FY2026 Work Program

Provide leadership to the region on innovation in the power sector and resilience to extreme weather. The program will pursue initiatives through efficiency and electrification of buildings and vehicles, and the switch to innovative power sources, while distributing the community outcomes of these activities across the region. The program will also work to increase the resilience of built and natural systems to the impacts of extreme weather and ensure that the needs of disadvantaged communities and vulnerable populations are considered in plans, programs, and funding to increase resiliency. This program supports PennDOT's MPO planning priorities by tying the quality and location of transportation facilities to livability, sustainability, and resiliency goals; and by utilizing PennDOT’s Extreme Weather Vulnerability Assessment to incorporate flooding resiliency into TIP projects, enhance hazard mitigation, and improve emergency preparedness.

This program supports NJDOT's MPO planning priorities by working with NJDOT and other partners on strategies to reduce pollution from the transportation sector; by working with NJDOT and other partners on risk management strategies for improving the resilience of transportation infrastructure against the impacts of extreme weather; by working with NJDOT and Local Public agencies to establish/recommend projects that can utilize new funding opportunities to minimize extreme weather risks; by supporting greater coordination with other MPOs, NJDOT, transit agencies, TMAs, and subregions in mobility and land use planning; and by promoting clean-powered public transit options and non-motorized transportation in an effort to reduce air pollution, including in low-income and urban communities.

This program also supports New Jersey and Pennsylvania’s extreme weather and resilience goals, along with the regional resilience goals in Connections 2050.

Staff will analyze data, build partnerships, and develop strategies to advance regional power initiatives through workforce development, the electrification of buildings and vehicles, benchmarking and building performance standards, and adoption of innovative power sources. Presently, the power sector in the region and the country is undergoing a profound transformation, with increased private and public investment. Staff will build on this momentum, and major funding awards to DVRPC from EPA, NREL, U.S. DOE, and the William Penn Foundation, for innovative power sector work.

Staff will help to prepare the region for the ongoing and anticipated impacts of extreme weather on the built and natural environment by providing technical assistance and leadership to municipal, county, regional, and state partners to develop responsive policies and practices. The project will work with partners and engage community-based organizations to understand and prioritize the intersectional challenges extreme weather poses for low-income and disadvantaged communities. The project will also seek to advance findings and recommendations from the William Penn Foundation-funded “Extreme Weather Assessment and Needs Analysis” completed in FY25. Finally, this program may support the identification of transportation projects for DOT-administered PROTECT funding, as well as the creation of a regional Resilience Improvement Plan, if funding is awarded.  

Staff will support municipal, county, regional, and state agencies and officials in developing policies and practices to support innovative power initiatives in their activities and operations. 

Staff will continue to provide data, particularly transportation-related data, which can be used to support the identification, development, and tracking of progress of projects that meet regional pollution reduction goals. 

Staff will represent DVRPC at appropriate policy venues, including PA and NJ state committees/meetings, and various PA and NJ nonprofit and alliance meetings. Regional coordination that strengthens relationships among state, regional, county, and municipal officials, as well as with other key stakeholders, including transit authorities, utilities, businesses, institutions, and non-profit organizations will be ongoing.

Staff will continue to assist, support and coordinate efforts led by the City of Philadelphia, Delaware County, FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other state and federal agencies to address current and future flooding and environmental quality issues in Philadelphia’s Eastwick neighborhood and the Delaware County communities located across the Darby and Cobbs creeks.

Staff will manage the Regional Streetlight Procurement Program (RSLPP), including management of Round 3, 4 and 5 municipalities (21 in total) through construction and post-construction operation and maintenance services.

Staff will serve as Board Coordinator and continue overall facilitation of the SEP of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a partnership of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties to explore opportunities for aggregate procurement of electricity for county operations. The Partnership may expand to include additional parties, such as municipalities and schools, to which DVRPC will also provide support.

Staff will investigate additional regional power initiatives through project development and procurement opportunities. Examples may include the development of a Regional Shared Services Manager Program. This work may require technical consultant(s) services.

Completion of tasks outlined in the program may require the purchase of materials, supplies, and other services.

1. Assist member governments, planning partners, and community-based organizations in regional and local efforts to support innovative power initiatives through research, data analysis, and project development support. 
2. Assist member governments, planning partners, and community-based organizations in understanding and preparing for the expected impacts of extreme weather through research, data dissemination, outreach, and technical assistance.
3. Coordinate, facilitate, and participate in discussions/meetings/convenings among planning partners and community-based organizations.
4. Update on-highway transportation sector pollution inventory, as needed.
5. Evaluate the pollution reduction potential of projects, programs, and policies, including metrics for building, electric grid, and transportation projects and policies.
6. Participate in various pollution- and extreme weather-related committees and task forces.
7. Manage the Regional Streetlight Procurement Program (RSLPP).
8. Manage the SEP of Southeast Pennsylvania.
9. Develop additional aggregate project development and procurement opportunities if resources allow.
10. Apply for funding opportunities that advance regional power initiatives and resilience goals.

1. Tools for municipalities and others to support adaptation and pollution-reduction projects, as required. 
2. Model ordinances and permitting guides for local power and electrification projects.
3. Data and charts highlighting regional on-highway transportation pollution. 
4. Data and charts highlighting regional power usage in the buildings and electric grid sectors.
5. Data and charts highlighting regional utility cost burden.
6. Metrics for assessing the pollution impacts of transportation policies and/or projects.
7. Data and tools to assess physical, social, and economic weather-related hazard vulnerabilities, as needed.
8. Meeting highlights, presentations, guidebooks, and/or other technical assistance materials from the RSLPP.
9. Resources related to innovative power sector project development, and related procurement opportunities and practices.

Member governments; state and federal agencies; transit authorities; municipal officials; nonprofits; and citizens.