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Advocate for EPA Climate Pollution Grant before Rapid City Legal and Finance Committee
September 13, 2023 @ 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
A $1m EPA Climate Pollution Reduction planning grant has been awarded to Rapid City, but Mayor Salamun was going to send it to the City Council to have them vote on whether or not to accept the funding and move forward (the City Council already approved it on 4/3/23 so this is a “request to reconsider”) The Mayor was concerned that newly elected Council members had not had an opportunity to weigh in on this matter. However the Legal and Finance Committee stopped that effort by the Mayor and thus Rapid City will be accepting the grant.
This would have been a missed opportunity for the Rapid City community to move forward with this grant so any public support for grant would have been greatly appreciated. The State DANR did not apply for the federal grants. If a state declines the $3 million funding, those funds would be made available to the 3 most populous metropolitan areas in that state. It seems Rapid City applied in April of 2023.
(See also story Dakota Free Press)
This item was on the agenda for this Wednesday’s (9/13) Legal & Finance Committee meeting at 12:30 pm (who tabled it) and it would have been sent to the next Monday’s (9/18) City Council meeting at 6:30 pm (except tabled by Committee). As the Legal and Finance Committee tabled it, it is dead unless “smoked” out at the Council meeting, allowing for reconsideration at a later date.. It might be helpful to contact City Council members in support of the grant and reducing Climate pollution. The four-year grant, initially authorized in the spring, is designed to support efforts in identifying and addressing pollution issues in the area, specifically strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Rapid City’s new Grant Coordinator, Jamie Toennies knows about this issue – 605-394-4143 – 2379
Link to article in Rapid City Journal:
All of the City Council members’ contact info is below:
Josh Biberdorf
(605) 431-6947
Jesse Ham
(605) 391-3293
Lindsey Seachris
(605) 939-0140
Bill Evans
(605) 431-7509
Kevin Maher
(605) 484-6587
Greg Strommen
(605) 342-2814
John Roberts
(605) 484-9747
Lance Lehmann
(605) 390-1087
Rod Pettigrew
(605) 939-3747
Pat Roseland
(605) 431-1945
Link to City Council meeting notice: https://www.rcgov.org/event/5106-city-council-meeting.html