Heavy industry is Pennsylvania’s biggest source of climate pollution. Beyond warming the climate, industrial pollution is responsible for a slew of environmental health concerns in frontline environmental justice communities. Now, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration is taking a big step forward by pursuing major federal funding to slash industrial emissions across the Commonwealth and grow the clean industries of the future that will keep Pennsylvania competitive in the 21st century global economy. 

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) Program, designed to incubate a wave of state climate action, is tailor-made for Pennsylvania. New investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) are catalyzing a clean energy boom across the country. The CPRG program is a critical “force multiplier” that can empower subnational leaders to seize these opportunities and leverage greater public and private sector investments in climate solutions. Importantly, the program is designed to achieve near-term reductions in climate pollution that would not otherwise occur absent this federal investment—and effective applications in individual states can create scalable, replicable models for climate action.