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.

Feedback for the Climate Action Plan Reduction Measures and Content

Do you have insight or feedback for the chosen Reduction Measures for the Providence-Warwick MSA Comprehensive Climate Action Plan? Let us know by filling out this form!

The Providence-Warwick MSA Comprehensive Climate Action Plan Proposed Reduction Measures

Sector Reduction Measure
Transportation T1. Support light-duty electric vehicle transition.
T2. Reduce commuter emissions.
T3. Adopt small-scale roadway interventions across the entire region.
Emerging Strategies: T-ES1. Develop and adopt a "Green Port" strategy to reduce emissions from shipping and fishing.
Electricity Generation E1. Implement regional grid upgrades to improve capacity for renewable electricity.
E2. Provide clean energy workforce training.
E3. Creating avenues for equitable energy storage for PV plants
Emerging Strategies: E-ES1. Micro grid implementation and funding
Buildings
(Residential & Commercial)		 B1. Fund and streamline incentive programs for building decarbonization.
B2. Fund and streamline energy efficiency incentive programs.
B3. Promote climate resilient zoning & building code regulations.
B4. Visit with communities about BER bylaws and best practices & fund their tracking/reporting
Emerging Strategies – B-ES1. Fund and incentivize sustainable building materials and carbon-neutral construction practices, locally -- to decarbonize the building supply chain.
Waste Management & Materials W1. Improve container reuse and recycling programs.
W2. Reduce the organic waste stream.
W3. Grease and fat reuse
Agriculture & Working Lands L1. Prevent Net Loss of Forests and Wetlands
L2. Provide Financial and Technical Support for Soil Restoration and Ongoing Soil-Smart Management (BMPs) 
L3. Prioritize Farmland Preservation and Support Farm Viability 
L4. Promote Landscape-Scale Restoration of Natural Systems (Ecological Restoration) 
L5. Address Post-Construction Soil Performance and Expand Green Infrastructure in Developed Lands
Emerging Strategy – LS1. Energy Efficiency Improvements in Maintenance Equipment and Production Facilities 
Industry I1. Support efficiency and industrial effluent chemical scrubbing in industrial operations: expand technical assistance programs, such as the MA Office of Technical Assistance's free and confidential inspections for private and public processes; incentivize industrial redevelopment through programs such as municipal tax increment financing (TIF) agreements.
I2. Cohesive workforces with GHG reduction and legacy for maritime-based employment
I3. Education on energy efficiency for appliances and equipment for smaller scale businesses
Emerging Strategy- ES-I1. Work with utilities and energy efficiency vendors to ensure municipal wastewater treatment plants are utilizing energy efficiency incentive programs; expand program funding if necessary; utilizing biogas/sludge

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.

Map showing the Providence–Warwick metropolitan area and additional SRPEDD municipalities in Massachusetts highlighted as the target planning area for the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program.
CPRG

Project Updates

SRPEDD has launched both a public and a municipal survey to gain feedback from key stakeholders to ensure aligned goals within the region. Both surveys are entirely anonymous and will remain open through Mid-March 2025.

    • The public survey can be taken by anyone within the Providence-Warwick MSA and will help to gauge the obstacles and priorities for future GHG reduction measures.
    • The municipal survey is intended for those who work within municipal government in the Providence-Warwick MSA to give their feedback on planning efforts around GHG reduction measures.
    • The sector survey is intended for those who are familiar with the policies, plans, and programs within the Industrial, Transportation, Natural and Working Lands, Building and Construction, Waste Management, and Energy Creation fields to give their feedback on planning efforts around GHG reduction measures in their respective sectors, either private, non-profit, or public spheres.

Additionally, SRPEDD completed the Preliminary Climate Action Plan (PCAP), identifying potential priority Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction measures for the Providence-Warwick MSA. Please review the document and send any questions or comments to enviro@srpedd.org to be considered during the development of the Comprehensive Action Plan (CCAP).

Upcoming Events

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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:

Timeline showing CPRG project starting summer 2023 ending in summer 2027.

Planning Outcomes:

Diagram showing categories of implementation actions for the CPRG plan: high priority and actionable (PCAP), high priority requiring antecedent action (CCAP), and high impact with barriers (CCAP), leading to a 36-point plan combining 12 PCAP and 24 CCAP action items.

The Providence-Warwick MSA public and municipal surveys are now open!

SRPEDD has launched a public and a municipal survey to gain feedback from key stakeholders to ensure aligned goals within the region. Both surveys are entirely anonymous and will remain open through Mid-March 2025.

The public survey can be taken by anyone within the Providence-Warwick MSA and will help to gauge the obstacles and priorities for future GHG reduction measures.

The municipal survey is intended for those who work within municipal government in the Providence-Warwick MSA to give their feedback on planning efforts around GHG reduction measures.

Click here to take the PUBLIC survey
Click here to take the MUNICIPAL survey
Click Here to take the Sector Survey

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 to advise on the planning process.

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 CCAP and proposed projects. Find out how to voice your opinions in the "Get Involved" section below!

Municipal Leadership Team

  • Jamestown, RI
  • Mansfield, MA
  • Marion, MA
  • New Bedford, MA
  • North Kingstown, RI
  • Providence, RI
  • Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank
  • State of Massachusetts
  • State of Rhode Island DEM
  • Swansea, MA
  • Taunton, MA
  • Warren, RI

Get Involved

SRPEDD has launched both a public and a municipal survey to gain feedback from key stakeholders to ensure aligned goals within the region. Both surveys are entirely anonymous and will remain open through Mid-March 2025.

  • The public survey can be taken by anyone within the Providence-Warwick MSA and will help to gauge the obstacles and priorities for future GHG reduction measures.
  • The municipal survey is intended for those who work within municipal government in the Providence-Warwick MSA to give their feedback on planning efforts around GHG reduction measures.
  • The sector survey is intended for those who are familiar with the policies, plans, and programs within the Industrial, Transportation, Natural and Working Lands, Building and Construction, Waste Management, and Energy Creation fields to give their feedback on planning efforts around GHG reduction measures in their respective sectors, either private, non-profit, or public spheres.

Additionally, 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!

Our team will be hosting Sector Based Meetings with the following topics over Zoom. These meeting notes will be recorded and posted in resources after each meeting. Each meeting contains the topics listed as well as a review of the labor/workforce status of each sector regarding current education and job creation goals.

  • Energy Generation: Renewables, Grid Implementation, Utilities, Infrastructure, and Reduction Methods
    • February 12, 2025 | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM EST
  • Transportation: Modal Changes, Light Fleet tactics, Heavy Fleet Tactics, Public Transportation
    • April 2, 2025 | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM EST
  • Buildings: Construction, Design, Use, and Energy Reduction of Residential and Commercial Buildings
    • April 30, 2025 | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM EST
  • Industry: Manufacturing, Fashion, Healthcare, Tech, Academics, Shipping, Fishing industries
    • May 21, 2025 | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM EST
  • Waste: Waste Management, Composting, Recycling, Landfill Management and Solid Waste Reduction
    • May 28, 2025 | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM EST
  • Working and Natural Lands: Agriculture Support and Methods, Conservation Tactics, Carbon-Sequestration, Sustainable Working Lands, Green Spaces and Infrastructure
    • June 18, 2025 | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM EST

Past Meetings

Click here to watch a recording of the 02/15 presentation, and stay tuned for more public input opportunities.

Get on our mailing list

Get updates on the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant process straight to your inbox! You'll be the first to hear about upcoming events and opportunities to provide input.

Resources

Project Materials

Useful Links

Municipal Stakeholder Meeting Materials

Sector Workshop Meetings

Public Survey

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