![Matt Mahoney](https://sustainablepittsburgh.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Matt-1-1024x1024.jpg)
Matt Mahoney
Director of Government Affairs
Matt Mahoney is the Director of Government Affairs for Sustainable Pittsburgh. Before joining Sustainable Pittsburgh, Matt worked with Plug Smart, a regional energy services and building automation company, to develop Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) opportunities throughout the Midwest. Prior to Plug Smart, Matt served as the Western Pennsylvania Program Manager for the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA), a Pennsylvania-based trade association for the energy efficiency industry. During his time with KEEA, Matt successfully advocated for the adoption of C-PACE among county governments in Western Pennsylvania. Before KEEA, Matt worked with the Center for Responsible Shale Development where he served the inaugural President and Board of Directors to mitigate air emissions and protect water system related to natural gas development in the Appalachian Basin.
Matt earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Anthropology from Slippery Rock University and a Master’s degree in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems from Penn State University. Matt is also an adjunct professor teaching Energy Policy at Chatham University, a military veteran that served honorably, and a proud husband and father of two.
Speaking Topics
Clean Energy Workforce Development
Exploring the historic workforce development policies developed by the federal government and how implementation must be centered on equity. An equity-focused clean energy workforce development coalition that convenes local governments, businesses, and workforce development experts will enable partnership and collective action that secures federal funding, attracts private investments and equitably builds a strong workforce that targets people that are underrepresented in the clean energy sector.
Equity-Driven, Multi-Sector Decarbonization
Decarbonization has quickly elevated as a priority for southwestern Pennsylvania. Increasingly, in our region, the term “decarbonization” is becoming synonymous with carbon capture and storage, yet there is so much more to it. To truly achieve decarbonization, we must embark on a massive scale-up of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electrification. This includes solar, wind, and hydropower. It also includes a transition to electric vehicles and multimodal transit, and the beneficial electrification of homes and large buildings. It includes regenerative agriculture and land use practices.
Clean Energy Policy
The federal government has authorized billions of dollars that will definitively increase clean energy investments for decades to come. These new federal programs have created new requirements that many are not positioned to achieve. Supportive guidance on federal and state funding requirements and opportunities as well as strategic project development is needed for small to medium businesses, local governments in disadvantaged areas and Justice40 communities to leverage new opportunities. Regular updates and continuous education is needed on new programs and continued analysis of new federal guidance.
Justice40 and Environmental Justice
The Justice40 Initiative is a national effort that calls for federal agencies to work with state and local governments to ensure at least 40% of the gains from federal environmental justice investments benefit disadvantaged communities. Described as a “whole-of-government approach”, the Justice40 Initiative provides a framework to measure the impacts of federal programs that focus on clean energy and energy efficiency, workforce development, environmental remediation, and critical water infrastructure to support communities that have been historically marginalized, underserved, and overburdened. Justice40 encourages building connectivity and partnership among employers, trainers and communities.