The state and the City and County of Honolulu have received $4 million in federal funding to update their climate action plan.
“We were planning before we knew about the federal opportunity to start budgeting and prepare for our action update,” said Matthew Gonser, the city’s chief resilience officer.
“Now, with the federal monies, we can really accelerate and do deeper engagement, more technical analysis,” he said. He added that they will be able to “really think through … equity and affordability, to make sure that all of our actions are to those that need it most first.”
The grant plans to help the state plan against climate pollution according to Dawn Chang, chair of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and co-chair of the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission.
“It will also enable the climate commission with the capacity to support our local partners and communities to utilize these funds, including through culturally appropriate approaches,” she said.
The grant also allows the state to compete for larger federal funding to implement its strategies.
The funding comes from the EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program.
