Blumenthal, Murphy, DeLauro, & Elicker Announce $20 Million for Climate, Energy & Other Environmental Initiatives in New Haven

[NEW HAVEN, CT] – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), and Mayor Justin Elicker announced $20 million in federal funding for the City of New Haven and twenty partner organizations to advance a series of environmental initiatives designed to mitigate climate change, build resiliency, and reduce pollution in New Haven. The funds are awarded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Change Grants Program established to reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity. The Community Change Grants Program is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act.

“This significant $20 million investment is a testament to New Haven’s consistent commitment to community climate resilience. New greenways, improved sidewalks, energy upgrades, and more will transform neighborhoods and reduce air pollution in the surrounding community. I’m proud that Inflation Reduction Act funding continues to advance environmental justice across Connecticut,” said Blumenthal.

“This $20 million in federal funding is a huge win for neighborhoods in New Haven. With this money, the city can invest in new greenways and bike share programs that will make our communities safer to enjoy and energy-efficient upgrades that will reduce household costs for families. These investments will not only improve quality of life today but will help us build a stronger and more sustainable future for New Haven,” said Murphy.

"Today, we celebrate the $20 million Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant awarded to the Elm City Climate Collaborative, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act," said DeLauro. "This funding will empower the City of New Haven and the Greater Dwight Development Corporation (GDDC) to tackle pollution, bolster climate resilience, and address environmental justice challenges. I was happy to support this joint request to the federal government having been engaged in the work that the City and GDDC have done over the years and seeing first-hand the success of their efforts. Protecting our communities from the impacts of climate change is crucial to our shared prosperity, and I am proud to see New Haven and the GDDC spearheading this critical effort."

“New Haven is committed to tackling the challenge of climate change head on and building a greener, healthier, and more resilient city. This grant will help strengthen and support an unprecedented collective effort by the City and 20 partner organizations that will impact thousands of New Haven residents through investments in more energy efficient and cost-efficient homes, more accessible and greener transportation, and more resilient and safer neighborhoods. This effort will also help create good-paying green jobs for individuals today while also educating our children to engage in environmentally sustainable practices in the future,” said Elicker. “This $20 million award is yet another example of how the Inflation Reduction Act – championed by Biden-Harris Administration, Senator Blumenthal, Senator Murphy, and Congresswoman DeLauro – has been a game changer for communities, cities and states across the nation, including New Haven.”  

The City of New Haven and statutory partner Greater Dwight Development Corporation came together with five other community-based organizations to launch the Elm City Climate Collaborative, a community-driven engagement process to mitigate climate change, build resiliency, and reduce pollution in New Haven. The Collaborative grew to twenty partnering organizations, which developed a multi-pronged plan focused on serving the City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. The effort is designed to accelerate and expand preexisting programs and focus areas that the City and its partners are undertaking to build a greener, healthier, and more resilient city. Together, they submitted a successful grant application, that over the course of the next three years will advance the following initiatives:

• Green and energy efficient homes: Investing in healthy and energy efficient new construction and home retrofits, including weatherization, insulation, heat pump installations, and housing improvements to enable energy efficiency. This includes an estimated 350 buildings that will receive comprehensive energy assessments through Energize CT for energy-efficient and health-related upgrades. The funding will also support grants of up to $100,000 for energy upgrades at new or substantially rehabilitated affordable housing projects.

• Climate resilience corridors: Establishing 5,000 feet of new climate resilience corridors that traverse Fair Haven and other neighborhoods. These corridors will create new greenways, walkways and bikeways, including over 1,500 tree plantings, the removal of concrete and asphalt, the installation of permeable sidewalks, and utilization of stormwater capture and diversion technology including specially engineered tree pits.

• Food rescue and community composting: Increasing capacity for rescuing food to an estimated 2 million pounds of rescued food annually to help feed the hungry and low-income residents and also diverting over 800 tons of organic material annually to a new community composting hub.

• Green transportation: Expanding the New Haven bike share system, Ride New Haven, to include an additional 100 e-bikes and 100 pedal bikes across a wider network of 10 additional stations in neighborhoods across the city. Currently, there are 32 stations and 100 e-bikes and 100 pedal bikes in the Ride New Haven system.

• Climate education: Increasing bicycle safety, recycling, and composting education within school communities to include an additional twenty New Haven Public Schools.

• Green jobs and workforce development: Expanding employment in climate-related jobs across these initiatives, supporting residents participating in high-quality job training opportunities, and supporting New Haven youth in urban agriculture, tree planting and composting.

In total, the City of New Haven is partnering with 20 collaborating entities as part of the Elm City Climate Collaborative. Other partnering organizations include, the Greater Dwight Development Corporation (statutory partner) and the Beulah Land Development Corporation, Bradley Street Bike Cooperative, Center for Ecotechnology, CitySeed, Community Action Agency of New Haven, DataHaven, Gather New Haven, Greater Dwight Development Corporation, Haven’s Harvest, Junta for Progressive Action, MakeHaven, Newhallville Community Services Development Corporation, New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation, New Haven Ecology Project, St. Luke’s Development Corporation, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven, Park New Haven, Urban Resources Initiative, Workforce Alliance, and Yale Urban Design Workshop.

“We, at the Greater Dwight Development Corporation, are thrilled that our application has been selected, and we are excited to partner with the City and other local groups on this project. The City has been very cooperative in working with various non-profits for this application, and the entire process has been collaborative from inception, and we look forward to continuing this partnership,” said Executive Director Linda Townsend Maier. “We hope to support residents and strengthen the community with these initiatives, and to start a transformative process in how non-profits with varying missions across the city can work together to create a more environmentally sound and economically resilient future.”

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