On July 22, The EPA announced 25 recipients for funds awarded through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) Program. This Program is established through the Inflation Reduction Act, and selected applicants are receiving over $4.3 billion in total to “implement community-driven solutions to the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate America’s clean energy transition.”
The Commonwealth’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was fortunate enough to selected and is anticipated to receive $99,999,999. Their endeavor is titled “Priority Methane Reduction Projects in Virginia,” and will work to provide competitive grants for qualifying projects. These projects include collaborating with state agencies to fund a “statewide competitive grant program for food rescue and composting programs at Commonwealth agencies, colleges, and university campuses,” and working to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal mines and landfills across Virginia.” Both of these will strive to improve air quality in all locations, especially those with low-income or disadvantaged populations.
The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills assists vehicles that utilize renewable natural gas (RNG). RNG is biogas that has been processed to purity standards by removing water, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other elements and allows for it to be used in transportation applications. RNG from landfills is referred to as landfill gas (LFG), and LFG provides opportunities for methane gasses to power vehicles in a cleaner, greener way. Additionally, methane will be captured from abandoned and active coal mines, primarily located in Southwestern Virginia, for the same mission. Overall, the project is aimed to reduce 3.4 million metric tons CO2 equivalent within 2025-2030, and 24.8 million metric tons (Eight times the initial five year period) over 2025-2050. To read more, visit https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/commonwealth-virginia#note.