November 25, 2009 - The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG) Director Stanley "Skip" Pruss today announced creation of a competitive grant for organizations to provide technical assistance to state Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) recipients. Organizations awarded EECBG Technical Assistance grants will help these communities develop and implement their grant-winning energy efficiency and conservation strategies. The state of Michigan will invest $195,996 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) to fund the program, and the grants will be administered by the DELEG Bureau of Energy Systems (BES).
"This is a great example of the federal Recovery Act funding in action. These projects will enhance Michigan's ability to achieve its energy efficiency goals and support the energy needs of local communities, while creating or retaining thousands of jobs across the state," said Pruss.
Specifically, EECBG Technical Assistance grant winners will help cities, villages, townships, and counties that have been awarded State of Michigan EECBG multipurpose and/or LED Demonstration grants. Eligible applicants include existing BES program partners, including statewide and regional local government associations and councils, Rebuild Michigan Community Partnerships (RMCPs), Energy Centers, and other Michigan-based nonprofit organizations with experience in delivering energy or environmental services to public agencies. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to deliver similar services at the community level and the ability to operate in a multiple county or regional area.
Applications for grants are due at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, December 30, 2009.
The Recovery Act included more than $2.6 billion for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) - a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program which provides funds to local governments to reduce energy use and improve energy efficiency in buildings, transportation and other sectors. The majority of EECBG dollars were allocated directly from DOE to municipal and tribal governments. The state of Michigan received $19.6 million in EECBG funding, 60% of which must be used to fund competitive grants to communities not eligible for direct awards. The state of Michigan will use 88% of their EECBG funds for competitive grants to local communities.
The official Request for Proposal for the EECGB Technical Assistance grant, with complete eligibility guidelines and application details, is available at
www.michigan.gov/energyoffice.
For more information about DELEG, please visit www.michigan.gov/deleg.
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