Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner Bob Martineau today announced more than $1 million in grants for energy efficiency projects.
"These projects will help our communities reach their long-term fiscal goals and protect the air we breathe," Haslam said. "I'm grateful to all of the applicants for their efforts and look forward to seeing the great things they'll accomplish with the additional savings."
Thirteen Clean Tennessee Energy Grants were awarded to local governments and municipalities, utilities and state entities to implement projects designed to reduce air emissions, improve energy efficiency and create cost savings. Specifically, the projects focus on:
- Cleaner Alternative Energy - biomass, geothermal, solar, wind
- Energy Conservation - lighting, HVAC improvements, improved fuel efficiency, insulation, idling minimization
- Air Quality Improvement - reduction in greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, oxides of nitrogen, hazardous air pollutants
"This year's applicants have proposed creative energy efficiency programs designed to decrease emissions and reduce expenses at the local level," TDEC Commissioner Bob Martineau said. "We will continue to look for ways to promote environmental awareness and energy efficiency within state government and in Tennessee communities."
Funding for the projects comes from an April 2011 Clean Air Act settlement with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Under the Consent Decree, Tennessee received $26.4 million over the past five years to fund clean air programs in the state. TDEC has used the funding to reimburse grantees for a variety of innovative projects to reduce environmental impacts and operating costs at sites of new construction, redevelopment projects, and sites with aging infrastructure.
The maximum grant amount per project is $250,000 and requires a match from the applicant. Grant recipients were chosen based on the careful consideration to meet the selection criteria and for those projects that expressed the greatest need.
