On Jan. 19, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced opportunities for public input on new programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act that affect states, developers and builders. The IRA, opposed by ABC, was signed into law on Aug. 16, 2022.

According to an EPA press release, the programs received $350 million in funding from the IRA and are designed to provide grants, technical assistance and tools to help states, tribal nations, manufacturers, institutional buyers, real estate developers, builders and other stakeholders lower the levels of embodied carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, use and disposal of construction materials. These materials include steel, concrete, asphalt and glass. The programs intend to accomplish this goal through the development of environmental product declarations, labelling of construction materials with lower emissions and other activities that assist with measuring, reporting and reducing emissions associated with construction materials.

The EPA is hosting three public webinars to engage key stakeholders:

• March 2, 2023, 2-3:30 p.m. ET—Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Construction Materials Prioritization and Environmental Data Improvement Register here
• March 22, 2023, 2-3:30 p.m. ET—Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Grants and Technical Assistance for Environmental Product Declarations Register here
• April 19, 2023, 2-3:30 p.m. ET—Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Carbon Labeling Register here

The EPA has also issued a request for information seeking written comments to inform its creation of the new programs. Comments are due May 1, 2023, and may be submitted via regulations.gov.