Energy Dept. names block grant recipients developing clean energy projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently awarded $18.5 million in formula grants to four states and 20 local governments through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program.
“No one knows communities’ energy improvement needs better than the state and local governments,” said DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Friday. “The Biden-Harris administration is helping support these ongoing efforts for a clean energy future for all.”
According to the DOE, the projects will be funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda to help advance efforts by state and local governments to improve energy efficiency, reduce climate pollution, and lower overall energy use.
“These investments from the EECBG Program put state and local governments in the driver’s seat to reduce emissions, increase climate resiliency, and strengthen communities for generations to come,” Granholm said.
Governments receiving awards this month will use program funds to conduct energy assessments and efficiency upgrades at community centers and schools, install solar panels on municipal facilities, develop climate and energy plans, advance local recycling initiatives, and launch building electrification campaigns for individual households, among other uses.
California, for example, has been awarded just over $4.52 million to advance statewide public and private building decarbonization through the new Local Government Building Decarbonization Challenge.
California communities can also form a consortium to tackle regional decarbonization goals, and the state can prioritize funding projects that provide tangible benefits to households that are overburdened by climate pollution.
Pennsylvania will use its approximately $3.02 million grant to establish the Municipal Opportunities for Retrofits and Energy Efficiency Program, which will help local governments access capital for long-term clean energy and energy efficiency projects via direct grants and loans.
The other two states receiving awards are New Hampshire — which will use its $1.64 million grant to create the Municipal Solar Grant Program for small and disadvantaged local governments to purchase and install solar photovoltaic panels for municipal facilities — and Utah, which received a grant totaling $1.81 million.
The 20 local government grants include a $1.32 million award to Philadelphia, which will conduct four activities to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, including a Cool Roofs Program to help protect residents from extreme heat and reduce energy costs.
San Antonio’s $1.22 million grant will help launch three initiatives for improving the energy efficiency of transportation across the city, such as providing $1,000 point-of-sale rebates to 170 low-income residents to purchase e-bikes at local bike stores.
Other examples include Cobb County, Ga., which nabbed a $557,290 grant to purchase equipment to support the construction of a Center for Hard to Recycle Materials drop-off facility and to develop a Sustainability Action Plan to identify opportunities and risks related to decarbonization and other sustainability concepts, among other plans.
Other awards will go to Dane County, WI; Prince George’s County, MD; Arlington County, VA; City of Arlington, TX; City of Beaumont, TX; Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK; Frederick County, MD; City of Grand Rapids, MI; City of Manchester, NH; City of Marlborough, MA; City of Miramar, FL; Montgomery County, PA; New Castle County, DE; Somerset County, ME; City of Sun Prairie, WI; City of Tampa, FL; and Tarrant County, TX.
The EECBG Program application deadline for eligible local governments is Oct. 31, and May 31, 2025, for tribes. Local governments and tribes may apply for either traditional grants or vouchers for equipment rebates and/or technical assistance. More information is available at the EECBG Program website.
DOE says this new award round is the seventh tranche of formula awards granted under the block grant program. Since its first awards were announced in October 2023, the program has awarded nearly $150 million to 175 communities.
Overall, the program provides more than $430 million in formula grant funding to 2,708 states, territories, local governments, and tribes.
