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Palmetto Air Quality Collaborative (PAQC)

paqc

An initiative to promote cleaner air, economic development, and thriving communities throughout South Carolina

News and Events

2025 Action Team Events

The Action Teams are sector-based groups of subject matter experts, state and local government agencies, and engaged stakeholders. Action Team engagements are expected to begin in Spring 2025. For more information, please sign up for the mailing list below or email us.

 

Coming Soon: 2025 Action Team Events

New public input survey available soonA new public input survey, developed in collaboration with South Carolina’s five regional CPRG programs, will be made available in May 2025. This survey is intended to collect public input and priorities for strategies that will contribute to a resilient, thriving, and sustainable South Carolina. Once published, the survey will be linked in the “Provide Input” dropdown below.
South Carolina receives notification of funding as a member of the Atlantic Conservation CoalitionIn July 2024, the Atlantic Conservation Coalition (ACC), a multistate coalition including South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, received notification of EPA’s intent to award the coalition $421 million through the Implementation Grant program. South Carolina will receive approximately $89 million for land conservation to protect natural land and resources, promote air quality, expand carbon storage, and increase flood resilience. For more information, please see the link under “Resources” below.

What is the Palmetto Air Quality Collaborative?

The Palmetto Air Quality Collaborative (PAQC) is a 4-year planning initiative to develop innovative strategies to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and air pollution in South Carolina. This initiative intends to lay the groundwork for lowering air emissions, engaging communities, and supporting workforce and economic development opportunities. The PAQC is co-led by the SC Office of Resilience (SCOR) and SC Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) and is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program.

Current Initiative: Clean Air Strategies for South Carolina (CASSC)

The PAQC is in the process of developing the Clean Air Strategies for South Carolina (CASSC), the second deliverable due to EPA under the CPRG program. The CASSC is due in December 2025 and will include a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, projections of future emissions, and strategies to reduce emissions. The strategies will highlight the associated economic, community, and environmental benefits and potential funding opportunities. 

PAQC will engage in a variety of community outreach and input throughout the process to ensure the CASSC meets the needs and priorities of South Carolinians, including the use of sector-based Action Teams, a new public input survey, and community outreach and engagement events.

 South Carolina Priority Climate Action Plan

South Carolina Priority Climate Action Plan, 2024 (PDF)

Following several months of stakeholder and community engagement, intergovernmental and interagency coordination, input survey feedback, and Action Team meetings, the Palmetto Air Quality Collaborative produced the South Carolina Priority Climate Action Plan. It was submitted to the U.S. EPA on March 1, 2024.

Provide Input

To help inform the CASSC, the PAQC has developed a survey to identify community priorities for a resilient, thriving, and sustainable future for South Carolinians. Survey responses will inform state and/or regional strategies to improve air quality and bring benefits to communities.

Survey Coming Soon

Who is Conducting this Survey?

This survey was developed by the PAQC and regional government planning groups participating in the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program. 

For more information about the survey, please email the program coordinators:
Kirsten Lackstrom, Program Manager
Amanda Rahimian, Program Coordinator
Program Email

The five regional governments involved in the development and use of this survey are listed below. SCOR will share survey responses from residents of counties within the participating Councils of Governments and Tribal Citizens with the appropriate regional programs.

Catawba Indian Nation: Citizens of Catawba Indian Nation.

Appalachian Council of Governments: Residents of Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Pickens Counties.

Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments: Residents of Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties.

Catawba Regional Council of Governments: Residents of Chester, Lancaster, and York Counties.

Central Midlands Council of Governments: Residents of Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, Richland, and Saluda Counties.

Sign Up for the PAQC Mailing List

If you are interested in receiving updates and information about the PAQC initiative, please use the button below to sign up for the PAQC mailing list.

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Resources
CASSC Resources, Information, and Events
General Program Information
PCAP Resources, Information, and Events
  • PAQC Stakeholder Interagency Coordination Group, kickoff meeting on October 23, 2023.
  • Action Teams
    • Information Sheet: Action Team Info Sheet (PDF)
    • Kickoff Webinars: The Action Teams kickoff webinars took place December 11-15, 2023. The presentation linked below compiles all 6 webinars’ information into one document. For more information about the kickoff, please watch the PAQC Overview recording in the section above.
    • Round Two Webinars: A second series of meetings were held January 8 – 10, 2024. All six Action Teams discussed specific reduction measures that were suggested to the PAQC through the stakeholder input survey or by email. Additionally, Action Teams discussed data gaps and limitations, quantifying reduction measures, and benefits, challenges, or constraints of the reduction measures.
  • Open House Webinars
    • SCOR hosted two webinars open to the general public on January 30 and January 31, 2024. Webinars provided an overview of the SC Office of Resilience, the CPRG program, and the Palmetto Air Quality Collaborative before providing a high-level overview of the components of the Draft Priority Climate Action Plan. Key components of the PCAP were discussed in further detail, including the draft statewide greenhouse gas inventory and reduction measures.
    • Presentation slides link: PAQC Open House Webinars Jan 30 & 31, 2024
Other Resources
FAQs

What is the CPRG program?

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) is administered and funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). States, regional governments, Tribes, and U.S. territories were eligible to receive funding to develop strategies for improving air quality and increasing other benefits for their communities. CPRG consists of two phases: 1) planning grants, and 2) implementation grants.

How is South Carolina involved in the two phases of CPRG?

South Carolina is one of 46 states that accepted funds from CPRG Phase I planning grants. In addition, the Catawba Indian Nation, Appalachian Council of Governments (COG), Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester (BCD) COG, Catawba Regional COG, and Central Midlands COG received funding for regional planning. CPRG Phase I planning grants provided state governments with $3 million and regional governments with $1 million. SC Office of Resilience (SCOR) and SC Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) formed the Palmetto Air Quality Collaborative with CPRG Phase I funding to complete the EPA program deliverables and requirements.

CPRG Phase II implementation grants provided $4.6 billion nationwide through a competitive application process. The State of South Carolina, through the SC Office of Resilience, and the Central Midlands COG were awarded implementation grants. Overall, South Carolina will receive approximately $89 million as part of the Atlantic Conservation Coalition for land conservation activities. The Central Midlands COG will receive approximately $8.7 million for smart surfaces and solar projects.

What are the CPRG Phase I requirements?

During the 4-year planning grant period, the PAQC must provide EPA with three deliverables: 1) the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), due March 1, 2024; 2) the Clean Air Strategies for South Carolina (CASSC), due December 1, 2025; and 3) the Final Status Report, due June 2027. More on the grant requirements can be found in the planning guidance published by EPA.

How does the PAQC coordinate with governmental agencies and stakeholders for input?

The PAQC is intended to support collaboration amongst a wide variety of agencies and groups to inform the development of strategies, priorities, and efforts. SCOR, SCDES, and the SC Energy Office formed an interagency coordination group to guide the PCAP process and will continue to collaborate with the ICG throughout the CCAP development in 2025. 

Action Teams are based on five economic sectors to assist the PAQC in identifying and assessing measures within each sector for consideration. A sixth Action Team was established to provide technical assistance and expertise. The 6 Action Teams include Transportation, Buildings, Waste, Industry, Natural & Working Lands, and Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The Action Teams are made up of subject matter experts; local, regional, and state government agency representatives; business and industry leaders; community-based organizations; and non-profit organizations.

The PAQC also published a statewide public input survey in October 2023 to collect public input and priorities. Over 150 survey responses were received for the first deliverable. A new survey will be published in the spring of 2025.

In August 2024, the PAQC convened the 5 regional CPRG programs to identify strategies for aligning efforts, discuss regional and statewide priorities, participate in shared community outreach and engagement, and assist one another. The group includes all six CPRG programs located in South Carolina: the PAQC; Catawba Indian Nation; Central Midlands Council of Governments (COG); Catawba Regional COG; Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester COG; and Appalachian COG. The four COGs represent residents of 17 counties in South Carolina and include the state’s largest metropolitan statistical areas: Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, and the greater Charlotte area. The Catawba Nation’s program represents all Citizens of the Tribe, regardless of whether they live on Tribal lands or elsewhere. Contact information for the regional CPRG programs are listed below.

PAQC Program Timeline

Program Timeline. July 2023, Grant Awarded; March 2024, Priority Climate Action Plan; December 2025, Comprehensive Climate Action Plan; June 2027, Final Status Report

 

More Information and Updates Coming Soon!

Please check back regularly for more information as we continue to plan and move forward on this initiative. If you have any questions, please contact us.