Clean Energy In the News

The Obama Administration unveiled plans this morning to send an additional $209 million to Texas cities, counties and Indian tribes to promote energy efficiency and conservation. It’s part of a $3.2 billion effort in the federal stimulus package and it builds on the $545 million weatherization effort for the state that was announced two weeks ago.

“We applaud the Obama administration and Congress for making a major investment in energy efficiency,” said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas. “Energy efficiency is the cheapest, fastest and cleanest way to meet our energy needs and these programs will put people back to work building green schools and weatherizing homes. They will also put money back in the pockets of consumers by lowering energy bills. This is the kind of change you can put in the bank.”

Excerpts from the U.S. Department of Energy news release below explain the details:

“The funding will support energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements. Other activities eligible for use of grant funds include transportation programs that conserve energy, projects to reduce and capture methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, renewable energy installations on government buildings, energy efficient traffic signals and street lights, deployment of Combined Heat and Power and district heating and cooling systems, and others.

“To ensure accountability, the Department of Energy will provide guidance to and require grant recipients to report on the number of jobs created or retained, energy saved, renewable energy capacity installed, greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and funds leveraged. Funding is based on a formula that accounts for population and energy use. 

“‘The Block Grants are a major investment in energy solutions that will strengthen America’s economy and create jobs at the local level,’ said Secretary (Steven) Chu. ‘The funding will be used for the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable energy technologies we have – energy efficiency and conservation – which can be deployed immediately. The grants also empower local communities to make strategic investments to meet the nation’s long term clean energy and climate goals.’”