Alaska, Kansas, Utah and W. Virginia Win Energy Efficiency Grants

Recovery Act funded Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) awards announced by the DOE this week have Alaska, Kansas, Utah and West Virginia sharing $38 million. The money will fund projects designed to lower energy use, reduce carbon pollution, and create local green jobs.

According to the DOE, here’s how the state’s plan to spend the money:

Alaska - $9,593,500

Alaska will use its Recovery Act EECBG funding to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in local communities across the state, including energy audits and building retrofits, transportation efficiency programs, and installations of renewable energy technologies on government buildings.  The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation will work in coordination with the Alaska Energy Authority to administer the funding, including competitively passing a majority of the state’s funding onto local cities and counties. 

Promoting efficiency in local communities is particularly important in Alaska, which faces very high electricity and heating costs, and has more than 180 villages that are only accessible by water or air and have to operate independent, stand alone electric grids.  Under the EECBG program, community-owned facilities, city offices, health clinics and other buildings will be able to access funding for building retrofits and other efficiency projects, which will reduce energy consumption and save money for rural Alaskans.

Kansas - $9,593,500

Kansas will use its Recovery Act EECBG funds to implement a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives in both the public and private sector, including building retrofits, direct incentives for renewable energy projects, and support for local government energy managers.  These projects will reduce energy consumption, limit carbon pollution, and create hundreds of jobs statewide.

Recovery Act funding will provide direct grants to cities and counties to encourage broader participation in the state’s existing Facility Conservation Improvement Program (FCIP), which helps local governments implement energy performance contracts with energy service companies.  The state will also encourage local communities to install alternative energy generating systems (wind, solar, fuel cell or bio-based), by offering competitive grants for up to 25 percent of the cost. These grants will leverage private sector investments and are expected to support more than $11 million in new renewable energy projects.  With the remaining Recovery Act funds, the state will allow local units of governments to compete for funding to hire energy managers.

Utah - $9,593,500

Utah will use its Recovery Act EECBG funds to improve energy efficiency and reduce total energy use and fossil fuel emissions in communities throughout the state. Utah will direct all of its State Energy Program funding to local city and county governments that did not receive direct EECBG grants from the Department of Energy.  Awards will be based upon a competitive process that will choose a wide variety of projects focused on meeting community needs for energy efficiency, conservation, and job creation.

The Utah State Energy Office will administer this program, awarding funds in two general areas. First, grants to local cities and counties to develop community and building energy efficiency strategies, monitoring and reporting mechanisms, and innovative policies that will promote energy efficiency and conservation. Second, funding will support the implementation of a range of efficiency initiatives, including energy efficiency retrofits, installing on-site renewable energy technologies for existing buildings, replacing traffic signals and street lights with energy efficient lighting, and other energy efficiency improvements. Utah’s Recovery Act-funded projects will lead to substantial energy and cost savings and will create nearly 100 jobs statewide.

West Virgina - $9,593,500

West Virginia will use its Recovery Act EECBG funding to empower local governments and communities with the knowledge and resources they need to improve building energy efficiency.  Through its Local Government Grant Program (LGGP), the West Virginia Department of Energy will work with the state’s 11 regional planning and development councils to coordinate and distribute nearly $9 million for local energy retrofit projects.

EECBG funding will also support local training and education initiatives.  The West Virginia University Industrial Assessment Center, which has significant experience advising business and industry, will help local city and county governments in understanding energy efficiency measures, and their costs and benefits.

For more on stimulus awards see:

   Directory of Energy Awards

   State Stimulus Toolkits

   How to Spot the Real Stimulus Winners