Environment
Energy & Environment Innovation Plan
DRAFT NWA ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT INNOVATION (EEI) COMPREHENSIVE ACTION PLAN: The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) is inviting public comment on the draft Energy & Environment Innovation (EEI) Comprehensive Action Plan. The EEI Plan is a comprehensive roadmap, shaped by engagement efforts to identify regional and statewide priorities, designed to guide Northwest Arkansas communities and organizations toward a sustainable, resilient future by aligning efforts to address energy and environment opportunities while promoting job creation and economic growth.
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: The public comment period for the Draft NWA EEI Plan will run from Monday, March 3, 2025 through Monday, March 17, 2025. The Draft NWA EEI Plan is available at the link above, or in hard copy at the NWARPC Office, 1311 Clayton Street, Springdale, AR 72762. Members of the public may submit comments via the comment tab on the NWARPC website at www.nwarpc.org/contact, or directly to comments@nwarpc.org. APPROVAL PROCESS: The RPC/Policy Committee will consider comments and the draft NWA EEI Plan for adoption on March 26, 2025 at 1:30pm. Meeting information can be found at www.nwarpc.org/events/.
The Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), City of Fort Smith, Metroplan, and Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) are leading an initiative to develop a plan that enables access to and enhances Arkansas’s competitiveness for federal funding for energy infrastructure and supports investment in technologies and practices that reduce pollutant emissions, create high-quality jobs, and spur economic growth in the state. You can find updated information about this plan at the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment Energy and Environment Innovation Plan website.
Thank you for your engagement!
Thank you to everyone who helped develop the NWA Energy & Environment Innovation (EEI) Plan! Thanks to you, we’ve identified and prioritized voluntary regional strategies to protect natural assets, create jobs and spur economic growth, and enhance the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas. The measures in the EEI Plan were developed with the community through a public engagement process that included:
- 2 Online Public Surveys and Idea Boxes
- 4 In-person Open Houses
- 7 Stakeholder Meetings
- 2 Focus Group Meetings
- Social Media Engagement
- Tabling at Community Events across the region
Planning Deliverables
PHASE 1 – NWA Priority Action Plan (PAP) Supplement – completed December 1, 2023
PHASE 2 – NWA Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) Supplement – due to ADEE February 28, 2025
PHASE 3 – Status Updates – beginning early 2027
Adopted Plans
NWA Energy & Environment Innovation (EEI) Priority Action Plan (PAP) – adopted May 22, 2024 by Resolution #2024-10
Climate Pollution Reduction Grants
Authorized under Section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program provided $5 billion in grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. This two-phase program provides $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants, and approximately $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants.
CPRG Implementation Grant
The Tri-Region Arkansas CPRG Coalition, including Metroplan (Little Rock-Lead), Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC), and the City of Fort Smith was awarded a $99,999,999 Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) Implementation Grant for “Energy and Environment Innovation for the Natural State”. This transformative grant will fund projects throughout Central Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas, and the Arkansas River Valley, representing half the Natural State’s population. The selection is a result of the partnerships forged to develop this groundbreaking proposal, with over 50 communities, agencies, and organizations across Arkansas’ three largest metro areas.
$36.25 million is allocated to projects in the Northwest Arkansas region. NWARPC coordinated regional partners to identify and develop 18 shovel-ready “Green Network” projects across ten (10) cities, and two (2) regional-serving programs, including E-bike Incentive Program and Workforce Training Program, to protect and restore natural cores and corridors and increase access to connected active transportation networks. Click here to learn more. View the NWA Green Network interactive map here.
Project Partners:
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