$474 Million for Extra Grid Resilience in USA

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After Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton knocked out energy for tens of millions of People lately, grid resilience is prime of thoughts. We want higher grid resilience. In some locations, electrical energy got here again inside a number of hours. In others, it took a day or two. In locations with poor grid resilience, it took every week or extra! So, it’s heartening to see that one other chunk of money is being distributed by the US Division of Vitality (DOE) to enhance grid resilience within the USA.

“In assist of the Biden–Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, right this moment the US Division of Vitality (DOE) introduced that 49 states, 5 territories, 254 Tribal Nations, and the District of Columbia have obtained a mixed whole of $473.6 million in fiscal yr (FY) 2024 Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formulation Grants to modernize the electrical grid to cut back the impacts of utmost climate occasions whereas additionally guaranteeing the reliability of the facility sector,” the DOE wrote earlier right this moment. “Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Workplace, the Grid Resilience Formulation Grant program is designed to strengthen America’s energy grid in opposition to wildfires, excessive climate occasions, and different pure disasters which can be exacerbated by the local weather disaster. This funding will ship on the Biden–Harris administration’s targets to assist communities in accessing reasonably priced, dependable, and clear electrical energy.”

In whole, including on this $474 million, the DOE has supplied $1.3 billion in Grid Resilience State and Tribal system grant funds since FY 2022. “Over 5 years, Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formulation Grants anticipates distributing a complete of $2.3 billion to states, territories and tribes, together with Alaska Native Regional Firms and Alaska Native Village Firms, primarily based on a system that features components akin to inhabitants dimension, land space, chance and severity of disruptive occasions, and a locality’s historic expenditures on mitigation efforts. The states and tribes will then award these funds to eligible entities to finish a various set of initiatives, with precedence given to efforts that generate the best group profit whereas offering clear, reasonably priced, and dependable vitality.” Seems like a plan.

“From distant and rural communities to city facilities, each pocket of America deserves a powerful and dependable vitality grid that may deploy clear, reasonably priced energy to houses and companies,” stated U.S. Secretary of Vitality Jennifer M. Granholm. “The transformative investments in grid infrastructure from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda helps shield our essential streets and downtowns throughout excessive climate occasions, whereas creating good-paying jobs within the course of.”

Once more, this funding wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Democrats controlling the US Home of Representatives, US Senate, and White Home, because the $474 million comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation.