DEQ has received $25.6 million to create the Low-Embodied Carbon Housing Program which will incentivize lower embodied carbon housing production in Oregon.
Embodied carbon is the greenhouse gas emissions from resource extraction, manufacture, transport, installation, maintenance, disposal and recovery of construction materials. Embodied carbon of building materials is a significant contributor to Oregon's greenhouse gas emissions – accounting for 14.4% of
Oregon's consumption-based emissions.
This program is one part (Measure 10) of Oregon's Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action Grant which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, housing, transportation, and waste, while providing benefits to surrounding communities. The money was awarded by the US Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The program will support the development of 940 new low-embodied carbon housing units in nine communities across the state while reducing greenhouse gas emissions an estimated 343,487 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050. The low-embodied carbon strategies incentivized through this program include reuse and conversion of existing underutilized buildings to housing and building new space-efficient housing. In addition, all projects will reduce the embodied carbon of new materials used by 10%.
To learn more about these low-embodied carbon strategies, see DEQ's report on Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Caused by Oregon's Consumption.
To qualify for the program, a housing project must meet the following criteria:
- Convert an existing building (not currently used for residential use) to housing in the jurisdictions of Medford, Ontario, Pendleton, Portland, or Reedsport OR
- Construct space-efficient housing unit(s) in the jurisdictions of Bend, Eugene, Hood River, or Tillamook County AND
- Meet the following requirements:
- At least 20% of units must be affordable (<80% AMI), all other must be workforce (80-120% AMI)
- Comply with Build America, Buy America, if applicable
- Reduce embodied carbon of new materials by 10%
- Complete construction by April 2029