Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today (Aug 22) announced the application opening period for the Climate Adaptation & Resiliency Grant program, designed to assist local cities in becoming more resilient and address climate vulnerability, adaptation, resiliency and hazard mitigation plans with an emphasis on supporting underserved communities. The grant program will provide $50,000 each to three municipalities within SoCalGas' service territory. The funds will be used to help local cities and counties prepare for and recover from climate risks, such as extreme heat, wildfires, drought, subsidence, sea level rise and flooding.
An advisory panel of planning and sustainability experts from the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC) and the American Planning Association-California Chapter (APA-California) will select the 2022 winning applications from across Southern and Central California.
"The City is very excited to get started on the very important work of developing a Climate Action and Resiliency Plan for our underserved community. Strengthening climate resilience and focusing on issues of environmental justice are critical to our community and are at the core of many of our strategic goals over the next five years," said San Fernando Mayor Mary Mendoza. "The City of San Fernando is very honored to receive these funds and so appreciative to the Southern California Gas Company for recognizing our efforts with this generous grant."
"The Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Grant program is one of many initiatives that SoCalGas is promoting to lower climate change impacts and help California reach its sustainability goals. We're committed to help alleviating these impacts through our investment in different strategies to help us all recover, adapt and plan ahead," said Jawaad Malik, vice president of strategy, suitability and chief environmental officer at SoCalGas. "Restoring the health of our communities and lowering our environmental impact is key to a sustainable future. We are proud to collaborate with different municipalities for a stronger future."
"Climate adaptation and resilience planning is a crucial part of helping our communities stay strong in the face of unprecedented changes," said Ashley Atkinson, president of the American Planning Association's California Chapter. "This program allows recipient cities to prioritize resilience planning and address these changes with urgency."
Municipalities embarking on Hazard Mitigation Plan updates, Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Plans, or are incorporating climate change impacts into the Safety Element of their General Plan are eligible to apply. Grant proposals will be assessed according to the following criteria:
- DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES: SoCalGas encourages applicants to address climate vulnerabilities in disadvantaged communities.
- COLLABORATION: the extent to which the grant proposal reflects coordination and partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders (energy/water utilities, transportation, housing, etc.).
- CO-BENEFITS: identify potential co-benefits of the adaptation work, such as benefits to public health, air quality, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and the economy.
The application submission period ends on October 14, 2022, at 5 p.m.
Last year, the City of Maywood, the City of San Fernando, and the City of Pico Rivera were each awarded $50,000 for winning adaptation and resiliency grants from SoCalGas.
For more information about SoCalGas' environmental initiatives, visit socalgas.com/sustainability.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million consumers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines will continue to play a key role in California's clean energy transition providing electric grid reliability and supporting wind and solar energy deployment.
SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy company in America. In support of that mission, SoCalGas aspires to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045 and to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply to core customers with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for customers. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego.
For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
