Maximizing Your Stimulus Series, Part III: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants Offer Unique Opportunities for California Cities

May 13, 2009

The United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, administered under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides grants to fund projects that reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions, and that improve energy efficiency. The deadline for units of local governments and tribal applicants to apply for these grants is June 25, 2009.

California cities may receive these grants in one of two ways. Larger California cities have specific funding allocated by the DOE under a formula. Cities which are on the list must submit an application to DOE by the deadline. Cities not on the DOE’s list will be able to compete for pass-through grants from the State. The California Energy Commission is still in the process of developing the application guidelines for the smaller cities not on the DOE’s list.

Whether large city or small, the EECBG grants offer unique opportunities for California cities to not only reduce energy consumption, but also address issues related to land use planning and greenhouse gas reduction. For example, EECBG grants may prove to be a source of funding for local agencies to develop local climate action plans. Recent draft California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines suggest that local climate action plans may be a solution to a problem local agencies have struggled with since the passage of AB 32 in 2007: how to address greenhouse gas emissions in their environmental documents under CEQA. EECBG grants represent a unique opportunity for California cities to obtain funding for these and other green initiatives.

If you have questions about the EECBG program or local climate action plans, please contact Ben Reyes, Sam Sperry or Ed Grutzmacher.
 

Contact
Benjamin T. Reyes
Principal
E-mail
510.808.2000

Ben Reyes counsels the firm’s clients in the areas of municipal and public agency law, energy, construction, procurement and elections. He is the city attorney for the cities of Pinole and Union City, and serves as District Counsel for the Stege Sanitary District.
Edward Grutzmacher
Senior Associate
E-mail
510.808.2000

Edward Grutzmacher represents public entities and private clients in all stages of land use entitlements, from initial application through final administrative action. He also has extensive experience in litigation arising from land use entitlements, including cases involving the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the State Planning and Zoning Law, the Coastal Act, the Subdivision Map Act, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act and the Mitigation Fee Act.
Samuel Sperry
Of-Counsel
E-mail
510.808.2000

Sam Sperry  has considerable experience in public finance, with an emphasis in the area of California land-secured financing and redevelopment agency tax allocation bond financing. He has a broad depth of knowledge in special assessment and Mello-Roos special tax financing in California and is the firm’s principal resource person on issues pertaining to Proposition 218.