Arkansas coalition receives $100 million in federal funds for energy, environment projects

A fleet of Rivian Electric Delivery Vehicles are seen connected to electric chargers during a launch event between Amazon and Rivian at an Amazon facility on July 21, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois (Mustafa Hussain/Getty Images).

Approximately half of Arkansas’ population is expected to feel the effects of a $100 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce climate pollution.

A coalition including Metroplan , Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission and the city of Fort Smith is one of 25 recipients of the nationally funded grants, according to a press release. The funding is available through President Joe Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.

Metroplan led the application process, and the grant is the largest the organization has ever received, Executive Director Casey Covington said.

Of the $100 million available, half will be used in Central Arkansas for projects like LED streetlights, electric vehicle charging stations, an expansion of trail systems and land acquisition, maintenance and restoration, Covington said.

“$100 million is really a lot of money that can achieve a lot of things, but it can’t achieve everything,” Covington said. “And that’s the benefit of this, is the ability to demonstrate. … That often is what opens up additional grant opportunities.”

In addition to the environmental benefits like decreased emissions, Covington said the projects will improve residents’ health with better air quality and more opportunities for physical activities. Covington said the projects will also boost the state’s economy and outdoor tourism.

Metroplan is working on five major trail corridors in Central Arkansas, Covington said. The most well-known project, the Southwest Trail, will connect Little Rock to Hot Springs. Other projects include forging connections to Pinnacle Mountain, and paving a way from North Little Rock to Cabot, Conway to Mayflower and Lonoke to Wrightsville.

The coalition is also involved in a state-level Energy and Environment Innovation Plan to increase access and competitiveness for federal funding related to energy infrastructure in Arkansas. The plan, which the coalition is funding, is expected to be completed in early 2025, Covington said.

In Northwest Arkansas, the EPA grant will provide $36 million for a bicycle and open space program, as well as 18 identified projects to restore and protect land along the 40-mile Razorback Greenway , said Tim Conklin, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Planning Commission.

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As the population in Northwest Arkansas continues to grow, Conklin said the grant money will help prioritize projects that keep the natural areas at the front of mind.

“We are the Natural State, so it’s critical that we protect and preserve our natural areas, and we have access to those areas in this very fast-growing metro area that’s becoming urbanized every day,” he said.

Working in collaboration with Trailblazers ,  the grant will fund a $7 million bicycle program to offer incentives to primarily low-income applicants for the purchase of an electric bike. Conklin said the program will emphasize alternative, energy-efficient transportation methods.

The program will be available to residents in all three metropolitan areas of Northwest Arkansas, Central Arkansas and Fort Smith.

The rebate opportunity will benefit Fort Smith residents who may want to be more environmentally conscious but can’t afford an electric vehicle, said Joshua D. Robertson, the city’s director of sustainability and citizen services.

Other Fort Smith projects include the rehabilitation of an alleyway to increase pedestrian and cyclist access to nearby schools and grocery stores. Robertson said the paved path will give children a safe route to school, thus removing some of the idling cars from parents in the pick-up line.

The city also plans to implement 13 electric vehicle charging stations in its downtown and at its public libraries, Robertson said.

The project Robertson said he was most excited about was the construction of solar panels for one public housing structure, Nelson Hall Homes. With 288 units expected to have access to solar energy, Robertson said the tenants’ utility bills will “dramatically decrease.”

Because the EPA grant covers the metropolitan areas of the coalition’s organizations, some of Fort Smith’s oversight will include two Oklahoma counties.

The city plans to invest $2 million into workforce development training related to the environmental projects, and Robertson said he expects this to be particularly beneficial to the rural Oklahoma residents who travel into the city for work.

“We want to make sure that individuals that could potentially be in jobs that may become obsolete or change quite a bit, very rapidly — we want to make sure the city has programs to provide training so they [can] keep jobs or even [get] new jobs,” Robertson said.

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