Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced today that the Department of Energy has released $374,000 in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also known as the economic stimulus package, to create jobs and help communities implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The funding is for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, designed to help the state, counties, cities and tribes put in place their strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions, lower energy use, and improve energy efficiency. During the crafting of the ARRA, Feingold wrote to then President-elect Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and urged them to include funding for the program in the bill. Feingold voted in favor of the ARRA.
“Communities across Wisconsin, including those in Marathon County, have energy efficiency projects and green initiatives lined up and ready to go,” Feingold said. “This funding will help get many of them off the ground, creating jobs and helping address one of our nation’s most pressing needs - breaking our dependence on oil.”
Earlier this year, the federal government announced ARRA funding allocations for the EECBG program for Wisconsin. Today, the funding has been actually released to Marathon County. The EECBG program, established by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, is a results-oriented program that allows cities, counties, states and tribes to address local energy needs and priorities that achieve lasting energy-savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Feingold is a strong supporter of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. During debate on the comprehensive 2007 energy bill, Feingold worked to improve the grant program to ensure it supports environmentally sustainable solutions and maximizes benefits for local and regional communities.
A complete breakdown of EECBG grant funding for Wisconsin is available here.
More information on how the ARRA is helping Wisconsin is available here.
