The North Central Texas Council of Governments recently agreed to move forward applying for $77 million from an EPA grant to help reduce climate pollution.
Executive board members voted to ask for double if the state doesn’t also apply for funds.
Money could pay for a five-year climate pollution reduction project.
It could help with a range of environmental related initiatives — from replacing outdated street lights to buying $2 million-dollar generators for weather events.
Waste management would get $23 million of the grant, if awarded, energy $20 million, agriculture and water/wastewater would each get $17 million.
Dallas City Council Member Cara Mendelsohn raised the recent sewage spill from one area into another.
“There's sort of a highly publicized event about North Texas municipal water district’s break in Plano that went downstream through my district all the way to White Rock Lake,” she said. “And this is actually a fairly frequent occurrence within the water district, their water district, impacting Dallas.
She asked Sue Alvarez, the council’s environment and development director, whether water districts like Plano should get money earmarked from the grant to fix those type of problems.
“Are you going to target specific instances where it is causing a hazard to other entities?," Mendelsohn said. "Dallas wouldn't be applying, we have a water district where mostly things like that don't happen, but we would be interested in another area applying and getting help to fix their line because it does impact us.”
Alvarez “tactfully” said the council’s environmental department would encourage communities who need repairs to apply.
“Very tactfully said,” Mendelsohn replied. “And if you need help, I will say it in a more direct way to them.”
The North Central Texas Council of Governments brings together area city and county governments. An executive board governs it.
The transportation department is also applying for $122 million.
Got a tip? Email Marina Trahan Martinez at mmartinez@kera.org. You can follow Marina at @HisGirlHildy.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
