Local Government Energy Assurance Grants Announced
PTI Staff Contact: Ronda Mosley, 937-667-4142.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today the 43 cities and towns across the country that will receive grant funding to develop or expand local energy assurance plans that will improve electricity reliability and energy security in these communities.
These emergency preparedness plans, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in a competitive process that total over $8 million in grants, will help ensure local governments can recover and restore power quickly following any energy supply disruptions.
PTI is working closely with DOE to provide technical assistance as part of this Local Government Energy Assurance Planning (LEAP) program. In fact, a number of PTI member governments have participated in planning sessions and exercises that provided valuable input for DOE as they crafted the LEAP program.
Through a grant from DOE, PTI will offer technical assistance to the cities and towns that were awarded grants to help them develop their energy assurance plans. Through webinars and other educational programming, PTI will also reach out to the broader audience of local governments to educate them on energy assurance planning opportunities.
A valuable resource for any local government looking to enhance their energy security is the PTI publication Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines. It offers a model tool to help officials assess their readiness in case of an energy emergency in their community by:
- Identifying national and local government experts who can help with energy assurance planning needs;
- Building organizational relationships and responsibilities within local government, the private sector and the region;
- Discovering actions that can ease the impacts of short-term energy disruptions
- Defining long-term strategies and options for dealing with sustained disruptions or outages
- Providing a tool that can be used to prepare an energy assurance plan
- Improving all-hazards emergency preparedness through regional collaboration; and
- Learning about innovative and traditional financing mechanisms for energy assurance needs.
For a list of cities and towns that were awarded competitive grants under the Local Energy Assurance Planning program of the U.S. Department of Energy see the February 19, 2010 DOE announcement Secretary Chu Announces Over $8 Million to Support Local Energy Assurance Planning Initiatives.
02-19-2010 Send a link Consulting & Advisory Services Sustainability Stimulus Programs Print version
