Climate Action Equitable Strategy Implementation
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Economic Resilience
This project was funded by the United States Climate Alliance (USCA) Technical Assistance Fund (TAF), which provides support to help states overcome barriers to driving transformative climate action. Staff from various Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) departments contributed to this work.
Pennsylvanians in Environmental Justice (EJ) areas are disproportionately exposed to climate hazards and have limited access to tools for climate change adaptation and clean energy transition. To address this, in fall 2023, Fourth Economy partnered with the DEP to design a strategy advancing equitable climate action implementation in disadvantaged communities across the Commonwealth.
Our Approach
Fourth Economy reviewed feedback and recommendations from the April 2023 community engagement process and other Pennsylvania policy documents, particularly the 2021 PA Climate Action Plan. We interviewed representatives from county governments, regional planning organizations, philanthropic organizations, and trade associations to understand program interactions and available or contemplated resources to help EJ communities pursue funding opportunities. We also evaluated funding programs, technical assistance resources, and web tools supporting the search for such opportunities.
The Results
We developed a suite of tools for DEP to create programs focused on equitable climate action implementation in EJ communities. These include:
A Program Development Toolkit to assist program developers and compel applicants to document EJ impacts.
A Resource Identification and Development Report identifying opportunities to support proposal creation for greater equitable access to IIJA and IRA funding.
A Database of Funding Opportunity Information detailing funding programs, technical assistance resources, and an assessment of existing resources supporting the search for such opportunities..
Location
Pennsylvania