Project 46

What is Project 46?

Project 46: The Southern Indiana Regional Climate Alliance is an innovative multi-city alliance that unites the cities of Bloomington, Nashville, and Columbus in Indiana. Steering Committee members consists of the Mayor of Bloomington, Mayor of Columbus, and the Town Manager of Nashville. Advisory Members include Cummins, Inc., IU Health, and IU Environmental Resilience Institute. This collaborative is distinguished by its bipartisan, cross-sector approach and spans multiple counties, aiming to pool resources and efforts to achieve better climate outcomes in the region.

The rationale behind a regional climate collaborative, as opposed to individual city efforts, is the enhanced capacity to tackle climate challenges more effectively and efficiently. A key advantage of such collaboration is the ability to apply for grants together, significantly increasing the likelihood of securing funding. By presenting a united front, these cities can demonstrate a larger impact potential to funding bodies, including state and federal programs, making their applications more competitive.

What are the goals of this initiative?

Project 46 has set forth four ambitious goals to guide its collaborative climate action efforts.

1. Emissions Monitoring: Track and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions both individually by communities and collectively as a region.
2. Shared Resources & Funding: Coordinate local investments and leverage available state and federal funding opportunities, notably those through the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Acts.
3. Collaboration: Set goals, advance initiatives, highlight successes and challenges, and promote best practices through the engagement of government, nonprofit, and private sector leadership.
4. Transparency: Produce an annual community report to demonstrate the activities and impact of these efforts and progress towards shared goals.

In 2023, Project 46 issued a Request for Information for regional climate alliance consulting services. On March 26, 2024, a 17 month contract was executed with Farallon Strategies to help organize the climate alliance, create interim and long-term governance documents, create a funding-tracker, identify priorities, and conduct a regional ghg inventory.  ICLEI has been hired as a subcontractor to complete the ghg inventory which will be available to the public in early 2025. ICLEI will use the ghg inventory to conduct a high impact analysis in collaboration with Project 46 to help determine the most effective climate actions to reduce ghg emissions in the region.

How is Project 46 funded?

Funding for Project 46 is proposed to be a blend of public and private resources, demonstrating the collaborative essence of the alliance.

Each participating government entity is expected to contribute annually based on their population, with a suggested rate of $0.50 per capita.

This funding is supplemented by matching support from private and philanthropic sources, enriching the financial pool available for the alliance's climate action work.

The Heritage Fund, The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, is the fiscal sponsor of Project 46. 

EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG)

In early 2024, Project 46 submitted 11 project proposals to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) for greenhouse gas reduction projects totaling $72M. IDEM selected 7 of these proposals to include in their state-wide proposal to the EPA. Unfortunately, the EPA did not award IDEM funding from the CPRG. Project 46 is continuing to seek funding for the proposals for the following projects:

Municipal Projects:

1) Municipal Solar Array Program

2) Municipal Fleet Electrification Program

3) Municipal Electric Vehicle Charging Station Program

4) Municipal Weatherization and Decarbonization Program

5) Community Micro-Mobility Hub Program

Grant Programs:

1) Solar Array and Battery Grant Program

2) Fleet Electrification Grant Program

3) Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station Program

4) Pre-weatherization and Weatherization Grant Program

5) Lawn Care Equipment Electrification Grant Program

6) Commercial and Industrial Equipment Electrification Program

How can I keep up-to-date with the latest news about Project 46?

The most direct way to receive updates is by subscribing to the Project 46 newsletter, as it highlights news and insights related to Project 46. Visiting the designated page on the City of Bloomington Climate Action Dashboard dedicated to Project 46 is also helpful, as it is where detailed information and progress reports are most readily accessible.

Additionally, the City’s news section frequently features the latest press releases and updates related to the alliance's activities and achievements.