DEP Awards Nearly $5 Million In RISE PA Small Industry Track Grants To Support 14 Projects In 9 Counties To Reduce Energy Costs, Improve Air Quality; Next Application Deadline April 15

On April 1, the Department of Environmental Protection awarded nearly $5 million to manufacturing projects across Pennsylvania that focus on reducing industrial emissions and improving air quality – and those projects will save Pennsylvania companies over $500,000 in energy costs as part of the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) Small-scale Award Track (SAT) grant program.

Funding was awarded for projects in Allegheny, Berks, Dauphin, Delaware, Jefferson, Lancaster, Luzerne, Montgomery and York counties. 

The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) at Penn State manages the $40 million SAT program through the RISE PA initiative and helps businesses with a no cost site assessment. 

The SAT represents one component of the RISE PA grant program, a $396 million statewide industrial decarbonization grant program funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants. 

The goal is to help manufacturers identify opportunities to lower operational costs and reduce their environmental impact to surrounding communities.

RISE PA offers grants for small, medium, and large-scale decarbonization projects at industrial facilities by investing in emissions reduction equipment and energy efficient upgrades.

The medium and large-scale RISE PA grants are expected to be announced this spring. 

RISE PA has the potential to reduce approximately 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents by 2050 – nearly 10 percent of Pennsylvania’s current annual industrial emissions.

“Pennsylvania has a long industrial history, and these RISE PA grants are going to help manufacturers build their business with lower energy costs, more energy focused jobs, and reduce air pollution for the surrounding communities,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “It’s a commonsense program that improves the economy and environment and continues Pennsylvania’s energy leadership.”

The first year of the SAT grants project implementation is expected to prevent approximately 5,055 metric tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. 

This is the greenhouse gas equivalent of 1,179 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year; the equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions avoided by 429,708 trash bags of waste recycled instead of landfilled; and the amount of carbon sequestered by 83,585 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. 

Companies will save an estimated $572,751 on electricity costs in the first year of the projects. 

“The RISE PA program illustrates that Pennsylvania is at the forefront of addressing energy efficiency and its impact on industry, the environment, and residents. PennTAP is excited to partner with DEP in this historic effort,” said PennTAP Director Tanna Pugh. “The SAT applications we received in round one show innovation and commitment by manufacturers across the state to implement solutions that significantly reduce emissions and enhance performance and we look forward to seeing the statewide impact of the projects.”

Next Application Deadline

This is SAT’s first round of grants being awarded, with additional funding rounds planned through 2029.  

Round two has been closed and awardees are expected to be announced this summer. 

In addition, PennTAP is now accepting applications for the third round through April 15, 2026.

Click Here for a list of projects funded and DEP's announcement.

For more information on this program visit DEP’s RISE PA webpage and the PennTAP RISE PA webpage.

[Posted: April 1, 2026]  PA Environment Digest