Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: April 1, 2009

DOE to Award $3.2 Billion in Energy Efficiency Block Grants

DOE announced last week that it plans to invest $3.2 billion in energy efficiency and conservation projects in U.S. cities, counties, states, territories, and tribal lands. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will provide formula grants for projects that improve energy efficiency and reduce fossil fuel emissions. Funding is based on a formula that accounts for population and energy use, and to ensure accountability, DOE will provide guidance to grant recipients and require them to report on the number of jobs created or retained, energy saved, renewable energy capacity installed, greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and funds leveraged.

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. The grant funds could also go towards transportation programs that conserve energy, projects to reduce and capture methane emissions from landfills, renewable energy installations on government buildings, energy-efficient traffic signals and street lights, combined heat and power systems, district heating and cooling systems, and other projects.

Cities and counties will receive nearly $1.9 billion under the block grant program, while states and territories will receive nearly $770 million, and more than $54 million will flow directly to tribal governments. States will receive and administer funds for those counties and cities that are not large enough to qualify for direct DOE funding. In addition, up to $456 million will be made available for local energy efficiency projects under a separate competitive solicitation to be released at a later date. See the DOE press release and the Web site for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program.

President Obama announced last week his intent to nominate several individuals to key federal positions, including the selection of Cathy Zoi as the nominee for DOE's Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Zoi is the founding chief executive officer of the Alliance for Climate Protection, which was established and chaired by former Vice President Al Gore. The Alliance leads a multimillion-dollar effort to emphasize the urgency and solvability of global warming. Zoi served as the Chief of Staff in the White House Office on Environmental Policy in the Clinton-Gore administration, where she managed the team working on environmental and energy issues. She has also served as a manager of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she pioneered the Energy Star Program.

Zoi has also worked for several energy-focused organizations, serving as the group executive director at the Bayard Group, recently renamed Landis+Gyr Holdings, which is a world leader in energy measurement technologies and systems; as the assistant director general of the New South Wales EPA in Sydney, Australia; and as the founding chief executive officer of the New South Wales Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), a $50 million fund to commercialize greenhouse-friendly technology. Under her leadership, SEDA launched the world's first nationwide green power program and the world¹s largest solar-powered suburb. See the DOE press release and Zoi's biography on the Alliance for Climate Protection Web site.