GOVERNOR, COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCE $9.3 MILLION IN STIMULUS FUNDS
FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION BLOCK GRANTS
Grants to Assist Local Governments in Reducing Energy Consumption
and Fossil Fuel Emissions
Governor Phil Bredesen and Commissioner Matt Kisber of the Department of Economic and Community Development announced that $9.3 million in federal stimulus funds will be available to small- and medium-sized cities and counties through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. The competitive grants are available to assist local governments in conserving energy and reducing fossil fuel emissions.
"I am very pleased these Recovery Act dollars are available to help local governments become more energy efficient," said Governor Bredesen. "I have emphasized how important I believe it is for government to lead by example at the state level when it comes to conserving energy. Now our local governments will have the same opportunity to promote energy efficiency in their own communities."
Areas of funding that will be given priority include: developing an overall energy efficiency and conservation strategy; retrofitting existing buildings with cost effective energy efficient measures; implementing renewable energy technologies on government buildings; and replacing traffic signals and street lighting with energy efficient lighting technologies.
"The EECBG program will allow local governments to make strategic decisions on how best to reduce energy consumption," said Commissioner Kisber. "The cleanest energy of all is the energy we don't use, and these grants will give our cities and counties the tools they need to conserve."
The 17 largest cities and 10 largest counties in Tennessee may apply directly to the U.S. Department of Energy for EECBG funds. All other cities and counties may apply through the state of Tennessee by 5 p.m. CST on December 31, 2009. Applications and more information are available at http://tnecd.gov/recovery/eecbg.html. The maximum grant amount will be $100,000 and partial funding may be awarded.
ECD hosted two application workshops on Nov. 2, 2009 in Nashville at the Ellington Agricultural Center. The meeting focused on the guidelines and application process and offer suggestions for making an application more competitive.
Applications will be scored based on the local government's strategy, feasibility, readiness to proceed, impact, partnerships and the ability to extend funding impact beyond a one time use.
For questions regarding the application process please email ecd.energypolicy@tn.gov.
For more information about DOE grants, click here.
