DEP to Host Public Engagement Session in Lycoming County on How to Use Federal Funding Aimed at Addressing Climate Change

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Energy Programs Office will host a public engagement session to give Pennsylvanians an opportunity to provide feedback on how to use federal funding aimed at addressing climate change. This is one of five sessions being held statewide with the goal of involving Pennsylvanians in developing a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) for communities across the Commonwealth.

The session will be on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 6:00 PM at Firetree Place, located at 600 Campbell Street, Williamsport, PA 17701. If you would like to attend, you can register here.

DEP has received $3 million in federal grants to create a PCAP and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), which will provide resources to help industries reduce air pollutants and emissions in our communities. For example, companies might use the funding to upgrade to cleaner technology or train workers to fill clean energy jobs. These initiatives are funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program. The EPA provides grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop climate action plans, as well as implement projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants.

“Pennsylvanians deserve to have a say in decisions that impact their health and their environment – that’s why DEP is providing residents this opportunity to weigh in on this critical funding to tackle climate change,” said DEP Interim Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “Industrial activity is one of the highest contributors to greenhouse gas pollution of any sector in Pennsylvania, and it is extremely difficult to reduce. These resources will help our communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants, and DEP will gather feedback from all corners of the Commonwealth in order to help put this funding to work in the most effective way possible.”

Pennsylvanians can also participate in a statewide virtual session that will be held on Thursday, December 14, 2023, at 6:00 PM. Register here.

Can’t make the live or virtual sessions? We still want to hear from you! Submit feedback through our Climate Strategy Opinion Survey Platform to share your thoughts on how DEP can better lead the way to a more equitable, climate-smart future.

For more information about the CPRG program, please visit DEP’s Inflation Reduction Act webpage. To learn more about climate change in Pennsylvania and what steps we can take to fight it, please see DEP’s Climate Change webpage.