U.S. State Climate Action Plans

Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia have developed either a state climate action plan, a Priority Climate Action Plan (under the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program), or both. 32 states and the District of Columbia have released a state climate action plan, while 16 states have released only a Priority Climate Action Plan.

About state climate action plans

State climate action plans generally include greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets and detail actions the state can take to help meet those goals. The plans may also include additional components such as resilience strategies, clean energy targets, and economic and social goals. The individual characteristics of each state’s economy, resource base, and political structure provide different opportunities for addressing climate change.

About Priority Climate Action Plans

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program was established under the Inflation Reduction Act and provides nearly $5 billion in grants to requesting states, municipalities, tribes, and territories to develop and implement GHG reduction plans. It is a two-phase program which provided $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants and $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants. Under the first phase, $250 million in planning grants were awarded in the fall of 2023 to develop a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) by March 2024. 45 states—16 of which had no existing state climate action plan—opted into the planning grant program, alongside numerous local governments, tribes and territories. The PCAP includes a GHG inventory and select priority measures which are implementation-ready, near-term, and would be most impactful in reducing emissions. Participating states will develop Comprehensive Climate Action Plans (CCAP) by mid-2025, which will include a broader suite of GHG reduction measures from all key emitting sectors. The comprehensive plans will also contain GHG emissions projections and reduction targets for all states.

Under the second phase, about $4.6 billion in competitive grants were awarded in July 2024 to implement measures within an applicable PCAP.

C2ES’s climate action plan map

In this map we have included states which have developed PCAPs, as the plans demonstrate a decisive first step toward meaningful climate action. However, implementation of these plans may depend on external funding, and submission of a plan cannot be interpreted as a standalone commitment. We have noted which states were awarded implementation grants, indicating that they are most likely to follow through with their priority measures.

Last updated August 2024.