Omaha City Council accepts $1 million federal climate grant

The Omaha City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to accept a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to further the city’s climate action plan.

But not every council member did so enthusiastically.

Council members Brinker Harding and Aimee Melton, along with Don Rowe, voiced extensive questions and concerns about the grant and how the climate action plan fits into the city’s other priorities.

According to a press release from the city last week, the grant will be used to pay for a full-time city staff position, consulting fees, an agreement with the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency and the community engagement process.

It’s the latest step in an effort that began in fall 2021 when the city began work on establishing a climate action plan to address the effects of climate change. In March, the council narrowly approved a $376,000 contract with consulting firm paleBLUEdot for the creation of that plan. Harding, Melton and Rowe voted against that contract, saying they wanted more specifics from the firm.

With a deadline of Sept. 7 to respond to the EPA, Harding felt the council was under “a proverbial gun” to make a decision, especially since the council doesn’t meet next week.

Harding voiced concern that, by accepting the grant, the council effectively locks the city into implementing the plan and committing future city taxpayer funds.

“We’re basically being asked to … implement a plan and take on the expense of personnel and whatever actions need to be taken without knowing what that plan is,” Harding said.

Terms of the $1 million grant, which is being funded by the federal Inflation Reduction Act, require the city to create a Priority Climate Action Plan by March 1 that will identify and analyze emissions data and sources, existing studies and community benefits. The grant also requires the city to create a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan by August 2025 that will identify actions and measurable goals to reduce emissions. A status report will also be required at the end of the grant period in 2027.

The deadlines imposed by the grant were welcomed by council President Pete Festersen. He said that Omaha is playing catch-up to other cities, including Lincoln, in coming up with a climate plan.

“I wish we were further along,” he said. “I’m also encouraged by the fact that (we have) deadlines now. We previously never had deadlines.”

Council members Juanita Johnson and Danny Begley joined Festersen in voicing enthusiastic support.

Melton expressed similar concerns as Harding, saying too much focus and funding on the climate action plan could detract from the city’s efforts on other matters such as the construction of affordable housing.

“We all want clean air. We all want clean water. But we also want everybody to be able to own a house or at least have a roof over their head,” she said. “A lot of the potential things I’ve seen in other plans are: We’re going to increase the cost to build affordable housing. We’re going to increase the number of codes that have nothing to do with safety. We’re going to hinder — hinder — our ability to add over 40,000 units of affordable housing that we need in the city of Omaha.”

But Melton said it’s not realistic for the council to reject the federal funding.

“I don’t want to necessarily give this back because it’s just going to go to some other city,” she said. “I’m not going to throw my own federal taxpayer dollars back at the federal government to throw at another city.”

Audience members who spoke were unanimously in favor of the council accepting the grant for the climate action plan.

Greater Omaha Chamber President and CEO Heath Mello said “it makes fiscal sense” to use federal funds to further climate initiatives. In turn, he said, that will attract businesses and young professionals to Nebraska.

“Businesses selecting sites for development and relocation to Omaha are increasingly including requirements for sustainability and climate resiliency,” he said. “The Greater Omaha Chamber believes that a broad, cross-sector collaborative approach to climate resiliency will best position our city to compete for both new investment and jobs for the future.”

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