Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley joined U.S Senator Alex Padilla, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local officials from the South Coast Air Quality Management District on July 22, to announce $500 million in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) for the Southern California region, including Orange County. These grants are authorized by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. 

“This unprecedented investment for sustainable infrastructure is transformative for Orange County,” said Supervisor Foley. “The grants will fund zero emission heavy duty trucks and projects to reduce smog and pollution, create thousands of green jobs, spur economic development in new and growing industries, train our workforce, and keep Orange County economically competitive for a clean energy future.”  

In October of 2023, Supervisor Foley convened all Orange County cities, inviting them to apply with the County of Orange for the regional grant. At Supervisor Foley’s request, the County of Orange applied for the CPRG in March of 2024.  

The grant funding includes the following:  

• Installation of over 1,000 medium and heavy-duty vehicle chargers and deploy 800 medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles and 18 electric locomotives.  
• Reduction of air pollutants from diesel emissions in low-income and disadvantaged communities.   
• Creation of an estimated 470 high-quality jobs in California and 4,700 across the nation, with an additional 43,500 new jobs expected as the infrastructure becomes fully utilized.   
• Support for an apprenticeship pipeline that will open pathways into high-quality union careers. 
• Educating communities about electric vehicles to accelerate their deployment.   
• Building resilience in the freight sector by modernizing vehicles and developing a skilled workforce to be better prepared for potential future world events. 
• Zero emissions vehicles and infrastructure as a catalyst for reducing local and regional air quality emissions  
• Scaling zero emissions goods movement throughout the national supply chain 
• Promoting the manufacturing of U.S.-made vehicles and equipment.  
• Uplifting community benefits through a robust workforce training program and make direct investments into low-income and disadvantaged communities most impacted by goods movement.

The total 25 selected applications across the nation will fund projects tackling climate change, improving air quality and advancing environmental justice. Learn more about the selected applications and learn more about the CPRG program.