Energy and Sustainability

MORPC was recently awarded $200,000 by the Google Grid Innovation Fund (GGIF), sponsored by Google, in partnership with the Columbus Region Green Fund and Elevate. The funds will be used to expand MORPC’s Home Weatherization Assistance Program to reach households with 80% Area Median Income (AMI). Services will include attic and sidewall insulation, furnace repair and replacement, testing and repairing air and gas leakages, and replacing inefficient hot water heaters with tankless hot water heaters.  Learn more about MORPC’s home weatherization services here.

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) is a US Environmental Protection Agency program that supports planning and implementation strategies to reduce greenhouse gases, improve air quality, lower fuel costs, and create new job opportunities. Our focus is oriented towards regional collaboration and action, with a special emphasis on supporting low-income and disadvantaged communities.  Input from community members and stakeholders has been critical throughout this project. Learn more about this project and the Central Ohio Climate Acton Plan by visiting MORPC’s CPRG Resource Hub. 

To better prepare the region’s EV infrastructure for this growth, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) applied for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator grant program. In March 2024, MORPC was awarded $2 million in federal funding to repair or replace currently unavailable and broken chargers throughout MORPC’s 15-county Central Ohio region.

The purpose of this award is to not only better Central Ohio’s EV infrastructure but to also support the ongoing efforts from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI), and United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to increase charger accessibility and reliability. Currently, there are more than 45 chargers (identified in the NOFO) that need to be repaired or replaced throughout Central Ohio. This will account for approximately 77 L2 ports and 5 DCFC ports that will need to be repaired or replaced.

The MORPC Sustainability Team is available to assist with sustainability or environmental-based projects across the region. Potential project related to Sustainability Assistance could potentially include, and is not limited to: 

• Temporary staff assistance with green infrastructure planning, including electric vehicle infrastructure, stormwater management, etc.
• Pre-planning activities such as education and outreach, climate impact assessment and vulnerability analysis, data collection, brainstorming strategies, etc.
• Municipal code updates to accommodate electric vehicle infrastructure or incorporate best practices for climate resilience and mitigation.
• The creation/formation of supplementary documents, visual aids, graphics, etc.

Visit the Planner Pool Program website for additional details and contact information.

Dedicated, project-specific expertise. Technical assistance is available to MORPC members and organizations within the 15-county region for energy, resiliency, and climate related projects. Project examples include:

• Energy planning, modeling, forecasting, and goal setting​ for your community
• Electric vehicle charging infrastructure planning
• Consulting focused on internal operations process planning
• Clean energy resource development

Current and former projects:

• Franklin County Energy Study, Recommendations, and Fact Sheet
• Greenhouse Gas Inventory Services
  • 2023 City of Columbus Greenhouse Gas Inventory 
  • 2019 City of Columbus Greenhouse Gas Inventory
  • 2018 City of Columbus Greenhouse Gas Inventory
  • 2017 City of Columbus Greenhouse Gas Inventory
• Central Ohio Solar Toolkit for Local Governments

• Sustainability Advisory Committee (SAC)
• Sustainable2050
• Energy & Air Quality Working Group
• Central Ohio Regional Water Advisory Council