The final Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) has been released for New Haven County as part of the national Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program (CPRG). The planning document is accessible at https://www.cprgct.org/ and on https://scrcog.org/regional-climate-action-plans-for-new-haven-county/
The goal of the CPRG program is to help states, regions, and tribes plan for and implement actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and administered by the U.S. EPA.
Earlier this year, the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG), with support from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG), received one million dollars in a noncompetitive planning grant through the CPRG. Their planning area encompasses the entirely of New Haven County, which covers 27 municipalities from New Haven in the south to Waterbury in the north.
In order to execute the first deliverable of the PCAP, SCRCOG hired UMass Amherst’s Regional Planning Studio and NARSLAB. Throughout the summer and fall, SCRCOG, NVCOG, and UMass developed the PCAP with considerable input from the community. Engagement efforts included tabling at farmers markets and a housing expo, holding hybrid meetings with interactive polling, and maintaining a dynamic website with information and resources. To see a full list of the public engagement activities conducted during the PCAP development process, please visit https://www.cprgct.org/community-engagement.
The PCAP strives to cover the foundational elements of a climate plan while incorporating perspectives from the community and centering environmental justice. The plan includes:
- An inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in New Haven County by sector (transportation, buildings, electricity, industry, and waste).
- An examination of the low-income and disadvantaged communities within the region, including benefits to these areas as a result of climate action.
- A list of potential mitigation strategies, ranked for both emissions reduction potential and co-benefits such as workforce development and air pollution reduction.
- A communications and outreach toolkit to be implemented during the next grant deliverable: the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP).
SCRCOG and NVCOG will soon begin the development process for the next deliverable in this grant program — the CCAP. Please subscribe to our email list on CPRGCT.org or to the SCRCOG newsletter to stay up to date on the CCAP development process.
For more information:
Stephanie Camp, Regional Planner