Former Rep. Tina Sablan speaks during the Saipan Chamber of Commerce general meeting at the Hibiscus Hall of Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023.
FORMER Rep. Tina Sablan, the Palacios administration’s special assistant for climate policy and planning, talked about the future application deadlines her office plans to meet in 2024, which could put the CNMI in competition for millions of dollars in federal grants.
In her presentation during the Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting on Wednesday at the Hibiscus Hall of Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan, Sablan said the CNMI is eligible for funds from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Program: Implementation Grants Competition for Tribes and Territories, which falls under the Environmental Protection Agency.
These are funds open exclusively to tribes and territories, and they are for projects that reduce the CNMI’s greenhouse gas emissions, Sablan said.
The CNMI is likewise eligible for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program’s General Competition grants, Sablan said. In addition to tribes and territories, states can also apply for these grants.
According to a media release from the EPA, the tribes and territory grants total $300 million, while the general competition grants amount to $4.3 billion.
Sablan, whose salary is federally funded, said general competition grants would be awarded in a range from $2 million to $500 million for projects while tribes and territories grants would be awarded in ranges from $1 million to $25 million.
Sablan said her office will pursue Climate Pollution Reduction Grants as part of a mission to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition the Marianas to a clean energy, low-carbon economy, and address climate related threats.”
“The program is broad by design,” Sablan said. “The intent is to create opportunities for states and territories to propel local ideas into action and transform our entire economy from the way we produce electricity, our food, the way we manage waste, the way we do business and industry, the way we build our buildings.”
Sablan said her office will submit a priority climate action plan on April 1, 2024, and applications for project implementation funds on May 1, 2024.
