At a press event held July 22, 2024 in the City of Commerce, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), announced a $500 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) award to South Coast AQMD. The grant was the largest award in the nation and the largest single air-related grant awarded by U.S. EPA to date. Chair Vanessa Delgado accepted the award on behalf of the South Coast AQMD, and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Sierra Club joined in the announcement.

Following the announcement, the Senator, U.S. EPA, CARB and South Coast AQMD toured the Inland Empire to see zero-emission (ZE) technologies that have been deployed including a distribution facility that is implementing projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution and a visit to San Bernardino’s first heavy-duty truck charging depot.

South Coast AQMD’s CPRG grant entitled INVEST CLEAN is a transformational initiative aimed at overcoming barriers to transitioning Southern California goods movement to ZE technologies to reduce GHG emissions and criteria and hazardous air pollutants. The Project will accelerate the adoption of heavy-duty ZE technologies by focusing on the building out of infrastructure in complement with the deployment of battery-electric heavy-duty vehicles and equipment to replace older, polluting diesel models.

Transportation accounts for over 50% of greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 80% of the air pollution within the South Coast region. Over the next 25 years, benefits from projects funded under South Coast AQMD’s CPRG grant will create green jobs, foster economic growth, and result in substantial emissions reductions of:

• 12 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e)

• 1,600 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) per year

• 28 tons of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) per year

• 30 tons of diesel particulate matter per year

The U.S. EPA’s CPRG program is a competitive $4.6 billion national grant created under the Inflation Reduction Act. Local and regional agencies were eligible to apply for grants ranging from $2 million up to $500 million to fund projects that reduce GHG emissions and air pollution. For more information on the CPRG program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/climate-pollution-reduction-grants. 

The same day, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla emphasized the need for local, state, and federal government collaboration on air quality issues to protect the health of southern Californians. He lauded the air agencies for signing agency-specific letters of commitment that outline actions to make progress toward meeting the ozone standards. This agreement underscores the importance of active involvement from all three agencies, especially the federal government, in addressing emissions from mobile sources under their jurisdiction.