HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary Rich Negrin joined Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 Administrator Adam Ortiz, PENNVEST Chairman Dr. Brian Regli, and local government partners last week to highlight the partnership between federal, state, and local governments to fight climate change.

Pennsylvania recently opted into the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The program provides grants to state and local government entities to develop climate action plans and makes them eligible for grants from the $4.6 billion pool established by the IRA and administered by the EPA.

Residents of Beaver County will be able to have their voices heard this week as one local commission opens the comment period for infrastructure projects in the area.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) has announced that they will hold a virtual meeting for county residents to have their comments heard on local transportation and infrastructure improvement projects at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Residents can access the meeting at https://www.spcregion.org/events/public-participation-panel-beaver-county/ during the scheduled time to offer their feedback.

Just ahead of Earth Day, state officials said Pennsylvania will use federal money to tackle climate change.

The Climate Reduction Pollution Grants will help county and municipal officials reach emissions reduction goals set for 2030 and beyond, the Department of Environmental Protection said.

“All climate change is local,” said Rich Negrin, the department’s acting secretary. “It is an all of the above problem and needs an all of the above solution, and it is so important to have strong partners at the federal and local level all committing to fight climate change alongside us.”

Up to a million dollars in federal funding will be coming to the Lehigh Valley to help develop a plan to fight climate change.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently announced the grant awards, which are part of the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, along with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, will each receive grants of up to $1 million to help develop climate action plans.

Just ahead of Earth Day, state officials said Pennsylvania will use federal money to tackle climate change.

The Climate Reduction Pollution Grants will help county and municipal officials reach emissions reduction goals set for 2030 and beyond, the Department of Environmental Protection said.

“All climate change is local,” said Rich Negrin, the department’s acting secretary. “It is an all of the above problem and needs an all of the above solution, and it is so important to have strong partners at the federal and local level all committing to fight climate change alongside us.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered remarks Tuesday at the Pittsburgh Aviation and Robotics Summit, where he reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to stimulating innovation and economic development in Pennsylvania.

Speaking at The Vision on Fifteenth in the Strip District, Mr. Shapiro pointed to industries such as robotics and artificial intelligence as drivers of growth within the region and commonwealth, and highlighted multiple initiatives to target economic redevelopment his administration has already enacted since his taking office.

CommuteInfo Vanpool Vehicle and Fleet Support Services RFP

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Corporation, a 501(c)(3) corporation, on behalf of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), is requesting Technical Proposals and Price Proposals (together, Proposal packages) for CommuteInfo Vanpool Vehicle and Fleet Support Services. The selected firm or team of firms will provide SPC with the following support services for its CommuteInfo Vanpool Program: vanpool vehicles; fleet maintenance/management; driver support, contracting, and invoicing services; fleet insurance; and data collection.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) was released by SPC on April 19, 2023. Copies may be downloaded from the SPC Website (www.spcregion.org) or may be obtained by e-mail request to Anthony Hickton at Ahickton@spcregion.org.

Electronic submissions will be required via SPC’s SharePoint site. Full submission details are provided in the RFP document. Proposal packages are due on May 19, 2023.

RFP Document Download Request Form

On-Call Consultancy Services RFQ

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Corporation, a 501(c)(3) corporation, on behalf of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), is requesting Statements of Qualifications and Pricing Details Compilations (together, Statement of Qualifications packages) for On-Call Consultancy Services. SPC is seeking to engage up to five full-service teams of firms to provide “on-call” delivery of a wide range of specialized support services as the need arises related to SPC’s functional areas of Transportation Planning, Strategic Initiatives & Policy, Economic & Workforce Development, Information & Data, Finance, Public Relations & Communication Initiatives, and Human Resources. 

The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was released by SPC on April 19, 2023. Copies may be downloaded from the SPC Website (www.spcregion.org) or may be obtained by e-mail request to Kristin Baum at kbaum@spcregion.org.

Electronic submissions will be required via SPC’s SharePoint site. Full submission details are provided in the RFQ document. Statement of Qualifications packages are due on May 24, 2023.

RFQ Document Download Request Form

Pittsburgh has become a fast-growing hub for many technology and robotics companies, and leaders across the region and state are hoping that expands even more.

At the opening night of the Aviation & Robotics Summit in Pittsburgh’s Strip District on Tuesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro heralded the growth of the industry and said the region should build on that progress.

He cited the success of Astrobotic, a North Side company that is planning to send equipment to the moon as part of the first lunar mission the U.S. has carried out since the Apollo missions of the 1970s.

Pennsylvania this month opted into the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, which provides funding to state and local governments to develop climate action plans and makes them eligible for grants from the $4.6 billion pool established by the act and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.

LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley said the money will be used to complete work on the Regional Climate Action Plan. Items in the plan include a regional green infrastructure program supporting clean water, flood mitigation, installation of air quality monitoring systems, electric vehicle charging stations, as well as advancing walking and biking.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission received $1 million in federal funding to continue its work developing a comprehensive climate action plan for the region, the state announced Friday.

The commission will work with Pennsylvania to update existing climate, energy, or sustainability plans, or to develop new plans, according to details about the grant published on the state’s website.