March 16, 2023
Our Mission: Power a Clean Future Ohio is building momentum now for a clean, prosperous future by equipping local leaders for equitable, community-driven carbon reductions in Ohio.
"Ohio will be a success story in the clean energy transition. I promise you that." - Mayor Smith of Lima
During the 2023 Clean Energy Champion Awards, Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith expressed her excitement about the potential for growth and development that the emerging clean energy economy presents. Mayor Smith also noted that her administration is working diligently to ensure that Lima is well-positioned to take advantage of new clean energy opportunities as they arise. Watch her remarks here or by clicking on the link below. 

PCFO continues its work with Lima to accelerate local investments in renewable energy projects to save the city money and spur local job growth.
Ohio Accelerating on EV Manufacturing
Whether it’s a car or a tractor, Ohio is landing new manufacturing opportunities and creating job growth. 

FoxConn plans to build a 6.2-million-square-foot plant in Lordstown, Ohio, to produce the Monarch fully electric MK-V tractor. This is the former home of General Motor’s Chevy Cruze. The first tractors could come off the assembly line soon. The fully electric, autonomous MK-V tractors are being sold exclusively in California for now, but there are plans to expand quickly. The company anticipates going nationwide by the end of the year. 

Last year, the company started selling tractors through 45 dealers in 85 locations. They plan to grow the number of dealers to 50 and are focusing on the Midwest. 

“The biggest success thus far is farmers have recognized the value proposition of what we're offering and are understanding how much the tractor can lower their operational costs, which is why we're seeing tremendous adoption," said Mark Schwager, co-founder and president. 

The Marysville Auto Plant in Marysville, Ohio, will be Honda’s first U.S. plant to transition to electric vehicle production. Honda also recently announced it will invest $700 million to retool the Marysville Auto Plant, the East Liberty Auto Plant and the Anna Engine Plant in order to establish an EV hub in Ohio. 

Honda also announced it will work with LG Energy Solution to invest up to $3.5 billion to build a battery plant in Fayette County employing 2,200 workers. Honda plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
.
Wheatsborough Solar Project Construction to begin this Summer 
On March 20, 2023, Apex Clean Energy announced that they will begin full construction of the Wheatsborough Solar project in Groton Township, Ohio. The project, with a capacity of 125 megawatts, will cover an area of just under 700 acres and is expected to power 21,000 homes. About 150 to 200 workers are expected to be on the site during peak construction. The cost of solar power has been going down sharply for years, making it an increasingly attractive option for businesses and consumers alike. With projects like the Wheatsborough Solar project, we can look forward to a future powered by renewable energy.
PCFO INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT SNAPSHOTS
Federal Funding: Find it here!
Visit the PCFO IGAP Webinar page to review notes from the BIL Guidebook Introduction, Electric Vehicles, Public Transportation, and Clean Energy and Power webinars. These notes include information on the federal departments’ goals, funding opportunities, and available links to program pages.

If you are interested in applying or need PCFO’s support please contact Cassandra Clevenger, IGAP Coordinator, at cassandra@poweracleanfuture.org with any questions.



The EJCPS Cooperative Agreement Program provides financial assistance to community-based organizations working to address local environmental or public health issues. The program assists recipients in building collaborative partnerships with other stakeholders to develop solutions to environmental or public health issue(s) at the community level.
Application Deadline: April 10, 2023

The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) program provides funding to support government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. EPA aims to fund projects that transform overburdened and underserved communities into healthy, thriving communities capable of addressing the environmental and public health challenges they have historically faced, as well as current and future challenges.
Application Deadline: April 10, 2023

The Low or No Emission Vehicle Grants program provides funding to state and local governments for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses as well as acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities.
Application Deadline: April 13, 2023

The Department of Energy is now accepting applications for the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund Capitalization Grant Program from states and territories. $250 million in formula funding is available through this program to provide grants that will enable states and territories to establish revolving loan funds to invest in energy audits and energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits of commercial and residential buildings. In addition, states can use up to one-quarter of the funding for grants and technical assistance to low-income homeowners and small businesses.
Application Deadline: April 21, 2023


Created by the Inflation Reduction Act, the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program invests $5 billion to support states, municipalities, air pollution control agencies, and tribes to develop and implement strong, local greenhouse gas reduction strategies. This two-staged grant program provides funding of $250 million for non-competitive planning grants and $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants.
Application Deadline: April 28, 2023 (notice of intent to participate due)

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program is a formula-based funding opportunity for states, local governments, and tribes. EECBG can provide funding for projects and programs that cut carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and reduce energy use.
Application Deadline: April 28, 2023

Established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program provides $700 million to support the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and alternative fueling infrastructure. The CFI Program will accelerate an electrified and alternative fuel transportation system that is convenient, affordable, reliable, equitable, accessible, and safe.
Application Deadline: May 30, 2023

The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) is a capacity-building prize focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in existing buildings through energy efficiency and efficient electrification. In Phase 1, Buildings UP will award over $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance. 
Application Deadline: July 18, 2023
Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant Program EECBG: DOE Office Hours Notice
U.S. Department of Energy has officially launched an EECBG Office Hours program for EECBG formula grant applicants to participate in. The first session will be held on Tuesday, April 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET and subsequent sessions will be held on a bi-weekly basis. If you are interested in participating in EECBG Office Hours, please submit your interest via the EECBG Office Hours Form. DOE will then extend invitations to applicants to attend specific Office Hour sessions.

Upcoming Events
April 5 and 6
1:30-5:30 p.m.

With unprecedented calls to decarbonize energy supply, transportation, facilities, and supply chains, the opportunities and barriers are endless. Many organizations must transform their existing operating and business models to account for regulation, operational constraints, labor shortages, consumer expectations, and economics. However, to implement change decarbonizing solutions must be increasingly aligned with the pursuit of important outcomes such as resilience, security, and social equity. 
April 5
3 p.m. ET

This webinar reviews Clean Energy to Communities in-depth partnership program offer and answers questions related to three open requests for proposals, which are due May 17.
April 11
11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. ET

Join this virtual workshop convened by Li-Bridge, a public-private alliance managed by DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, to learn about the acceleration of our domestic battery supply chain.
ReImagine Appalachia: Social Media 101 Training
April 12
12 p.m.

Are you a part of a campaign or coalition and are overwhelmed by all the ways to communicate online? We’re here to help! Join ReImagine Appalachia and Sequal Consultants on Wednesday, April 12th at noon for a Social Media 101 Training.
April 13
12 p.m. - 1 p.m. ET

Join ReImagine Appalachia Faith in Action on Thursday, April 13th at noon to learn about how non-profit entities including houses of worship can help grow solar in our communities. This will include a nuts-and-bolts overview of how to go solar and discussion on how to ensure that new solar jobs in our communities are good jobs. This panel will be moderated by Kathy Hrabovsky of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light.
May 23 - 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and May 25 - 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

This summit will explore community benefits and labor standards and how they can help grow the vision partners have for the region. Community Benefit Agreements and Policies (CBAs and CBPs) are an important part of ensuring maximum benefits to communities from implementation of federal climate infrastructure funding.
Interested in getting started? Join today!
PCFO is an expansive, diverse coalition engaging with cities and local governments across the state of Ohio to build a clean future for our communities. Power A Clean Future Ohio is empowering local leaders with tools and resources to create carbon reduction plans and implement them in ways that are achievable, measurable, equitable and economical. 
 
Our coalition of expert organizations wants to share our technical expertise and resources with your community. If your community wants to work on plans to reduce emissions, attract business investment, implement equitable clean energy policy, and reduce costs – contact us today to set up a meeting!
 
If your business or organization would like to support PCFO, we invite you to join the campaign as a PCFO Partner. Contact us for more details.
Follow us on social media!
Sign up for this newsletter here