Story posted Friday, May 29, 2009
Village Eligible To Receive U.S. Energy Efficiency Funds
By RICHARD MAYER Assistant Managing Editor
Mt. Prospect trustees gave two thumbs up for village staff to register for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program.
The United States Dept. of Energy (DOE) recently notified the village that it is eligible to receive $489,600 through the EECBG program. Any municipality with at least 35,000 residents was given some level of funding based on a formula.
Authorized under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, the program has three main objectives:
* Reduce fossil fuel emissions
* Reduce total energy use
* Improve energy efficiency in building, transportation, and other appropriate sectors.
"The requirements are workable," said Village Manager Michael Janonis. "With money there waiting for us, we should make a run for it. Also, the cost for a consultant is covered in the grant, so that expense will not come out of our General Fund." The village must outline a strategy for how it will use the funds, create an annual report that must be submitted to the DOE within two years of receiving the grant, take into account what adjacent municipalities are doing and coordinate and share information with the state.
According to the ARRA, any project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work must use iron, steel, and manufactured goods produced and manufactured in the United States.
Projects that can be pursured as part of the program include:
* Building codes and inspection services to promote building energy efficiency
* Material conservation program, including source reduction and recycling
* Establishing financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements.
"We should definitely hire a consultant because otherwise we are walking away from money," said Trustee Arlene Juracek. "We should also be looking at projects that give us the biggest bang for our buck in the short term. We also need to look at other not-for-profits in the community and build bigger partnerships."
The grant application is due June 25.
With board approval to move forward, the village will initially be eligible for $250,000.
"We are really looking at converting streetlights," said Janonis. "While the village gets free electricity for municipal buildings through a franchise, we still have to pay electricity costs for streetlights and that money comes out of the General Fund."
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