FEMA Fact Sheet for SLTT: Version June 2023 

June 2023 1 

Public Assistance Funding: Low-Carbon 

Materials

Overview

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)1 marks a historic commitment to build a new clean energy economy and 

tackle the climate crisis by authorizing FEMA to incentivize investments in greenhouse-gas reduction 

strategies through the Public Assistance (PA), Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), 

and Hazard Mitigation Grant (HMGP) programs. In March 2023, FEMA issued the IRA Implementation 

Memo2 for the above programs. FEMA may fund the use of certain low-carbon materials (concrete, 

asphalt, glass, and steel) in disasters declared between May 22, 2023, and September 30, 2026. 

Low-Carbon Materials

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines low-carbon materials as construction materials and 

products that "have substantially lower levels of embodied greenhouse-gas emissions associated with all 

relevant stages of production, use, and disposal, as compared to estimated industry averages of similar 

materials or products."3 These include concrete, asphalt, glass, and steel which have Global Warming 

Potential (GWP) lower than the estimated industry average for similar products in North America as 

demonstrated by their Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Although the cost for low-carbon 

materials is traditionally higher than conventional materials, the IRA authorizes FEMA to reimburse costs 

associated with low-carbon building or construction materials in recovery projects.

If an Applicant decides to use low-carbon materials as part of their restoration, and claim reimbursement 

under the PA Program, they must adhere to FEMA’s definition of low-carbon materials. The Embodied 

Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3)4 is a free database of construction EPDs and a matching building 

impact calculator for use in design and material procurement and may be helpful in project design. Using 

this tool may also help in determining if the low-carbon materials used in a project meet the definition. 

1 https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ169/PLAW-117publ169.pdf 

2 https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_inflation-reduction-act-implementation-memo_032023.pdf 

3 https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_inflation-reduction-act-implementation-memo_032023.pdf 

4 https://www.buildingtransparency.org/
Fact Sheet PA Funding for Low Carbon Materials 

Learn more at fema.gov June 2023 2 

Additional definitions and descriptions: 

• Greenhouse Gas: Include the air pollutants: carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, nitrous 

oxide, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. 

• Environmental Product Declaration (EPD): EPDs are third party verified documents written in 

conformance with international standards that report the environmental impacts of a product, 

including its global warming potential, based on life cycle assessment models. 

• Global Warming Potential (GWP): The potential climate change impact of a product or process as 

measured by a life cycle assessment. 

• Substantially Lower: Having a GWP that is at least less than the estimated North American industry 

average as demonstrated by their EPD. 

Applicants should work with the assigned Program Delivery Manager to maximize the inclusion of lowcarbon materials in PA project applications. 

Other Resources

• Inflation Reduction Act of 20225

• IRA Implementation Memo for Section 700066

• Inflation Reduction Act IRA 70006 For SLTT - YouTube7

• Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities | FEM A.gov8 

• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) | FEMA.gov9

• Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF)10: An independent non-profit organization that develops model 

embodied carbon policy, acts as technical advisor to inform the development of effective and just 

policies, provides technical support to agencies implementing embodied carbon policy, and 

collaborates with NGOs to align and advance embodied carbon policies. They have resources such 

as tools for measuring embodied carbon, case studies of effective policy implementation, and 

embodied carbon toolkits.

• Federal Buy Clean Initiative11: To support low-carbon, made in America materials, President Biden 

charged his Administration through his December 2021 Federal Sustainability Plan12 and Executive 

5 https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ169/PLAW-117publ169.pdf

6 https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_inflation-reduction-act-implementation-memo_032023.pdf

7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9PP2AUJqtQ&t=5s

8 http://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities 9 http://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/hazard-mitigation 10 http://carbonleadershipforum.org/ 11 http://www.sustainability.gov/buyclean/ 12 https://www.sustainability.gov/federalsustainabilityplan/index.html
Fact Sheet PA Funding for Low Carbon Materials 

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Order 1405713 to launch a Buy Clean Task Force and initiative to promote use of low-carbon, made 

in America construction materials. 

Learn More

For more information, please reach out to your state, territorial, or tribal emergency management agency 

or FEMA Regional PA point of contact. 

If you suspect corruption, waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement or misconduct contact the Department of 

Homeland Security Office of Inspector General14 hotline (1-800-323-8603 or TTY: 1-844-889-4357) or 

submit a concern online15. 

13 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/08/executive-order-on-catalyzing-clean-energyindustries-and-jobs-through-federal-sustainability/ 14 https://www.oig.dhs.gov/hotline

15 https://hotline.oig.dhs.gov/#step-1