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 Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program.

Provide Input

Your input is essential. Please take our survey using the link below!

This survey is designed to collect input from stakeholders about emissions reduction priorities, current activities, and concerns. The survey will be open throughout the planning process. However, please respond by December 22, 2023, to ensure your feedback is considered for the first set of deadlines:

• Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), due March 1, 2024. The PCAP will include a statewide greenhouse gas inventory and proposed measures to reduce emissions and air pollution.
• Implementation Grant Applications, due April 1, 2024. The EPA CPRG program is offering competitive grants for states, regional agencies, municipalities, and tribes to implement emissions reduction measures and plans. The EPA CPRG program is offering competitive grants for states, regional agencies, municipalities, and tribes to implement emissions reduction measures and plans.

Most questions are optional, although we hope you will answer as completely as possible. Once you submit the survey, you may return and complete it again if you wish to provide additional information or project ideas. This survey is anticipated to take less than 15 minutes. 

Responses received from Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, Richland, and Saluda Counties will be shared with the Central Midlands Council of Government for consideration in the Central Midlands planning process. For more information about that process, contact Jory Fleming, jfleming@centralmidlands.org

Sign Up for the PAQC Mailing List

Please sign up for our mailing list using the following link if you are interested in updates and information for our initiative.

Funding

The PAQC receives funding from the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program

On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law and established funding for greenhouse gas (GHG) planning and implementation efforts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was authorized through the IRA to establish the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG). States, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), tribes, and U.S. territories were eligible to receive funding from CPRG to develop strategies for reducing GHG emissions and other harmful co-pollutants.

South Carolina is one of 46 states that accepted funds from the CPRG. In addition, the Columbia and Greenville-Spartanburg MSAs received funding. Phase I of the CPRG provided states with $3 million and MSAs with $1 million. Phase II of CPRG will provide $4.6 billion nationwide in competitive implementation grants. SC Office of Resilience (SCOR) and SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) are partnering as co-leads for this grant.

Who is Involved

SCOR and SC DHEC are receiving funding from the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Program (CPRG) and formed the Palmetto Air Quality Collaborative (PAQC) to complete the EPA CPRG deliverables and requirements.

The PAQC Intergovernmental and Interagency Coordination Group is comprised of the SC Office of Resilience, SC DHEC, SC Energy Office, and other state agencies. Representatives from the 10 South Carolina Council of Governments (COGs), Association of Counties, and the Municipal Association will be invited to participate as well. It is a diverse, multidisciplinary advisory committee created for the purpose of providing enhanced feedback to SCOR and DHEC at all stages of the planning grant life cycle, and will assist with developing and reviewing the three main deliverables for the CPRG program.

Action Teams will be formed based on sector and other cross-cutting interests. They will help identify and assess measures to be included in the PCAP, Implementation Grant applications, and the CCAP. Learn more about the Action Teams here.

Key Dates and Timeline

More Information and Updates Coming Soon!

Please check back soon for more information as we continue to plan and organize this project. If you have any questions, please contact us.