Seattle to receive $6 million in new energy grant

SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels announced today that the city of Seattle will receive $6,142,300 from the US Department of Energy through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program. The funds are to be used for energy-saving programs in homes, businesses and transportation.

This grant is part the Obama Administration's federal stimulus program. As author of the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, Nickels was instrumental in conceiving the original idea of a federal plan for a local energy-efficiency program and advocating for its successful inclusion in the federal budget.

The leadership of the US Conference of Mayors first identified the need to support local government investment in energy efficiency through a new federal block grant in a plan, ratified at the 2007 Mayor's Climate Protection Summit, hosted in Seattle.

"We have looked for a federal partner for years, and I'm thankful for President Obama's leadership to help us become more energy efficient and create new, green jobs," said Nickels. "This program will bring the latest technologies to Main Street, to help our residents save money on their utility bills and fight global warming."

"Mayor Nickels and the City of Seattle have been international leaders on climate change for many years," said Gregg Small, Executive Director of Climate Solutions. "Energy efficiency is the most cost-effective step to combat climate change, and this new grant provides the city with a unique opportunity to make further greenhouse gas reductions. It also provides a powerful opportunity to create great jobs in our community at a time when they are desperately needed."

This grant, allocated through a population-based formula, is a $3.2 billion program in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that provides grants to states, local governments and Indian tribes to reduce total energy use and fossil fuel emissions and improving energy efficiency nationwide.

Eligible activities for use of EECBG program funds include everything from developing a local energy efficiency and conservation strategy to residential and commercial building energy audits and retrofits and financial incentive programs, support for transportation programs that save energy, developing new building codes and supporting inspection services and developing new local renewable energy resources.

Nickels currently serves as Vice President of the US Conference of Mayors. He will take the helm as president of the organization in June of 2009.

Get the Nickels Newsletter and the mayor's inside view on transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities at mayor.seattle.gov

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Office of the Mayor