City of Springfield selected by EPA to receive a nearly $20 million Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Congressman Richard Neal, and city officials joined with Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts (PHIWM) Executive Director Jessica Collins and a number of partner agencies to highlight the announcement made by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 1 earlier this month, that the City of Springfield was selected by the EPA to receive a $ 19,989,240.56 Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant to help disadvantaged communities tackle environmental and climate justice challenges through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity.
Mayor Sarno, Congressman Neal, and PHIWM Executive Director Collins were joined today at City Hall by the city’s Chief Development Officer Tim Sheehan, Deputy Development Officer for Housing, Community Development & Neighborhoods Tina Quagliato Sullivan, Parks, Buildings, and Recreation Management (PBRM) Director Tom Ashe, City Forester Alex Sherman, Facilities Director Jon Carignan, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Cathy Buono, Department of Capital Asset Construction (DCAC) Director Peter Garvey, PHIWM Senior Director of Strategy & Development Sarita Hudson, PHIWM, Director of Coalition Building and Community Engagement Samantha Hamilton, as well as representatives from many partner agencies including ReGreen Springfield President Dave Bloniarz, MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board President Peter Farkas, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) Director of Land Use and Environment Catherine Ratte, Revitalize CDC Director of Programs Ethel Griffin, and representatives from Livewell Springfield, Wayfinders, and ARISE for Social Justice to share information about the ‘Green and Resilient Springfield’ projects and how the nearly $20 million grant will be implemented throughout the city.
Mayor Sarno states, “My administration is proud of our collaborative efforts, led by our Development Services Division and Community Development team, along with other city departments and many dedicated partner agencies, to apply for and receive these major and significant grant awards. On behalf our Springfield, thank you to the EPA for selecting us for this substantial, nearly $20 million grant. This funding, which was made possible thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in our nation’s history, will provide tangible benefits to our community including improved indoor and outdoor air quality and reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions.”
Mayor Sarno continued, “I am also grateful to Congressman Neal – once a mayor, always the heart of a mayor – for his continued leadership and advocacy on behalf of our Springfield and his support of our application for an EPA Community Change Grant. We understand the continued importance of preparing for emergencies and I am proud to lead a dedicated city team that has been tested and true in responding to natural and manmade disasters, including 5 nationally declared weather disasters between 2011 and 2013, including an EF-3 tornado, a freak October snowstorm, a blizzard, a major tropical storm and a hurricane.”
“This is a critical time for cities like our Springfield to continue our efforts to reduce pollution and enhance our climate resilience, and also address environmental and climate justice challenges. Springfield has a long history of being a regional leader in successful and effective climate action and we are looking forward to continuing to build upon our resilience.”
The EPA Community Change Program is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and is a highly competitive grant application open to a wide range of applicants across the country, including states, local governments, Native American tribes, institutions of higher education and non-profits. The Community Change Program aims to fund environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. The program focuses on communities most adversely and disproportionately impacted by climate change, legacy pollution, and historical disinvestments.
“One of several historic legislative initiatives to be drafted in the Ways and Means Committee under my chairmanship, the Inflation Reduction Act marks our nation’s largest investment to tackle the climate crisis. I am pleased that Massachusetts continues to be a great benefactor of the countless legislative achievements we have witnessed under the Biden-Harris Administration,” said Congressman Richard Neal. “The IRA provided nearly $2 billion in funding to support the EPA’s Community Change Grants Program, allowing communities like Springfield to further invest in projects that reduce pollution and increase community climate resilience. I applaud Mayor Sarno and his administration for continuing to pursue federal dollars that help greatly improve the quality of life for residents throughout the City of Springfield. I have long held that belief that legislation changes lives, and that is evident here today.”
The City’s “Green and Resilient Springfield” application was centered around community driven investments that includes a broad suite of climate action strategies and interventions that will provide tangible benefits to vulnerable populations most impacted by climate change. The target area of the grant includes the North End, Metro Center, South End, and Mason Square.
The City’s application included our statutory partner, the Public Health Institute of Western Mass, and many other community based/non-profit organizations including Revitalize CDC, MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board, Springfield Technical Community College, ReGreen Springfield, Livewell Springfield, Wayfinders, ARISE for Social Justice and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.
The City’s Development Services Division and the Community Development Department will work closely with partners in the Office of Housing, Office of Planning & Economic Development, Department of Public Works, Division of Capital Asset Construction, Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management, Forestry Division, Department of Technical Assistance and Compliance and the Office of Management and Budget to carry out various components of the projects.
Deputy Development Officer for Housing, Community Development & Neighborhoods Tina Quagliato Sullivan states, “This significant grant provides for a broad suite of projects and programs that will strengthen our neighborhoods and community. This EPA grant will also compliment recent investments and existing programs such as the Healthy Homes Program and neighborhood investment plans, in addition to Springfield’s recent submission of a Community Choice Power plan. Springfield has strong local leadership throughout its neighborhoods and organizations, and we are experienced in addressing difficult community problems through focused coalition work. Our partners, including the PHIWM, were instrumental in developing our application and securing this award along with the strong support received from Mayor Sarno and Congressman Neal. We can now deepen our focus on climate resilience, healthy eating, active living, the built environment, economic opportunity, housing, and education. We are looking forward to continued collaboration along with a number of city departments to carry out this meaningful work.”
“We are building on our decades of collaboration with the City of Springfield on various community health issues and at this pivotal point addressing climate change. Together we will deepen strategies that are already in place and determined critical by community members as well as innovate new opportunities that will advance Springfield’s commitment to climate justice,” said Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts Executive Director Jessica Collins. “We are excited and honored to be funded to partner with the Live Well Springfield coalition members, the City of Springfield and so many Springfield organizations in this project. We feel sure that our collaborative efforts will inform national action.”
“The City of Springfield and its residents have shared their vision for change—retrofitting homes and removing lead hazards, converting city buildings to clean energy and expanding the tree canopy, and investing in community solar and workforce training programs. Today, we are helping to turn that vision into a reality by providing the community with the necessary resources to make that happen,” said EPA Regional Administrator David W. Cash. “This funding from the Inflation Reduction Act is a pivotal step in meeting our commitment to environmental and climate justice across New England. By listening to and collaborating with communities, we are ensuring that the benefits of this historic investment reach those who need it most.”
Some of the initiatives supported by this grant include expanding tree canopy by planting 1,500 trees, restarting a city e-bikeshare program, and supporting a workforce development program for HVAC-R technicians, among other activities like a community solar project, retrofitting 30 1-4 unit homes to reduce energy use and improve indoor air quality, and completing home rehabilitation projects to remove lead and other pollution hazards. This partnership will also create two resiliency hubs in Springfield which will be within existing buildings that are city-owned and adding non-grid clean geothermal energy to turn them into heating and cooling centers.
Springfield City Forester Alex Sherman stated, “The Forestry Division is looking forward to planting 1,500 new street trees with this funding. Tree planting efforts will be prioritized in neighborhoods with the greatest need for increased tree canopy. These new trees will cool homes, streets, and neighborhoods with their shade and improve environmental conditions for decades to come. They will contribute to Springfield's climate resilience by helping to reduce flooding during heavy rains and reduce the urban heat island effect during heatwaves. We are proud to have worked with the many dedicated City departments to secure this funding and continuing to improve the environment for Springfield's residents.”
