Regional Project

Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant

Welcome to the home page of the SRPEDD-led Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG), aimed at reducing planet warming emissions across the region.  Explore below to find information about CRPG, project status, and any public participation opportunities.

The Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) is now available for review!

We invite you to review the plan and send any comments to enviro@srpedd.org for consideration during the development of the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP).

Project Purpose

SRPEDD is excited to announce an ongoing initiative to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) pollution in the SRPEDD region and beyond! Through an EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) for the Providence-Warwick Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), SRPEDD will work across state lines with officials in Rhode Island alongside all 27 SRPEDD member communities to understand emission trends across the region and create an action plan to reduce these emissions into the future.

An MSA can be an unusual planning geography. Delineated by the Census Bureau, MSAs represent "a core area containing a substantial population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social integration with that core." Both the States of Rhode Island and Massachusetts are undergoing a state-level CPRG planning process, as SRPEDD and other Massachusetts Regional Planning Agencies lead regionally-based CPRG planning efforts at the MSA level.

CPRG P-W MSA SRPEDD Planning Area Map 051223

For many in the Providence-Warwick MSA Planning Area, cross-border trips are part of routine, daily life. Commuting to and from work, visiting cultural destinations in Providence or desirable tourist locations on the shore, and seeking out high profile commercial corridors like Route 6 all take residents of the Planning Area across borders. Similar flows occur with natural resources, for example, with the City of Fall River, MA supplying water to Tiverton, RI. We are a coastal region. Though containing varied landscapes, taken overall we are a largely urban and suburban region. We face common challenges, climate change chief among them, but from unique contexts and regulatory vantages across state lines, and from a starting point of varied municipal priorities. This regional effort must crosswalk state-to-state and state-to-local geographies. As we prioritize strategies for limiting Greenhouse Gas emissions, we will focus on identifying how our interstate connections and regional scale reframe climate pollution reduction goals, how local efforts integrate with state level efforts, and how we can center the needs of environmental justice communities.

Project Process

The CPRG grant has two main phases; a Preliminary Climate Action Plan (PCAP) phase and then a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) phase.

The PCAP is the first planning analysis and report produced through the CPRG process. It is designed to identify priority GHG reduction sectors, and identify immediately actional priority climate pollution reduction measures. EPA requires the PCAP to contain the following elements:

  • A GHG inventory;
  • Priority quantified GHG reduction measures;
  • A low-income and disadvantaged communities benefits analysis; and,
  • A review of authority to implement.

The CCAP will build on the original research and initiatives in the PCAP, to analyze additional sectors and GHG reduction actions. The EPA requires the following elements be included:

  • A GHG inventory
  • GHG emission projections
  • GHG reduction targets
  • Quantified GHG reduction measures
  • A benefit analysis for the full geographic scope and population covered by the plan
  • A low-income and disadvantaged communities benefits analysis
  • A review of authority to implement
  • A plan to leverage other federal funding 
  • A workforce planning analysis.  

Project Timeline:

CPRG Project Time line

 

Planning Outcomes:

Goal Flow Chart

Stakeholders

Municipal Leadership Team

To create a unified vision and identify potential projects that would limit the negative impacts of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas pollution, various municipal leaders and organizations from across the region are working together to prioritize projects for the Providence-Warwick Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The stakeholders participating in this process can be seen in the panel to the right.

These stakeholders are scheduled to meet regularly from December 2023 - February 2024.

The Public 

Those who live and work in the area also know what is needed to make the region more resilient. The public is an essential stakeholder who will be asked to provide input on the PCAP and proposed projects. Find out how to voice your opinions in the "Get Involved" section below!

 Get Involved

Please submit your comments on the PCAP to enviro@srpedd.org for consideration during the development of the CCAP.

Public Meetings

Thank you for joining our public meetings! Please click here to watch a recording of the 02/15 presentation, and stay tuned for more public input opportunities.

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