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Fed approves $1.7M energy grant
Stimulus funds help homeowners convert to solar power
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The federal Department of Energy has awarded Huntington its full $1.725 million Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, town officials announced Thursday. The township joins some 25 municipalities around the state that have received award notices and is one the municipalities whose block grant allocation was awarded in full.
The allocation is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the $878-billion federal stimulus that President Barack Obama and Congress approved earlier this year to help jumpstart the U.S. economy and rebuild America's infrastructure for the 21st century.
Supervisor Frank Petrone, who faces challengers Peter Nichols and Bill Dowler in his re-election bid Tuesday, said that by week's end he would execute the federal assistance agreement that accompanied the award notice and return it to the federal office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Washington.
"We have been looking forward to this moment with great anticipation," Petrone said, in a statement. "We designed our proposals carefully up front to be ready to put these stimulus dollars to use where they will do the most good for our residents and our workforce."
Huntington's application included five projects. The largest, expected to use half of the block grant, is for the installation of energy-efficient Induction street lighting and allows the town to begin replacing some 15,000 high-pressure sodium street lamps in use throughout Huntington.
The town spends about $2-million a year to light its streets and parking lots, according to town officials. Induction lighting can cut the town's energy use by half. The street light replacement project would save money and reduce Huntington's demand for fossil fuel energy on the LIPA grid. The town will supplement the capital funding to change out all cobra-headed sodium fixtures.
Other projects include a solar power demonstration project to install a photo-voltaic system on the roof of the Town Hall Annex to generate electricity and help power the town's main office complex; as well as energy-efficiency LEED retrofits to Town Hall and major facilities.
Huntington will also begin a Green Homes program to help town residents with the cost of energy audits and basic energy-efficient improvements to their homes. The federal guideline allows awardees to use up to 20 percent of the grant for residential energy efficiency loans, town officials stated.
Councilwoman Susan Berland stated that some of the money will go toward creating a long-term energy master plan.
Modeled after the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community development Block Grant program, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program provides grants to local governments, states, territories and Indian tribes to fund programs and projects that reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions and improve energy efficiency.
The program represents a Presidential priority to deploy the cheapest, cleanest, and fastest energy sources.
Congress authorized the program in December 2007 but did not appropriate funds for the program until this year. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funded the program for the first time.
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