The city of Albuquerque has announced that it has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for climate pollution reduction planning in the metropolitan area. Over the next four years, the sustainability office of the city will manage this grant in two stages.
The initial phase of the grant aims to develop a Priority Climate Action Plan by March 1st. This plan is expected to serve as a brief roadmap for further federal funding requests and to garner local support. The subsequent phase, scheduled for completion in 2025, involves developing a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan. Funding has been allocated for a manager, community engagement contractor, and a contractor to conduct a new greenhouse gas inventory, according to an official press release by the city of Albuquerque.
In compliance with R-19-187 and the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, the 19-member Climate Action Task Force along with city staff spent over ten months developing the 2021 Albuquerque Climate Action Plan (CAP). According to information provided on the CAP webpage by the city of Albuquerque, this planning process was designed to address concerns from frontline community members and engage the entire Albuquerque community through COVID-safe public outreach efforts.
"Reducing climate pollution is not only good for the environment, but it is imperative to the health and quality of life of our residents," said Ann Simon, Deputy Director of Policy and Sustainability Officer for the City of Albuquerque. Simon added that "We’re gaining more support to keep up with momentum that we started with our 2021 Climate Action Plan goals so that we can continue making Albuquerque a more resilient city for our frontline communities."
The EPA's mission includes safeguarding human health and ensuring clean air, land, and water for Americans. They aim to reduce environmental risks based on sound scientific information while administering federal laws fairly. Additionally, they strive to integrate environmental stewardship into various policy areas such as natural resources, health, economy, and trade, according to the About webpage provided by the EPA.