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 the work, including the Energy Programs Office, which assists Pennsylvanians advance conservation and efficient use of diverse energy resources to provide for a healthier environment and achieve greater energy security for future generations; and the Office of Environmental Justice, which works to ensure that Pennsylvanians most at risk from pollution and other environmental impacts have a voice in decision-making process, and to eliminate existing environmental disparities in minority and low-income communities.
Pennsylvanians who live in EJ areas are disproportionately exposed to climate hazards and, at the same time, have limited access to tools to adapt to climate change impacts and transition to cleaner energy. To address this, in the fall of 2023, Fourth Economy partnered with the DEP to design a strategy to advance equitable implementation of climate actions in Pennsylvania in disadvantaged communities throughout the Commonwealth. Outputs from this project aim to strengthen PA DEP’s ability to leverage federal funding to enable more equitable climate action, produce benefits, and reduce harms to EJ communities across Pennsylvania by prioritizing their needs when designing federal funding programs they administer, including via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), in alignment with Justice40 guidance. The strategy aims to ensure DEP climate strategies, policies, and investments incorporate environmental justice (EJ) considerations to enable more equitable climate planning and program implementation statewide.
Our Approach
Fourth Economy reviewed the feedback and recommendations collected during the community engagement process in April 2023 and other Pennsylvania policy documents, particularly the 2021 PA Climate Action Plan. We also interviewed representatives from county governments, regional planning organizations, philanthropic organizations, and trade associations to better understand how they are interacting with the multitude of new and expanded programs, and if resources were available or contemplated that could help EJ communities pursue funding opportunities.
Finally, we reviewed and evaluated various funding programs and technical assistance resources available for communities to apply for, as well as an accounting and assessment of the many web tools and resources published by various organizations to support in the search and pursuit of such opportunities.
The Results
Fourth Economy developed a suite of tools that can be used by DEP to develop programs that focus on equitable implementation of climate actions in EJ Communities across Pennsylvania. These include a Program Development Toolkit that allows DEP to readily create guidance for those who are developing programs that EJ communities will be eligible for and that compel applicants to consider and document EJ impacts; a Resource Identification and Development Report that summarizes opportunities for DEP to partner with nonprofit organizations throughout the Commonwealth to support the development of proposals for greater equitable access to IIJA and IRA; and a Database of Funding Opportunity Information Development that details the various funding programs and technical assistance resources available for communities to apply for and provides an assessment of resources that already exist to support the search and pursuit of such opportunities.
Location
Pennsylvania