Island Sustainability, A Multi-Faceted Approach to Climate Pollution Reduction and Environment Conservation

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $300 million in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants to 34 Tribal nations and territories. These grants, part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, aim to cut climate pollution and accelerate the clean energy transition. The projects include installing solar arrays, improving energy efficiency, and developing electric vehicle infrastructure. This marks one of the largest climate investments in Tribal and territorial communities.

The selected application will support Project M.O.V.E. (Making Our Villages Energy-Efficient), a high-impact initiative that represents a strategic endeavor to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by modernizing lighting systems, instituting key policy changes, and fostering workforce development. The selected application will enhance energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions across the residential, small business, and government sectors in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) by replacing incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lighting with energy-saving light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. By transitioning to energy-efficient LED bulbs, the project will help CNMI reduce the use of fossil fuels, particularly diesel, that power most of the islands’ electricity generation.

Project estimated to reduce 8,000 metric tons of CO2 between 2025 and 2030, as well as 20,000 metric tons of CO2 between 2025 and 2050.