King County awarded $50 million EPA grant to cut greenhouse gas emissions from buildings

King County Executive Dow Constantine on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 announced a $50 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and construction throughout the region.

The county says the funding will help multifamily and community buildings transition to clean energy, reduce emissions in new constructions, and establish wood reuse systems to mitigate emissions.

This grant will support King County in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the building sector through collaboration with other Washington State Counties of Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish.

Funding for this grant will reduce operational emissions from existing multifamily and small commercial buildings, lower embodied carbon emissions in new building construction through government procurement practices and local building codes and create systems to reuse wood at the end of a building’s life to avoid emissions.

Climate pollution from the building sector is growing at a faster rate than any other source in the Puget Sound region, making up nearly 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re leading on climate action by cutting emissions, creating resilient frontline communities, and preparing for the impacts of climate change. Thanks to this funding from the EPA, King County will be able to work with local governments throughout the region to reduce climate pollution,” Constantine said. “We look forward to partnering with the EPA and regional partners in the coming months to quickly set up these programs.”

Here’s more from the county:

“Every community is feeling the impacts of climate change, from heat waves and drought conditions to increased wildfire smoke and severe winter storms. We must act collaboratively to reduce carbon emissions and to address the adverse impacts on people’s health and our economic prosperity,” said EPA Regional Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “Through the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, EPA is partnering with states and local communities to make the largest investments ever in green buildings, clean energy transportation, and climate justice, and the Pacific Northwest continues to lead the way.”

King County, in collaboration with Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties, will use funding from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to:

• Electrify and weatherize over 600 affordable housing units, 150 home-based care centers, including daycares and adult family homes, and 55 nonprofit community or municipal buildings to lower energy bills and provide cooling during extreme heat and wildfire smoke.
• Replace 300 gas water heaters in multifamily homes with heat pump water heaters.
• Invest in electrification in low-income and disadvantaged communities and reduce emissions in multifamily and small commercial buildings.
• Update local building codes to lower emissions in new construction and invest in new approaches to reusing wood at the end of a building’s life.

“We cannot meet the moment of the climate crisis without collaboration. This critical grant is an example of local, regional, and federal agencies coming together to reduce buildings-related carbon pollution, generate high-paying green jobs for residents, and create resilient communities and infrastructure,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “Seattle is grateful to have worked closely with King County on this funding proposal to advance our shared climate goals. The City will support grant implementation through decarbonizing commercial and multifamily buildings in Seattle, prioritizing affordable housing and communities overburdened by the impacts of climate change.”

“Regional collaboration against climate change is our most powerful tool for creating substantial protections and improvements to public health and quality of life for our residents,” said Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Executive Director Chrissy Cooley. “The large-scale climate mitigation projects funded through this initiative highlight the incredible impact of regional coordination and the crucial role of innovative approaches to environmental justice. Working together stretches this funding to propel us closer to a cleaner, healthier, and more just future.”

“I’m excited to see that because of our strong regional collaboration, we’ve been able to garner significant opportunities for the King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap County regions, to make some major investments in climate reduction,” said Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Board Member Joe Bushnell. “This places the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency at the forefront of supporting projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and supporting those that are most impacted by climate change.”

The grant is funded through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, created under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.