Web site of the Month: DOE Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program

Building Operator Certification will present a free webcast May 5 on EECBG funding opportunities. Learn about the grant application criteria, timing and process for approval, and the type of energy efficiency improvements that are eligible.

More than $2.6 billion in formula grants is available to help states, territories, local governments and Indian tribes fund energy-efficiency and conservation projects, and the deadline to apply is May 26 for states and June 25 for cities, counties and tribes. Such exciting news might send the many municipal utilities and tribes in Western's territory scurrying for applications—if they knew what a formula grant is or if their project is eligible. The place to get answers to these and other questions is the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) program Web site.

Allocating grant money

The EECBG program provides Federal grants to local agencies to reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions, and to improve energy efficiency. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 funded the program for the first time this year in the following amounts:

• Nearly $1.9 billion to cities and counties

• More than $770 million to states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia

• Nearly $54 million to Indian tribes

To learn more about how the money will be distributed, visit the interactive map showing state and local allocations. Select a state to download an Xcel spreadsheet breaking down funding by city, county and state. A similar map shows tribal allocations by state.

Eligibility criteria, found on the home page, explains in detail how the program defines entities. The formulas are based on population, except for Indian tribes, which must be recognized as such by the Federal government to be considered for a grant.

Use of funds

The type of projects that might receive funding run the gamut from innovative finance models to modernizing building codes to promote energy efficiency to capturing methane and greenhouse gases. DOE is encouraging grants for programs that create jobs in the short term, and lay the groundwork for long-term economic sustainability.

Recipients will be required to report their progress regularly to DOE. The criteria for measuring success include number of jobs created or retained, energy savings per dollar invested, renewable energy capacity installed, greenhouse gas emissions reduced and funds leveraged.

Application process

For Federal grants, the government requires applicants to complete a three-step registration process. The process takes about 21 days, so interested parties should begin immediately.

Users can download instructions to help them locate all the documents needed to apply for the EECBG program. The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) can be found at FedConnect, where visitors can view it without registering. However, only registered users can apply through the FOA, and registering with FedConnect is one of the government requirements for applying for the EECBG. The application package is available at Grants.gov, where it can be downloaded and saved to your computer without registering.

States will be awarding sub-grants from EECBG funds. To learn more about that process, visit the National Association of State Energy Officials.

Resources

DOE Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) Program

EECBG webcast

State and local allocation map

Tribal allocation map

Eligibility formulas

Eligible projects

Resources (cont.)

Progress criteria

Registration process

Application instructions

FedConnect

Grants.gov

National Association of State Energy Officials

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