Quantified Climate Action Measures Directory

About EPA’s Quantified Climate Action Measures Directory

EPA’s Quantified Climate Action Measures Directory presents information on the quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction measures in state and local climate action plans published between January 2018 and August 2023. The directory is designed to help states, local governments, tribes, and territories develop new or updated climate action plans by identifying examples of quantified GHG reduction measures. This directory will help you understand how the example measures were quantified, and locate the state or local planning or analysis documents that formed the basis for the measure’s directory entry.

The directory presents two searchable tables– one for state plans and one for local plans – that display the following information for each GHG mitigation measure identified:

• A short description of the GHG mitigation measure;
• The economic sector(s) within which the measure reduces GHG emissions (Agriculture, Commercial and residential buildings, Electricity, Industry, Natural and working lands, Oil & natural gas systems, Transportation, and Waste and materials management);
• The measure type (e.g., clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency, electrification, etc.);
• The tool(s) used to quantify the mitigation measure;
• The state or local jurisdiction proposing the measure; and
• References to the state or local planning documents with additional information about the measure.

The Quantified Climate Action Measures Directory is the first component of a broader Climate Action Resource Center that will present a collection of data, guidance, best practices, and case study resources to help recipients of planning grants under EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program develop their Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) and Comprehensive Climate Action Plans (CCAPs). Additional CPRG trainings, tools, and other technical assistance resources are available here: https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/cprg-training-tools-and-technical-assistance.

Accessing the State and Local Directories

The state and local directories can be accessed at the following links. See each page for tips on how to search the directory.

Access the State Quantified Measures Directory	Access the Local Quantified Measures Directory
Search a table of more than 270 quantified state measures compiled from 24 state climate action plans.	Search a table of more than 240 quantified local measures compiled from a representative sample of 32 local climate action plans.

How EPA Developed the Directories

EPA conducted a thorough review of existing state and local climate action plans to identify examples of quantified GHG emission reduction measures as well as the tools used to estimate the GHG emission impacts of each measure. The review included 24 state climate action plans - representing every state climate action plan updated between January 2018 and August 2023 – and 32 local climate action plans developed or updated within the same timeframe. The 32 local plans reviewed do not comprise all local or regional plans completed or updated within the review period. Rather, they were selected to reflect a range of areas with diverse geography and population levels, and to provide a representative set of local GHG mitigation measures and quantification tools. Please note that the inclusion of any plan in the directory review does not imply EPA’s endorsement.

The plans reviewed took varied approaches to measure-level impacts analysis. Some plans clearly identified GHG emissions impacts at the measure-level while others reported bundled GHG emissions impacts for multiple measures at the sub-sector or sector level. Some plans reported only economy-wide GHG emission impacts or calculated GHG emissions based on the assumed future accomplishment of an economy-wide goal. This review counted a measure as “quantified” if a climate action plan or a supporting document described the measure in sufficient detail, identified the tool used to quantify the measure, attributed a GHG emission reduction to that measure, and generally reported those emissions at the measure or sub-sector level.

All examples of quantified measures were compiled into separate lists of state and local measures. For each state and local example, the corresponding directory entry includes a short description of the GHG mitigation measure, the measure type, the sector(s) within which the measure reduces GHG emissions, the tool(s) used to quantify the mitigation measure, the state or local jurisdiction proposing the measure, and references to the state and local planning documents with additional information about the measure. Whenever possible, the directory entries reflect text copied directly from the state and local source documents. Some measure descriptions, however, have been adjusted slightly for consistent presentation across the directory.

Important Context and Limitations

The following context and limitations should be considered when reviewing and interpreting example measures included in the directory.

• The directory lists only quantified GHG mitigation measures found in the state and local climate action plans reviewed. Non-quantified measures, measures with GHG emission estimates bundled into sector or economy-wide emissions totals, and broader strategic goals that appear in climate action plans were generally excluded from the directory.
• Inclusion in the directory does not imply EPA’s endorsement of any specific measure type, quantification tool, or a measure-level quantification approach. Similarly, the absence of a measure type, tool, or quantification approach should not preclude state, local, tribal, and territorial governments from considering them as part of a climate action planning exercise.
• All measures and measure-related information listed in the directory are summarized from publicly available state and local documents (e.g., a climate action plan, a supporting technical appendix, or an associated report) and are based on EPA’s understanding of those plans. Any errors or inaccuracies within these summaries are EPA’s own. Please use the information below to contact us to correct any issues.