WILMINGTON —- North Carolina is receiving part of a nationwide EPA grant, focused on combating climate pollution. Involved officials say projects will likely take place in New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick tri-county region.
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On July 22, Gov. Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announced the state will receive $117.8 million from the EPA’s $421 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. It will be used for carbon reduction, natural land conservation, and restoration projects in coastal habitats, forests, and farmland across North Carolina.
The grant was awarded to the Atlantic Conservation Coalition (ACC), a regional collaboration of environmental agencies from North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia. Their combined goal is to reduce carbon emissions through the conservation and restoration of natural resources. Of the total funds, $50 million will be allocated to “shovel-ready projects,” and $67.8 million will go to the North Carolina chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
The grant is meant to be spent over the next five years. The North Carolina Coastal Federation, North Carolina Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, and other partners will decide the locations for individual projects.
In North Carolina, the ACC and The Nature Conservancy are projected to add 3,300 acres to state park systems, protect two national seashores from erosion and sea level rise, and preserve and restore 15 acres of peatlands along with 595 acres of coastal habitat.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation will receive the lion’s share of the $50 million. Jacob Boyd, salt marsh coastal director for the North Carolina Coastal Federation said his team’s first step with its $30 million is to do a shoreline analysis along the state’s entire coast to identify areas with both high erosion and high carbon rates to determine focus areas.
These methods include constructing living shorelines — stabilized coastal edges created with natural materials like plants, sand, or rock. Additionally, the federation will focus on planting native vegetation and restoring salt marshes. It has also committed to protecting existing coastal habitats from development and rising sea levels by using techniques such as living shorelines, sediment deposition, and oyster restoration.
The federation is collaborating with state and local agencies, as well as academic institutions, in this research effor. This includes analyzing satellite imagery and funding a $1.5 million study by the U.S. Geological Survey on carbon sequestration potential and developing best practices for restoration and protection.
“Hopefully, the funds will be released in the next couple of weeks,” Boyd said. “But we plan on engaging and starting now, and then once the funds are released, we’ll be able to actually pay for it.”
Barry New, a technical developer with the North Carolina Forest Service, said the organization will receive around $6 million of the grant funds.
He noted that $4 million will be allocated to developing a Climate Smart Forestry Cautionary Program, to support reforestation and improvement on private lands.
Modeled after an existing program established in 1978, the Forest Development Program reimburses landowners for a portion of the costs associated with their forestry practices. It offers either a percentage — typically between 30% and 40% — of the actual per-acre cost or the prevailing rate for the practice. Additionally, landowners must commit to maintaining the new stand of trees for at least 10 years.
The goal is to encourage private landowners to reforest their land after harvesting and to fully utilize idle or underproductive forest areas for timber production.
New also mentioned $800,000 of the funds will be allocated to an Urban Tree Planting Financial Assistance Program, tol support tree-planting efforts in cities and towns. He explained the forest service will collaborate with municipalities to develop plans and apply for funding to increase tree cover in urban areas.
However, he said it was too early to tell where in New Hanover, Brunswick, or Pender County the funds would be used.
“We want to distribute this throughout the state, but it kind of depends on where the needs arise.”
Governor Cooper praised the funds in a statement earlier this week. He added the combined efforts of these groups are projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 28 million metric tons of CO2 and CO2-equivalent gasses by 2050.
“Protecting our natural lands for future generations is not only critical to our fight against climate change but also our state’s economy and tourism industries,” Cooper said.
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