the method for ensuring equitable implementation of these measures for the benefit all North Carolinians. The CCAP will update and expand upon North Carolina’s existing climate strategies, ensuring that these documents align with the latest available science, modeling, and best practices. As an early step in the development of the PCAP, DEQ reviewed existing state documents to develop an initial list of priority measures including programs, policies, projects, and other actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Public comment on these draft priority measures will help DEQ develop the state’s climate action plans, determine priorities for the state’s CPRG implementation funding application, and identify potential project areas if awarded funding. Projects, activities, or measures not identified in the PCAP may still be included in the CCAP.

The draft priority measures are categorized into the following sectors:

• Sector 1: Transportation
• Sector 2: Electricity
• Sector 3: Buildings
• Sector 4: Industry
• Sector 5: Waste
• Sector 6: Natural and Working Lands

View the draft priority measures here. Comments can be submitted using this form, emailed to cprg@deq.nc.gov with “CPRG Comment” in the subject line, or via voicemail by calling (919) 707-8757. Comments must be received by January 28 at 11:59 p.m.

To learn more about the CPRG program and view past public information sessions, visit the CPRG webpage.

Information on how DEQ developed the priority measures can be found here.