Federal Grants Reaching Texas Cities

4/21/10—The U.S. Department of Energy announced that both San Antonio and Austin, Texas, will be awarded $10 million to jumpstart programs to realize energy savings from our homes and businesses. The Retro-Fit Ramp-Up awards will stimulate the region’s economy and help create green jobs.

“These new initiatives will go a long way towards making a vibrant, clean energy economy a reality in Austin, San Antonio, and throughout the state,” said Cyrus Reed, director of the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter.

The U.S. Department of Energy dished out $450 million in federal grants in total, to 25 cities, counties, and states. The funds are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Department of Energy chose cities that were determined to have the best proposals for energy retrofit programs. Many of these programs will include training construction workers, qualified contractors, and creating financing mechanisms that will help building owners and homeowners pay for retrofits over time while benefiting immediately from lower energy bills.