$12 Million to Help Native Tasks to Save Power in 17 State & Native Governments from Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation

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Over $12 Million From Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation Will Fund Power Effectivity Enhancements and Clear Power Applied sciences for Public Services and Low-Earnings Properties

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Division of Power (DOE) at present introduced $12.1 million to a few states and 14 native governments for the subsequent spherical of formulation grants via the Power Effectivity and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. These initiatives, funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, will assist advance state and native governments’ efforts to enhance vitality effectivity, cut back carbon emissions, and decrease general vitality use.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is dedicated to reducing vitality prices and growing vitality resilience for communities,” stated U.S. Secretary of Power Jennifer M. Granholm. “Because of the President’s agenda, federal funding goes on to state and native governments to assist reduce the vitality burdens felt throughout the nation and generate cleaner, cheaper energy whereas making a more healthy surroundings for all.”

That is the sixth tranche of formulation awards granted to EECBG Program eligible entities. Because the first awards have been introduced in October 2023, this system has awarded over $130.5 million to 151 communities. General, this system gives greater than $430 million in formulation grant funding to 2,708 states, territories, native governments, and Tribes. Entities have the choice to decide on actions from 14 eligible classes of fresh vitality initiatives and applications that fulfill their clear vitality aims.

The awards introduced this month embody governments that can use the funds to conduct vitality assessments and upgrades at group facilities and colleges, develop local weather motion plans, present vouchers for e-bike purchases, launch photo voltaic incentive applications for low- and moderate-income households, and extra. This funding will advance the President’s Justice40 Initiative which units the objective that 40 % of the general advantages of sure federal investments circulate to deprived communities which can be marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by air pollution.

Be taught extra about what grantees on this tranche are doing with their funds under and on our web site:

Buffalo, NY will pilot a resilience hub improvement program by performing an vitality evaluation and net-zero constructing retrofit on the Delavan-Grider Group Heart. This heart serves as a focus for group programming and public support in a predominantly Black and vitality burdened neighborhood. The retrofit will lower vitality prices and enhance the middle’s capability to provision key sources earlier than, throughout, and after excessive climate occasions. The town will convene native workshops to make sure the pilot facility meets group wants whereas informing future efforts to equitably decarbonize public services. Buffalo will host a Group Power Fellow to assist their undertaking. (Award quantity: $293,740)

Inexperienced Bay, WI will rent an Outreach and Engagement Specialist to guide an electrification and vitality effectivity outreach marketing campaign for residents, small companies, and non-profits. The specialist will develop a technique and outreach supplies to implement the town’s Clear Power Inexperienced Bay Plan and supply technical help to residents on finest practices and obtainable incentives for residence electrification and vitality effectivity upgrades. The town will even collaborate with the close by Oneida Nation to supply tailor-made sources on the Inflation Discount Act (IRA) Residence Power Rebates Packages for Tribal members in areas that overlap with the town’s jurisdiction. The undertaking will observe EECBG Program Blueprint 2C: Constructing Effectivity & Electrification Marketing campaign. (Award quantity: $159,610)

Madison, WI will rent a guide to construct an online and database system to successfully implement the town’s new Constructing Power Financial savings Program (BESP). Created in 2023, the BESP requires business buildings within the metropolis to make sustained progress on improved vitality effectivity and carbon air pollution discount. The software program will allow the town to benchmark and analyze vitality utilization throughout buildings lined by the BESP, serving to to streamline compliance and measure program influence. The guide will even present assist heart assist and trainings for constructing house owners and managers, and compliance monitoring for constructing vitality benchmarking and tune-ups. (Award quantity: $291,340)

Pierce County, WA will spearhead two plans to cut back vitality use and emissions in county buildings to adjust to the state’s 2028 Clear Constructing Requirements. First, the county will replace its vitality compliance plan to incorporate actionable methods to cut back vitality use throughout 4 county services by 64 kBtus per sq. foot per 12 months, saving public funds spent on utilities. Second, the county will design and start implementing a clear constructing retrofit for Sprinker Recreation Heart, together with conversion to electrical energy. This retrofit will save 2,000 MBtus of vitality yearly and enhance the consolation and well being of a public-facing facility in an underserved environmental justice group. (Award quantity: $497,770) 

San Diego County, CA will launch two pilot applications to extend the equitable deployment of group clear vitality and advance the county’s Local weather Motion Plan. First, via the Equitable Photo voltaic Set up Program, the county will conduct outreach and canopy upfront set up prices of photo voltaic panels for twenty-four low- and moderate-income households. This may observe EECBG Program Blueprint 3C: Solarize Campaigns. With its remaining funds, the county will arise an Electrical Cooktop Loaner Program. Three kits of transportable electrical cooktops and induction burner cooking gear can be obtainable at 17 county services for residents to borrow for a number of weeks to check and find out about clear induction cooktop know-how. (Award quantity: $526,750)

San Francisco, CA will electrify and weatherize as much as 100 single-family and small multi-family buildings in underserved communities all through the town, in partnership with the Bay Space Regional Power Community (BayREN) and native grassroots organizations. Retrofits will concentrate on warmth pump water heaters, constructing envelope weatherization, and different measures to extend vitality effectivity and cut back residential vitality burdens. This system will advance the town’s constructing electrification targets and leverage present incentives to additional cut back the price of residence electrification upgrades. (Award quantity: $796,610) 

Virginia will sub-grant 60 % of its award to small and rural native governments for vitality effectivity and clear vitality initiatives. The state will even launch a advertising and marketing, schooling, and outreach (MEO) program to assist residents lower their vitality prices and navigate monetary incentives for residence electrification and vitality effectivity upgrades. The outreach program will goal a spread of vitality customers that can profit from the transition to scrub vitality, together with, owners, renters, and vitality contractors. Outreach supplies will leverage present sources, corresponding to Rewiring America’s electrification financial savings calculator, and can be supplied in a number of languages to extend equitable electrification in numerous communities. (Award quantity: $2,646,050) 

Different awards introduced at present embody:

• Clark County, NV ($844,640)
• Dakota County, NE ($75,750)
• Metropolis of Elk Grove, CA ($201,410)
• Metropolis of Evansville, IN ($172,120)
• Metropolis of Fayetteville, NC ($245,040)
• Metropolis of Oak Creek, WI ($76,280)
• Metropolis of Palm Desert, CA ($118,040)
• Sarasota County, FL ($309,280)
• State of New Jersey ($2,414,180)
• State of Tennessee ($2,484,530)

View the entire listing of initiatives to this point on our web site.

As a part of in depth technical help choices obtainable to states, native governments, and Tribes, DOE can also be asserting the primary spherical of host establishments for the Group Power Fellowship Program. This system matches latest graduates and mid-career clear vitality professionals with eligible native and Tribal governments. Fellows will assist EECBG initiatives and speed up the nationwide transition to resilient and reasonably priced clear vitality. Fellows are positioned in 32 communities, together with Harris County, Texas, Howard and Baltimore Counties in Maryland, and the Burns Paiute Tribe in Oregon.

The EECBG Program software deadline for eligible native governments is October 31, 2024, and Could 31, 2025, for Tribes. Native governments and Tribes can apply for both conventional grants or vouchers for gear rebates and/or technical help. For extra data, go to the EECBG Program web site.

Courtesy of U.S. Division of Power.