Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) Program
GVMC Receives $1 Million Planning Grant from U.S. EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) Program
With funding from the Inflation Reduction Act through the US EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG), GVMC, in collaboration with KERAMIDA, is developing a comprehensive plan, known as the West Michigan Healthy Climate Plan, for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, & Ottawa Counties. This plan will connect and uplift existing state, regional and local plans for the policies and programs it identifies.
Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP)
The West Michigan Healthy Climate Plan is organized into two phases. The first phase began with the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), which included a greenhouse gas inventory and technical working groups (action planning teams) that helped to identify high-priority, implementation-ready measures to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions. The PCAP was completed in March 2024.
The West Michigan Healthy Climate Plan PCAP can be found here.
Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP)
The second phase, known as the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), will build on the reduction measures identified in the PCAP, to quantify actions that will help meet our targets. The CCAP is currently under development.
Interested in Becoming a West Michigan Community Ambassador?
To ensure broad and inclusive participation, GVMC is developing a Community Ambassador program, where Ambassadors will gather input and feedback from their unique communities on the proposed reduction measures and actions found by the working groups. Ambassadors will be compensated for attending training and community events throughout Spring 2025. Recruitment begins in early January 2025 and the program will launch in early March. Check back here for more detailed information in the near future.
Please fill out this interest form if you would like to become a Community Ambassador!
Project Timeline
Check out more details for each one of the listed categories here.
Key Milestones:
July 2023: EPA awarded grant money to GVMC
January 2024: First Public Engagement Meeting
March 1, 2024: Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) due to EPA
April 2024: Implementation Grant application due to EPA
August 2024 Working Group Kickoff
April 2025 Community Surveys Launch
Winter 2025: Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) due to EPA
Summer/Fall 2027: Status Report due to EPA
Outreach and Engagement
As GVMC moves forward, it is essential to prioritize low-income and disadvantaged communities, who are often the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This process will actively involve and empower these communities to help shape the actions and policies that will directly affect them across the four counties.
GVMC is committed to engaging the public through a series of meetings, starting in January 2024 and continuing throughout the planning process. These meetings allow stakeholders to share feedback and help shape our region's plan. Below, you'll find photos, videos from past meetings in Kent, Ottawa, and Ionia Counties, and an update on next steps.
Stay updated on future meeting dates, locations, and more ways to get involved on this page!
Participants participating in an engagement activity at the Ottawa County engagement session.
Photo from Ottawa County Engagement Session
Photo of all Ottawa County engagement session participants.
GVMC’s Cara Decker leads a discussion at the Kent County engagement session.
Highlight video from the three comunity engagment sessions.
Photo of all participants at Kent County engagement session
Photo of participants at Kent County engagement session.
Consultant Amber Greaney leads a discussion at Ionia County Engagement session.
Photo of all participants at Ionia County engagement session.
For More Information
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