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President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Helps 17 Initiatives Throughout 20 States and 30 Tribal Nations and Communities, Bringing Clear Power, Excessive-High quality Jobs, and Power Justice to Each Pocket of America
TEMECULA, CA — As a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Division of Power (DOE) as we speak introduced greater than $366 million for 17 initiatives throughout 20 states and 30 Tribal Nations and communities to speed up clear power deployment in rural and distant areas throughout the nation. This funding—made doable by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation—will assist quite a lot of community-driven power initiatives in rural and distant areas, akin to constructing microgrids for neighborhood well being facilities to make sure electrical energy for essential life-saving gear or developing a brand new hydroelectric facility on Tribal lands to enhance entry to dependable, reasonably priced power. Right this moment’s announcement underscores the Biden-Harris Administration’s deep dedication to constructing an inclusive and equitable clear power future that creates safer, extra resilient communities, enhances Tribal power sovereignty, strengthens power safety, and delivers new financial alternatives in each pocket of the nation.
“President Biden firmly believes that each neighborhood ought to profit from the nation’s historic transition to a clear power future, particularly these in rural and distant areas,” stated U.S. Secretary of Power Jennifer M. Granholm. “Because of the President’s Investing in America agenda, DOE helps revitalize communities throughout America—making certain thriving companies, dependable entry to wash power, and thrilling new financial alternatives, now and for generations to come back.”
Consistent with President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to advance power and environmental justice, all 17 chosen initiatives are positioned in or adjoining to deprived communities which might be disproportionally overburdened by air pollution and traditionally underserved. Rural and distant communities face a singular set of power challenges attributable to their smaller populations and isolation from bigger electrical techniques, together with larger electrical payments, unreliable power provides, and/or no entry to electrical energy in any respect. For instance, 21% of Navajo Nation properties and 35% of Hopi Indian Tribe properties stay unelectrified, in response to a 2023 report by DOE’s Workplace of Indian Power. Of the electrified properties inside Tribal communities, 31% reported month-to-month outages. Of the nation’s 350 persistently poor counties, 300 are rural. Low-income residents persistently face an “power burden”, or share of family revenue spent on power payments, that’s 3 times larger than different households.
Accelerating Clear Power Deployment in Rural and Distant Communities
The initiatives introduced as we speak are a part of DOE’s Power Enhancements in Rural or Distant Areas (ERA) program, which is managed by the DOE Workplace of Clear Power Demonstrations (OCED). The ERA program leverages DOE’s experience in resilient power options whereas recognizing the distinctive environmental, cultural, and financial landscapes of rural and distant communities. The chosen initiatives cowl a variety of fresh power applied sciences, from photo voltaic, battery storage techniques and microgrids to hydropower, warmth pumps, biomass, and electrical automobile charging infrastructure.
Not less than 12 initiatives will assist Tribal communities, such because the Navajo and Hopi Nations, who plan to put in photo voltaic and battery power storage techniques to supply electrical energy for 300 properties. One other undertaking expects its proposed Tribal clear power initiatives to save lots of every Taos Pueblo family in its service space $700 per 12 months, highlighting the cost-savings advantages that include the transition to a clear power future.
Examples of initiatives chosen for award negotiation embrace:
Photo voltaic + Storage Microgrids for Rural Group Well being Facilities Undertaking: (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee): The CHARGE Partnership, made up of the mission-aligned organizations the Nationwide Affiliation of Group Well being Facilities, Capital Hyperlink, Collective Power, and Clear Power Group, plans to construct power resilience in Group Well being Facilities to enhance entry to dependable well being care in low-income, rural communities throughout eight states within the southeast. The preliminary web site for this undertaking is in Tunica, Mississippi in partnership with Aaron E. Henry Group Well being Heart, which is able to incorporate further neighborhood and workforce initiatives. The clear, resilient power techniques developed via this undertaking will profit as much as 175 well being middle websites, making certain power reliability for essential medical gear, refrigeration of insulin and vaccines, and continuity of care throughout emergencies and energy outages. Collaborating well being facilities might save as much as $45 million in power prices, keep away from thousands and thousands in losses attributable to closures, lower greenhouse fuel emissions, and create a scalable, replicable mannequin for distant well being care suppliers, strengthening the resilience of susceptible communities throughout the nation.
Chignik Hydroelectric Dam and Water Supply Undertaking (Chignik Bay, Alaska): This undertaking goals to renovate a 70+ year-old leaking dam and add a 2.1 MWh hydroelectric facility on the identical web site. Along with restoring the dam, the undertaking staff has secured over $6 million to rehabilitate the neighborhood’s water provide and anticipates creating building jobs with a Tribal desire. The brand new hydroelectric facility will exchange 100% of the neighborhood’s diesel consumption and supply energy for properties, companies, and financial actions like tourism and fish processing. The undertaking will even present a brand new income stream for its house owners, the Chignik Bay Tribal Council, and will then promote extra energy to utilities, lowering residents’ whole electrical energy charges.
Resilience and Prosperity in Rural Northern Wisconsin (24 websites throughout Purple Cliff Band Tribal Lands and Bayfield County, Wisconsin): This undertaking seeks to extend regional power reliability with the deployment of 23 microgrid techniques. Wisconsin’s Workplace of Sustainability and Clear Power (OSCE) will promote native workforce growth—significantly for building and everlasting undertaking jobs, create avenues for significant public engagement, and supply clear power training to residents. OSCE additionally goals to deploy solar energy, battery storage, good controls to allow islanding, and electrical automobile charging stations.
Energizing Rural Hopi and Navajo with Photo voltaic Powered Battery-Primarily based Programs (Navajo and Hopi communities in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah): This undertaking plans to put in 2.5 kW off-grid photo voltaic and battery storage techniques to affect 300 Tribal properties, enhancing power resilience and rising electrification charges throughout the neighborhood. The undertaking lead, Native Renewables Inc., is dedicated to an Indigenous-led workforce and has developed a program to extend the variety of Tribal solar-installation professionals. They will even host coaching and training for collaborating households on photo voltaic electrical power techniques and greatest practices to make sure the longevity of battery storage techniques. This electrification undertaking will fulfill important family energy wants, together with lighting, and refrigeration for meals and medication.
Be taught extra concerning the 17 initiatives chosen for award negotiation right here.
As a part of President Biden’s dedication to investing in America’s rural and distant communities, advance environmental and power justice, and strengthen Tribal power sovereignty, every ERA selectee is required to develop and finally implement a complete Group Advantages Plan (CBP)—which might be knowledgeable by early and significant neighborhood engagements in every area. As a part of the Division’s dedication to transparency, OCED will maintain a sequence of nationwide and regional digital briefings to supply data on the chosen initiatives, OCED’s method to wash power demonstrations, and alternatives for neighborhood engagement. Find out about ERA engagement alternatives and register to attend right here.
Choice for award negotiations shouldn’t be a dedication by DOE to difficulty an award or present funding. Earlier than funding is issued, DOE and the selectees will endure a negotiation course of, and DOE might cancel negotiations and rescind the choice for any motive throughout that point. Lead candidates additionally might change throughout the award negotiations course of. If awarded, OCED will consider these initiatives via a phased method to undertaking administration that contains “go/no-go” determination factors between every undertaking part the place DOE opinions and evaluates implementation progress, together with neighborhood advantages.
OCED manages the ERA program and can present undertaking administration oversight for the initiatives introduced as we speak. The ERA program has additionally included further rural and distant alternatives such because the Energizing Rural Communities Prize and ERA Mounted Grant Award Program. OCED is amassing suggestions and information from earlier candidates, rural communities, and stakeholders to tell the event of future funding alternatives underneath the ERA program.
Be taught extra about how OCED is supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government method in addressing the local weather disaster and delivering a clear and equitable power future for each American.
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