Lunar ideas are, by definition, big, bold, and nearly impossible to implement. In the coming years, thanks to a huge federal investment through the Inflation Reduction Act, Greater Cincinnati will have the opportunity to take bold steps to implement ideas that can significantly improve the city's air quality and public health, create jobs and reduce carbon emissions. neutral and saves local governments millions of tax dollars.
In 2022, President Biden signed the IRA into law, the largest climate investment in history, and mobilized action to combat climate change. These investments support many community goals, including Green Cincinnati's plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, a goal that cannot be achieved without ideas focused on success on the Moon.
At a local level, a regional group led by OKI engaged Green Umbrella to develop regional climate plans to take advantage of IRA funding opportunities as part of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) planning phase. But even before that planning was complete, the EPA awarded the CPRG implementation phase a $4.3 billion competitive grant that ends in April 2024, after which states or localities will be eligible for up to $500 million. As the city representative on the OKI Board of Directors, I volunteered to be part of the leadership team and coordinate efforts to distribute our fair share of these funds to our region.
Among CPRG grants and other IRA grants, renewable energy is one of the biggest impact areas. The volume of these investments, including more than $120 billion in tax credits, made possible a big idea: installing solar power on every city and school building in the region.
The word "transformational" is often overused, but in this case, using this investment to install solar power on all public and school buildings could be just what local governments need. This can mean the following:
Save taxes. Other cities have shown how renewable energy can significantly reduce energy costs. In San Diego, for example, the city invested $5 million in solar energy, saving $240,000 a year. Since the $500 million grant is 100 times larger, the savings from this investment alone equates to approximately $24 million in annual savings for local governments. If even this amount is reduced, this is a significant saving.
Invest without local partners. One of the biggest challenges to many federal investments is compliance at the local level. Governments often lack the financial resources to ensure such compliance, especially in smaller countries. Notably, the CPRG grant does not require local funding, meaning this investment is more affordable than ever.
Significantly reduce our region's carbon emissions while improving air quality and public health; The American Lung Association ranked the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio area 18th for the year in total particle pollution. A major solar investment on this scale will dramatically reduce carbon emissions, improve public health, and at the same time improve the quality of life for residents of our region.
Most Inflation Relief Act options are competitive. This means that when we as a region come together with these big ideas and plan to implement them, we have greater opportunities to attract investment. Although some parts of our region have different views on climate change, we can all agree on one thing. radically improving air quality while saving taxpayer dollars is smart government. And while some counties have banned solar farms, putting solar panels on the roofs of city buildings is also a wise use of public assets.
The Greater Cincinnati region is not known for regional cooperation. But CPGR's regional team thinks big, acts big and works together. The combination of this profitable idea of investing in renewable energy will have an impact for many generations when we come together.
Cincinnati City Councilman Mark Jeffries is vice chair of the Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Committee. He also represents the City of Cincinnati on the OKI Board of Directors.
This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer; solar panels on all public and school buildings will benefit the region.
