News Release 159

Gov. Nixon announces $2.5 Million in Recovery Act funds awarded for Energize Missouri Communitiesin Central Missouri

Volume 38-159 (For Immediate Release)
Contact: Kerry Cordray
573-526-4220

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, MARCH 25, 2010 -- Gov. Jay Nixon today announced the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Energize Missouri Communities has offered $2,594,620 in grant awards to seven communities and counties in Central Missouri for energy efficiency projects.

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Energize Missouri Communities offered a total of $11.3 million in grant awards to 58 communities and counties throughout Missouri.   The Recovery Act provides significant funding to assist communities and counties with projects that meet specific program goals to reduce energy use, create and retain jobs and reduce fossil fuel emissions.

Early estimates show that 105 jobs will be created as a result of Energize Missouri Communities funding. Completion of the funded projects will save Missouri communities and counties more than 47.7 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 11,657 tons, the equivalent of removing 2,022 cars from the roads.   

The department issued the grant awards in four program areas: Public Building Energy Efficiency Retrofits, Green Streets, Special Community Initiatives and Water and Wastewater Treatment Efficiency.

• ·The Public Building Energy Efficiency Retrofits program area is designed to help units of local government reduce energy use and improve the energy efficiency of public buildings by conducting retrofits to building energy systems.
• The Green Streets program area is designed to encourage municipalities to partner with local businesses and building owners to aggregate the effects of implementing energy efficiency projects, encourage economic development and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• The Special Community Initiatives program area is designed to capture beneficial energy efficiency and conservation projects at the community level such as; implementing technologies to capture landfill gas, incorporating energy efficiency practices into construction of government buildings, or installing renewable energy technologies.   
• The Water and Wastewater Treatment Efficiency program area is designed to help municipal utilities reduce energy use and operating costs by conducting energy audits and implementing energy efficiency projects.

Central Missouri communities receiving funding, the amounts and description of the project are listed below:

Boone County

• Public Building and Energy Efficiency Retrofits grant award of $219,177 for retrofitting lights and HVAC equipment at the Boone County Government Campus.
• Water and Wastewater Efficiency grant award of $128,052 for retrofitting five wastewater treatment facilities within the Boone County Regional Sewer District. 

Columbia, city of

• Special Community Initiatives grant award of $1,000,000 for establishing a heat recovery system at the landfill gas recovery power plant, and replacing an existing 240kW power plant with combined heat and power at the wastewater treatment plant. 

Fulton, city of

• Public Building and Energy Efficiency Retrofits grant award of $101,250 for installing a temperature control system which monitors electric and natural gas consumption to interface with Smart Grid technology.
• Special Community Initiatives grant award of $436,911 for installing a 280 kW generator for a landfill gas (methane) to energy project.

Howard County

• Public Building and Energy Efficiency Retrofits grant award of $116,460 for replacing boilers and cooling towers for the cities of Glasgow and Fayette, and Moniteau County.

Mexico, city of

• Green Streets grant award of $458,770 for conducting energy audits and installing retrofits for 29 businesses in the central business district.
• Public Building and Energy Efficiency Retrofits grant award of $30,000 for retrofitting City Hall with efficiency measures.

Miller County

• Special Community Initiatives grant award of $74,000 for replacing electric water heaters with geothermal water units and storage tanks. 

Moberly, city of

• Public Building and Energy Efficiency Retrofits grant award of $30,000 for installing occupancy sensors at municipal facilities and replacing a boiler at the Municipal Auditorium.

The department’s Division of Energy will administer the Energize Missouri Communities grant funds. Grant recipients have until August 2012 to complete their projects.

The department is administering more than $200 million in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funding to support Energize Missouri projects to create jobs and improve energy efficiencies and renewable energy for Missouri. The department is committed to working closely with communities and counties to assist with funding efforts that support energy efficiency projects as well as provide financial savings.

For more information on the federal Recovery Act, visit recovery.gov. For more information on Missouri’s transform initiatives, visit transform.mo.gov. For more information, contact Energize Missouri Communities, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176 or 877-610-0834. By email to william.haas@dnr.mo.gov or visit Energize Missouri Communities’ website at: dnr.mo.gov/transform/energizemissouricommunities.htm

###