CJWG Meeting, Webinars, Grants, New Draft Policy, and a Community Forum

In this issue:

• Next Climate Justice Working Group Meeting
• Let's Talk Lake Ontario Webinar
• The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Competitions
• $200 Million EmPower+ Program to Reduce Energy Costs for Low-Income New Yorkers
• Free Technical Assistance to Protect Drinking Water Sources
• New Draft Policy for Evaluating and Averting Disproportionate Impacts of Permitting Actions on Disadvantaged Communities
• East Buffalo Environmental Forum
• Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (LISCIF)

DEC Climate Justice Working Group to Meet

What:  The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) 13-member Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG), established under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), will hold a meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. The CJWG is tasked with establishing criteria for identifying disadvantaged communities for the purposes of co-pollutant reductions, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, regulatory impact statements, and the allocation of investments pursuant to the CLCPA. 

This virtual meeting will not involve voting or deliberations by the CJWG and will include a presentation on Tools for Mapping Extreme Heat Risk and Mitigation in New York State Disadvantaged Communities. Pursuant to legislation enacted in Sept. 2022, DEC will fund the State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry to provide maps of heat islands in New York State, including urban disadvantaged communities, and tools to assist in planning and evaluating measures to mitigate urban heat island effects. Members of the public are welcome to listen to the meeting via webcast. 

When: Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2 p.m. ET

Where: Virtual - WebEx meeting and registration link (Pre-registration is strongly encouraged)

Webinar password: welcome10.4.23 (93526631 from phones)

Audio: Dial 1-518-549-0500; Access code: 161 531 0875

Additional Information: This meeting will also be recorded and posted on the Climate Act website within three days, or as soon as practicable.

Striking a Balance: Nutrients and Algae in Lake Ontario

Get ready to dive into the world of nutrients and algae! Register for our upcoming public webinar, Striking a Balance: Nutrients and Algae in Lake Ontario, taking place on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at 12 p.m. ET.

Learn about the types of algae, how they’re affected by nutrient levels, and the complexities involved in managing nutrients in the lake. Hear about a major infrastructure project carried out by the City of Toronto to reduce the impact of combined sewers on the Don River and Lake Ontario. Find out how efforts to maintain soil health in Western New York are mitigating nutrient pollution in Lake Ontario. We’ll also provide resources to report nuisance and harmful algae and actionable steps to help reduce nutrient pollution in Lake Ontario.

Guest speakers include:

• Marie-Claire Doyle, Environment and Climate Change Canada;
• Bill Snodgrass, Toronto Water;
• Caitlin Tucker, American Farmland Trust;
• Emma Tahirali, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks; and
• Brian Duffy, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

This webinar is part of the Let’s Talk Lake Ontario webinar series. This event is free, open to the public and suitable for anyone who is passionate about the Great Lakes!

Register to attend.

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Competitions

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched $4.6 billion across two implementation grant competitions to fund state, local, and Tribal programs and policies that cut climate pollution, advance environmental justice, and deploy clean energy solutions across the country. EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) competitions will enable community-driven solutions to the climate crisis, helping to accelerate America’s clean energy transition.

The CPRG program will enable states and local and tribal governments to take aggressive action to combat climate change by funding measures that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially measures that would bring economic and health benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities. This program will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other harmful air pollution for the health and wellbeing of everyone, including those most vulnerable to the flooding, heat waves, wildfires, and other destabilizing impacts of climate change on communities.

As part of its evaluation of applications, EPA will prioritize measures that achieve the greatest amount of GHG emissions reductions. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 30 to 115 grants ranging between $2 million and $500 million under the general competition. EPA also anticipates awarding approximately 25 to 100 grants ranging between $1 million and $25 million under the Tribes and territories competition.

The deadline to apply to the general competition is April 1, 2024. The deadline to apply to the Tribes and territories competition is May 1, 2024.

EPA estimates that the implementation grants will be awarded in Fall 2024 for the general competition and in Winter 2024-2025 for the Tribes and territories competition.

EPA has published the two official Notice of Funding Opportunities or NOFOs for these grants competitions on grants.gov.

General Competition NOFO

Tribes and Territories Competition NOFO

Webinars
EPA will hold two informational webinars about the general competition. One was held on September 21, 2023 and the next webinar will be on October 3, 2023 at 3:00 pm (same content for both).

There will also be two informational webinars about the Tribes and territories competition. One was held on September 27, 2023 and the next will be on October 5, 2023 at 1:00 pm (same content for both).

All times are Eastern Time. These 1-hour webinars will provide more detailed information on the implementation grants competitions. Recordings of the webinars will be posted to the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants webpage.

More information on the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants

Sign up for notifications about the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program

$200 Million EmPower+ Program to Reduce Energy Costs for Low-Income New Yorkers

There is a series of new commitments on behalf of the U.S. Climate Alliance to decarbonize buildings and quadruple heat pump installations by 2030. Building on this commitment, there is a $200 million EmPower+ home retrofits program to reduce energy costs for low-income New Yorkers, advancing the Governor’s goal to achieve two million climate-friendly homes by 2030 and supports the State’s nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent by 2050.  

This statewide program, funded in the Enacted FY2024 State Budget, will help approximately 20,000 low-income families improve their home with energy efficiency upgrades that will make their home more comfortable while improving their air quality and overall health.  

EmPower+ combines two long-standing residential programs, EmPower NY and Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, into one singular offer administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). By streamlining these initiatives, NYSERDA is making home energy efficiency upgrades more affordable and accessible for income-eligible customers, contractors, and program partners. Energy efficiency upgrades include adding insulation, installing energy efficient appliances, and switching to clean energy. 

The statewide program is open to owners and renters of one- to four-family households that have a household income below 80 percent of the State/Area Median Income, reside in a single-family home in a geographically eligible territory, or participate in a utility payment assistance program. EmPower+ supports the Climate Act’s goal that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments support disadvantaged communities. For more information on EmPower+, including the application process and eligibility requirements, please visit NYSERDA’s website.   

Funding for Empower+ is through the Enacted FY2024 State Budget, the State’s Clean Energy Fund and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. More information about the program and associated funding can be found on NYSERDA's website.   

Free Technical Assistance to Protect Drinking Water Sources

Free technical assistance for municipalities is now available to protect public drinking water supplies through the Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2). The multi-agency initiative, led by DEC and DOH in collaboration with the Departments of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) and State (DOS), empowers municipalities to take critical actions to improve and protect public water sources and the environment.

As part of DWSP2, up to 30 volunteer communities will work with technical assistance providers to develop and initiate implementation of each community's unique drinking water source protection program at no cost to the participating municipalities. DWSP2 is open to all community public drinking water supplies in New York regardless of size or water source.

The program is designed to build off previous work, help align priorities, and fill gaps within a municipality’s current and future source water protection efforts.

Participating municipalities will receive assistance in assessing modern day vulnerabilities and engaging in preventative actions to protect drinking water sources from contamination, identifying effective actions to address potential contaminant sources, and implementing source water protection actions. The free technical assistance provided by the Drinking Water Source Protection Program helps take the complexity and guesswork out of developing a drinking source water protection plan.

Community public water suppliers are encouraged to apply for free technical assistance to develop and implement a Drinking Water Source Protection Program by visiting the DWSP2 website and completing an online application. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 4 p.m.

Register now for DWSP2’s upcoming webinar on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 11 a.m. to learn more about program benefits and how to apply for free technical assistance to protect your community’s source of drinking water.

Communities interested in the Drinking Water Source Protection Program can learn more on DEC's website or contact source.water@dec.ny.gov.

DEC Releases Draft Policy for Evaluating and Averting Disproportionate Impacts of Permitting Actions on Disadvantaged Communities

Public Comments Accepted until Nov. 27, 2023

A new draft policy to implement environmental justice provisions of the historic Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) has been released. The proposed Division of Environmental Permits Policy “Permitting and Disadvantaged Communities (DEP-23-1)” is available for public comment until Nov. 27, 2023, and provides guidance in DEC’s permitting processes for considering impacts and existing burdens on New York’s most vulnerable communities.

DEC is seeking public comment on DEP-23-1, which would provide guidance during DEC’s permitting process for how and when to consider impacts on disadvantaged communities under the Climate Act’s Section 7(3). Section 7(3) requires that agency actions averts disproportionate burdens on disadvantaged communities and prioritizes reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and co-pollutants in these communities. DEP-23-1 describes the content of analyses required by DEC staff pursuant to the requirements of Section 7(3). It further describes the procedures DEC staff will follow when reviewing those analyses for conformance with the requirements of the Climate Act.

New Yorkers are encouraged to submit comments on the draft policy by Nov. 27, 2023, to: Daniel Whitehead, NYS DEC - Division Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-3254, E-mail: Comment.DEP-23-1@dec.ny.gov

DEC Begins Series of Community Environmental Meetings on Buffalo's East Side

DEC is facilitating monthly hybrid community meetings to respond to East Side resident environmental quality questions. The meetings will provide updates on projects like the East Delevan State Superfund clean-up. In addition, experts will be available to answer community questions on topics such as water, air, and soil quality. The meetings are part of DEC's commitment to Environmental Justice in partnership with our colleagues at EPA.

For more information, please contact Kayla Baker in DEC's Buffalo office at 716-851-7201.

Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (LISCIF) for Communities with EJ Concerns

Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE), in partnership with the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a request for applications (RFA) for the Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (LISCIF). The purpose of LISCIF is to provide technical and financial assistance to communities with environmental justice concerns and improve the quality and accessibility of the Long Island Sound. LISCIF intends to distribute up to $1.5 million in competitive grants in this round of funding. Letters of intent are due December 1. The RFA, press announcement and information about LISCIF can be accessed via the Restore America's Estuaries website.

RAE will host two informational webinars for potential applicants to learn about the program, walk through the application process, and be able to ask questions of the program director. The first will be October 10 at 10 AM ET and the second will be October 17 at 2 PM ET. 

LISCIF’s grantmaking process utilizes a two-step application process: a Letter of Intent (LOI), followed by a limited number of invited, full proposals. LOIs are due by December 1, 2023. Upon selection and invitation, full proposals are due by March 15, 2024. For more information and access to the RFA, please download the RFA (PDF).