North County Tribes Awarded $22.8 Million EPA Pollution Reduction Grant

Two local Tribes, the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians, in partnership with the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, have received a $22.8 million federal grant to address pollution.

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was awarded as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda.

The Tribes’ project aims to improve community air quality, decrease utility and water costs, increase stable solar energy and increase water conservation, according to an EPA news release.

Actions to be funded include switching to battery-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, installing electric vehicle charging stations, constructing solar microgrids with battery storage and adding efficient heat pump systems and water heaters at several hundred Tribal residences.

“The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants being unveiled today will deliver unprecedented resources to Tribes here in California for local solutions that can provide national examples for how to transition off fossil fuels,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “These investments, which deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, will create jobs and reduce the emissions fueling climate change.”

Sen. Alex Padilla credited the administration for supporting “sovereignty and locally led solutions” by the La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians and the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians.

The La Jolla Reservation includes nearly 9,000 acres alongside Palomar Mountain, while the San Pasqual reservation is made up of five tracts in Valley Center.

This grant is one of 34 applicants selected by the EPA, funding $300 million in projects across 31 Tribal Nations, 2 Tribal consortia and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands to implement community-driven solutions to tackle the climate crisis and advance environmental justice. Three other California proposals received funding.

When estimates provided by all grant recipients are combined, the proposed projects will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by over 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050. That’s equivalent to one year’s worth of carbon dioxide emitted due to the use of electricity in nearly 1.4 million homes.

The $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program focuses on the transportation, electric power and commercial and residential building sectors while spurring workforce development and job creation in Indian Country and the Mariana Islands.

The EPA reviewed 110 applications for more than $1.3 billion in funding. The agency expects to award funds under both the Tribes and Territories Competition and the General Competition later this year once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.