Department of Energy Updates Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program Allocations, Announces $16 Million in Additional Funding
After a review of eligibility criteria for the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, $16,429,000 in additional funding will go to 23 counties in Delaware, Kansas, and Louisiana to support energy efficiency projects.
After a review of eligibility criteria for the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, $16,429,000 in additional funding will go to 23 counties in Delaware, Kansas, and Louisiana to support energy efficiency projects.
Delaware counties will receive $4,846,400; Kansas counties will receive $2,583,600; Louisiana counties will receive $8,999,000, the Department of Energy has announced.
On March 26, 2009, DOE released the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for approximately $2.7 billion in estimated formula grants under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; in addition, up to $456 million is planned to be made available under a separate competitive solicitation at a later date.
Based on calculations under a series of formulas set out in the Energy Independence and Security Act, allocation amounts for states, cities, counties, and Indian tribes eligible for direct formula grants were contained in the FOA and posted on the program’s website at www.eecbg.energy.gov.
Since the program was announced, stakeholders have raised concerns about eligibility for direct formula grants. In response, DOE reviewed the methodology, and found adjustments were required for some counties and tribes. DOE is releasing an amendment to the FOA.
Counties: Based on incorrect data, 23 counties in Delaware, Kansas, and Louisiana were inadvertently grouped as ineligible entities and excluded from the estimated allocation tables released on March 26. These counties are now included in the allocation tables in the amended FOA. Allocation adjustments were based on the per capita funding rate that is consistent with the per capita funding rates of all allocation amounts released on March 26. The allocation amounts for all other entities are unchanged from the FOA released on March 26. The total allocation for the 23 counties is $16.429 million.
Indian Tribes: The allocations for four Indian Tribes (Coeur D’Alene Tribe of the Coeur D’Alene Reservation, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Port Gamble Indian Community of the Port Gamble Reservation, and Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation) were calculated based on incorrect climate data. As a result of corrections, two tribal allocations increased by a sum of $17,300 out of total tribal funding of nearly $55 million. The allocations for all other tribes are unchanged from the FOA released March 26.
Funding for the additional allocation amounts will come from EERE Recovery Act funding that was set aside for the EERE program. New totals for these states are included on the state pages of the
DOE Recovery Act Web page.
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