DOE
Secretary Steven Chu announced $16 million in
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to support energy efficiency and
renewable energy projects in Iowa, and $32 million
for Michigan.
U.S. Department of Energy SecretarySteven Chuannounced more than $16 million in American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding will support energy efficiency and
renewable energy projects in Iowa.
Under DOE's State Energy Program (SEP), states have
proposed statewide plans that prioritize energy savings, create or retain jobs,
increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This
initiative, the DOE states, is part of the Obama Administration's national
strategy to support job growth, while making a historic down payment on clean
energy.
"This funding will provide an important boost
for state economies, help put Americans back to work, and move us toward energy
independence," Chu said.
“SEP
funds will lead to more renewable energy technology for public and community
facilities, greater energy efficiency throughout Iowa, and in the process new
construction and manufacturing jobs to help us work our way out of the economic
recession," said Iowa Governor Culver.
With
$16,218,400, Iowa will expand the Building Energy Smart Iowa Program under the
Iowa Office of Energy Independence. The program is focused on increasing energy
efficiency.
Iowa's
plan provides for workforce training and public information projects, with the
goal of increasing the state's capacity for energy efficiency improvements and
renewable energy projects. Iowa
plans to make grants of up to $100,000 to public, private and non-profit
entities for energy training across the state.
OEI will
work with Iowa Workforce Development to monitor projects to be sure they are
successful. The DOE’s announcement represents 40 percent of Iowa's funding for the SEP under the
Recovery Act. The initial 10 percent of total funding was available to states
to support planning activities; the remaining 50 percent of funds will be
released when states meet reporting, oversight and accountability milestones
required by the Recovery Act.
The
Recovery Act appropriated $3.1 billion to SEP, giving priority to achieving
national goals of energy independence while helping to stimulate local economies.
States use these grants to address energy priorities and to adopt emerging
renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.