The Department of Energy announced Tuesday it will give $5 million to 11 states to help them develop energy plans and take advantage of clean energy opportunities.
The agency will give about $2 million to Maine, Tennessee, Virginia and New York. Those four states will use the money to develop energy plans that increase energy reliability and efficiency, bring renewable energy into the electrical grid, involve economic development and include enhanced environmental policies.
The department also will spend $3 million in Alaska, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Vermont.
That money will go toward developing and implementing energy-efficiency projects. The funds will help the states expand their services to rural areas that may be underserved by the electric grid as well as helping local governments improve energy efficiency in wastewater treatment plants.
“State-led projects will culminate in replicable actions other states and local governments can adopt to overcome barriers to new energy initiatives and enable them to achieve greater public and private investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy,” the Energy Department said.
The money is being awarded as a part of the State Energy Program, which has given out more than $67 million to 36 states since 2008.
