Reinvestment

The Department of Energy (DOE) will provide nearly $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for 25 projects aimed at the development of alternative fuel vehicles, with a significant portion of the funding going towards compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will provide nearly $38 million in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve state emergency preparedness plans and ensure quick recovery and restoration from energy supply disruptions, DOE said. Funds will be used by state governments to hire or retrain staff and expand state-level capacities to address challenges to the country’s energy systems, including emergency situations such as blackouts, hurricanes, ice storms and disruptions to heating supplies. Each state will be required to track energy emergencies to assess the restoration and recovery times of any supply disruptions; to train personnel on energy infrastructure and supply systems; and conduct and participate in state and regional energy emergency exercises to evaluate the effectiveness of their energy assurance plans. The awards will also help states address cyber security concerns and prepare for the challenges of integrating smart grid technologies and renewable energy sources into the transmission network.

Eyeing up to $1 billion in federal stimulus package funding, California claimed Tuesday to be the first state to submit its application for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) State Energy Program (SEP) funding. The California Energy Commission (CEC) successfully completed the state’s SEP filing, which promises massive energy savings and more than 2,000 new jobs, according to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) expects to receive up to $300 million of funding from the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and it has set up a portion of the CEC website to track what the state does with the monies, it said Tuesday. CEC staff’s initial review of ARRA’s nearly $800 billion has looked at a $37 billion portion earmarked for energy efficiency, renewables and other clean energy initiatives.