Climate Pollution Reduction Grant

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Virginia has a clear and vested interest in cleaner air, reliable and affordable clean energy generation, and improved resilience from increased storm frequency and intensity. In addition, many areas of Virginia and key infrastructure are vulnerable to changing climatic conditions.

DEQ has received a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) for climate action planning from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The CPRG planning grant and process will cover all of Virginia and include ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and other air pollutants in two phases:

Development of a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) to identify near-term and high impact projects to reduce GHG and other air pollutant emissions.
Development of a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) to implement a longer-term statewide plan to reduce GHG and other air pollutant emissions.

Please discover more about Virginia's involvement in the CPRG Program in the blue sections at the bottom of this page!

Community Survey for Virginia's CCAP

We want to hear from you! This survey, open from 10/10/24 to 1/31/25 at 5pm ET, is open to all Virginia residents. It will be used to inform potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction plans for Virginia's 2025 Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP).

EPA Community Change Grants Program

DEQ would like to make communities aware of EPA’s new Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program (Community Change Grants), which is now open with approximately $2 billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funds in environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities. Learn more about the Notice of Funding Opportunity for Community Change Grants Program (Community Change Grants).

Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP)

DEQ submitted the final Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) for the Commonwealth of Virginia to EPA on Friday, March 1st. The PCAP is the first of two climate action plans developed under the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG). The PCAP focused on identifying short-term actions that could be implemented to reduce climate pollution in Virginia in addition to allowing the Commonwealth to apply for CPRG implementation grants, which were due the following month, on April 1st. DEQ held meetings to inform the public about the PCAP development process, including critical deadlines, ways to provide input, and next steps (e.g., competitive implementation grants and development of the CCAP). DEQ also engaged representatives of state agencies, Tribes, local governments, disadvantaged communities, and other stakeholders.

DEQ’s PCAP contains the three Metropolitan Statistical Area regional PCAPS that have also been submitted to EPA (Appendix G) and are provided below.

Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP)

The second deliverable of the CPRG program is the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP). The CCAP will develop a longer-term strategy to efficiently reduce GHG and other air pollutant emissions. This plan will align with existing goals and requirements for reducing GHG emissions and increasing clean energy generation. This plan will cover all source sectors of the GHG inventory. The CCAP must be submitted to EPA by December 2025.

The CCAP deliverable will contain current and projected GHG emissions levels, current and projected GHG control quantifications, and supporting air quality analysis and benefits.

CCAP Stakeholder Group

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is engaging a stakeholder group to informally discuss assumptions and approaches for DEQ’s development of a statewide Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP). This plan is the second phase of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) planning process and will focus on identifying Virginia-specific opportunities and challenges, as well as evaluating potential paths to reduce climate pollution. The names and affiliations of stakeholder participants are accessible here. Meetings are open to the public to listen, but stakeholder discussions are limited to the group and support staff. Please find a timeline of stakeholder group meetings below. Supporting meeting information will be updated as the planning process unfolds over the coming months.

The first meeting was held on Thursday November 7, 2024. Please view this town hall notice to access agenda materials. The following topics were covered: stakeholder group expectations, DEQ's involvement in the CPRG Program, and "business-as-usual" climate projection scenarios.
The second meeting will be held on Wednesday December 11, 2024. Further meeting details will be posted as they are finalized.

Coordination and Outreach

A robust stakeholder and public outreach process is being deployed to capture the ideas and comments of Virginia's residents. This outreach casts a wide net but includes focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities. Methods for seeking public input include public listening and information sessions, requests for comments on the draft plans, in-person meetings, and digital platforms such as this webpage, surveys, and webinars.

Coordination between DEQ and other key state agencies such as the Departments of Energy and Transportation (and others) continue to be critical to a successful outcome. An interagency coordination workgroup is being organized to include the Virginia Energy, Transportation, Housing and Community Development, Conservation and Recreation, and others.

Coordination with regional planning organizations such as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWOG), and the Richmond and Hampton Roads Planning District Commissions (PDCs) will also be critical as these regional planning organizations are also receiving EPA CPRG planning grants. Coordination with federally recognized Tribes in Virginia is also important goal guiding the outreach process. A key component will be to provide assistance to local governments and tribes to develop or update their GHG inventories and action plans.

Project Implementation Grants

On Monday, July 22nd, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has been selected to receive two Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG). These grants are providing $197,237,676 for greenhouse gas reduction initiatives to be implemented in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The first grant of $99,999,999 is funding a coalition between DEQ and the Virginia Department of Energy, aiming to reduce methane emissions in the Commonwealth. This grant will fund three programs targeted at capturing and using fugitive coal mine methane, capturing and utilizing landfill methane, and composting and rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste.

The second award of $421,238,074 is funding a four-state coalition led by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. This coalition will allocate funds to the Maryland Department of the Environment, the South Carolina Office of Resilience, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Virginia DEQ. DEQ will receive $50,000,000 to protect and restore wetlands and forests on natural and working lands, with these projects being implemented by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the Virginia Port Authority, with an aside for projects on tribal lands. $47,237,677 of TNC’s funds will be used to implement additional carbon sequestration projects in Virginia.

25 grants total will be awarded to states, municipalities, and Tribes across the country under the CPRG general competition. Find out more about EPA’s implementation grant selections here.

Past Webinars

DEQ hosted webinars on September 26, 2023 to kick off the climate planning process. The links to the presentation and recording of the webinar are provided below:
- Presentation
- Recording

EPA recently announced two competitions for Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program (CPRG) implementation grants – a general competition for applications from states, municipalities, tribes, tribal consortia, and territories, and a competition only for tribes, tribal consortia, and territories. The general competition is open to entities that received planning grants to develop Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs), as well as eligible entities that did not directly receive a planning grant that are applying for funds to implement measures included in an applicable PCAP. DEQ hosted a webinar on the general competition On October 31, 2023 here. The link to the recording of the webinar is provided below:
- Presentation
- Recording

DEQ hosted a Statewide Virtual Community Meeting on January 9, 2024. The links to the presentation and recording of the meeting are provided below:
- Presentation
- Recording

DEQ held two online public meetings on the draft Preliminary Climate Action Plan on February 22, 2024. The links to the presentation and recording of the meeting are provided below:
- Presentation
- Recording
DEQ hosted two webinars on October 10, 2024 to introduce the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), which is the second climate action plan required under the CPRG planning grant. The CCAP will cover all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions sectors and evaluate current and future projected GHG emissions under several different scenarios. The webinar described the plan development process and its required components. Other topics included: 1) a review of the progress made by DEQ under the CPRG program to date, 2) the current GHG inventory for Virginia, and 3) the upcoming planning and engagement process and schedule.

The links to the presentation and recording of the webinar are provided below:
- Presentation
- Recording

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