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| GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES ARRA FUNDING FOR FIRST ROUND OF ENERGY PROJECTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09/22/2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SALEM—Governor Ted Kulongoski today announced that Oregon has been approved by the U.S. Department of Energy to distribute over $500,000 in federal stimulus funds for energy efficiency projects in K-12 schools throughout the state. These 22 projects will be funded by the first installment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) dollars the state has received for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These Recovery Act funds can be used for public buildings, including K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and government buildings. To date, the state has received authorization to spend $17 million of the $42 million it has been awarded under the U.S. DOE’s State Energy Program (SEP). The U.S. Department of Energy administers the funds, approves the projects and reviews the state’s progress. “These first set of projects represent an excellent opportunity for K-12 schools to invest in conservation and energy efficiency that dramatically reduce energy costs, and benefit taxpayers over the long term,” said Governor Kulongoski. “We are planning to deploy the additional funds over the next few months in our effort to use the Recovery Act funding on both shovel ready and longer term energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.” The state’s overall strategy is to use Recovery Act SEP funding for an estimated 200 energy projects on public buildings, and to look for opportunities to leverage these funds for innovative projects, programs and initiatives that address state energy priorities and have a high potential for achieving Recovery Act SEP goals. The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) received over 1,100 letters of interest representing a request of over $2 billion in ARRA funding. The state will focus awards on projects that increase energy efficiency, use renewable energy, incorporate promising technologies, save energy, reduce energy costs and invest in local communities. This initial set of projects consists of lighting retrofits and heating and cooling system upgrades to public schools. Many school buildings are old and have inefficient equipment, and maintenance is often deferred for many years due to lack of funds. “A typical lighting project will save a school 25% to 50% in energy costs a year which can result in thousands of dollars in savings for schools districts,” said Mark Long, Director of the Oregon Department of Energy. “A significant savings in energy costs means that more money can be spent in the classroom. Our students and teachers benefit, as well as taxpayers.” The Oregon Department of Energy decided to implement this program through a phased approach. This first set of projects was chosen because they demonstrate long term energy savings, are shovel ready, and are under $50,000 in requested funds. Additional energy projects range in size from over $50,000 to under $1 million in requested funds and will be evaluated, and those selected for funding will be “phased in” over the next 90 days. Applications are required for these larger and more technically complex projects. The 22 K-12 school building projects receiving funding are:
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