Climate Pollution Reduction Planning

Through the Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Metropolitan Statistical Area will receive a $1 million planning grant to develop climate action plans in coordination with stakeholders throughout the region. The Denver Regional Council of Governments Board of Directors on April 19, 2023 voted unanimously to accept the role of lead agency for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant.

The planning grant funds are designated for the completion of the following products:

• Priority Climate Action Plan due March 1, 2024.
• Comprehensive Climate Action Plan due Aug. 1, 2025.
• Status Report due Aug. 1, 2027 at the close of the four-year grant period.

Completion of the above deliverables is a pre-requisite for any eligible agency to compete in the second phase of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program in April 2024, which will competitively award $4.6 billion for implementation projects across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency anticipates awarding individual grants between $2 million and $500 million, with funding tiers allowing comparably sized projects to compete against one another.

Public Engagement

Public input is essential to the integrity and success of this project from everyone in the Denver region.  Seeking public input via Social Pinpoint will ensure the strategies identified untimately reflect the community's environmental vision and goals and to make sure the benefits are equitably distributed to all residents.

The regional planning process is underway, contact Maddy Nesbit at mnesbit@drcog.org for more information or to get involved.