Conservation Resources created a carbon sequestration/greenhouse gas avoidance demonstration project small grant program. This pilot program is administered by Conservation Resources (CRI) and is designed to provide financial assistance to non-profit organizations and local governmental agencies for a variety of projects designed to sequester carbon and/or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. Support for this program is also provided by PSE&G and Elizabethtown Gas.
Projects which are eligible for financial assistance from this new grant program will include ecological restoration projects to be conducted in forested areas, tidal or freshwater wetlands, or grassland areas which are located in New Jersey.
background
With the enactment of the “Global Warming Response Act” on July 6, 2007, New Jersey became the third state in the nation to mandate greenhouse gas reduction goals by law. This legislation mandates the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (an estimated 20 percent reduction) to be followed by a mandatory additional reduction of emissions to 80 percent below 2006 levels by 2050. For more information about the Global Warming Response Act, visit http://www.state.nj.us/globalwarming/. While pollution prevention, energy conservation and process or fuel source changes will no doubt play a big role in reduction strategies, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas avoidance projects may also prove to be an effective means of making a significant contribution to mandatory greenhouse gas reductions.
This new grant program is designed to promote small ecological restoration projects which can help reduce or avoid the production of greenhouse gases, while also enhancing wildlife habitat and natural resources.
grant program application and evaluation process