HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. Ned Lamont announced that the State of Connecticut is awarding $8.8 million in grants through the inaugural round of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Climate Resilience Fund on Wednesday.
The state awards will support 21 innovative climate resilience plans and projects across 17 Connecticut municipalities and councils of governments.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is providing critical planning support to local governments, nonprofits, and others seeking to advance climate resilience projects. The goal is to enable the recipients to in turn seek federal funding.
DEEP is using DCRF funds for Connecticut’s resilience project pipeline and to ensure the communities are competitive for federal resources.
“Connecticut is already playing a leading role in addressing the challenge of climate change because making those investments means healthier people and a healthier environment, as well as new business opportunities,” Governor Lamont said in a statement. “Planning for climate resilience requires preserving and protecting what we love about this state so that we can continue to be a great place for families with clean air and water and thriving communities.”
According to a statement, in this first round of funding, more than 90% of the funds will go to vulnerable communities that will feel the effects of climate change first and worst, including 10 municipalities that are designated by state statute as “environmental justice communities.” This funding more than doubles the initial goal set in Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 21-3, which called for the creation of the DCRF and required that at least 40% of funds support vulnerable communities.
Federal funding for climate resilience reached historic levels after the passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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