File #: 24-406    Version: 1
Type: Action Item Status: Passed
In control: City Council
On agenda: 10/28/2024 Final action: 10/28/2024
Title: Application for funding under the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ward(s): All Wards Councilor(s): All Councilors Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods Result Area(s): Natural Environment Stewardship; Safe and Healthy Community; Safe, Reliable and Efficient Infrastructure; Welcoming and Livable Community.
Attachments: 1. Public Comment received October 28, 2024
Related files:

TO:                      Mayor and City Council   

THROUGH:                      Keith Stahley, City Manager   

FROM:                      Brian D. Martin, PE, Public Works Director  

                                          

SUBJECT:

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Application for funding under the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.    

 

Ward(s): All Wards    

Councilor(s): All Councilors    

Neighborhood(s):  All Neighborhoods    

Result Area(s): Natural Environment Stewardship; Safe and Healthy Community; Safe, Reliable and Efficient Infrastructure; Welcoming and Livable Community.

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SUMMARY:

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The City of Salem, in partnership with the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA), intends to apply for $20 million from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant Program. The funds will be used to create a resilience hub network ($12 million) and to improve energy efficiency in low-income housing, including providing portable heat pumps to multifamily residents ($8 million). The grant has no match requirement. All funds must be spent within three years.    

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ISSUE:

 

Shall City Council authorize the City Manager to submit a grant application for the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant Program in partnership with the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency as statutory partner and, if successful, enter into an agreement with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to accept the funds?   

 

 

RECOMMENDATION:

recommendation

 

Authorize the City Manager to submit a grant application for the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant Program in partnership with the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency as statutory partner and, if successful, enter into an agreement with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to accept the funds.    

 

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FACTS AND FINDINGS:

 

The EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights has been allocated $2 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act to implement place-based, community-driven projects aimed at addressing climate change, reducing pollution, and strengthening disadvantaged communities.

 

The proposed scope of Salem’s grant application is focused on extreme weather resiliency and energy efficiency, with the primary benefits going towards disadvantaged communities and vulnerable populations.

 

Proposed Projects:

The City’s grant application will implement actions in two categories: Resilience Hubs and Energy Efficiency, as summarized below:

 

1.                     Resilience Hubs - $12 Million

The proposed project will establish resilience hubs, which are facilities that serve as community centers during non-emergency times and provide essential services and shelter during emergencies and severe weather.

 

                     The proposed project will create a new resilience hub in Northeast Salem, The resilience hub will be operated by MWVCAA, enhancing its existing role in managing warming and cooling shelters.

 

                     The proposed project will provide sub-awards to Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to retrofit their trusted spaces into resilience hubs. Developing a framework and educating CBOs on operating resilience hubs during emergencies is among the actions.

 

2.                     Energy Efficiency - $8 Million

The proposed project will provide energy efficiency upgrades for low-income housing.

 

                     The proposed project will provide energy efficiency upgrades for low-income housing and will focus on improving solar and electrical systems for two Salem Housing Authority (SHA) properties:

 

o                     Englewood West and Southview Terrace will receive solar panel installations and electrical upgrades. SHA will fund additional measures to move these properties towards net zero energy; and

o                     Installing Ductless Mini Split heat pumps to 200 units.

 

                     The proposed project will provide energy efficiency upgrades to the Navigation Center, which serves as a transitional shelter for unhoused individuals, which will undergo roof and exterior repairs followed by the installation of solar panels. Prior wiring upgrades complement these improvements.

 

                     The proposed project will provide rebates for portable heat pumps to low-income residents in multi-family units lacking air conditioning. This action addresses a gap in existing programs that do not cover multi-family housing residents.

 

Grant funding includes programmatic support for administering the grant. There is no match requirement. Existing funding for the Navigation Center’s renovations will be replaced by this grant, thereby enhancing the center’s operating budget. Energy efficiency improvements will decrease long-term operational costs. Investments of grant funding at SHA properties will help meet net-zero goals in conjunction with other planned renovations.

  

 

BACKGROUND:

 

The Salem Climate Action Plan, accepted by City Council on February 14, 2022, outlines 183 strategies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving community resilience to climate change. The plan emphasizes the development of resilience hubs (Strategy CM07) and improving energy efficiency (Strategies EN12 and EN14). The Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant Program offers a unique opportunity to accelerate the implementation of these goals by providing funding for catalyzing climate action and promoting environmental justice in disadvantaged communities. The proposed grant-funded projects, which focus on decreasing building energy consumption and creating a resilience hub network, will help advance the City's efforts toward resiliency, equity, and reducing climate pollution.  

 

                     Robert D. Chandler, PhD, PE     

                     Assistant Public Works Director    

 

Attachments:

None.