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Washington, Aug 14, 2009 -

Rep. Bill Foster (IL-14) announced that the state of Illinois will receive $40,528,400 in funding today for energy efficiency improvements and the promotion of renewable energy projects.  The funding was made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which Foster voted for.

“This funding will allow the state of Illinois to address pressing energy priorities for our area, which will move our state and our nation closer to energy independence,” said Foster.  “While the funding aids important energy projects, the money will also create jobs in our area – exactly what the stimulus was designed to do.”

This money was a part of the $119 million in stimulus funds to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in seven states and territories.  The money was released by the Department of Energy, and will fund the department’s State Energy Program (SEP), which promotes energy efficiency and clean energy deployment while supporting local economic recovery.

Illinois will use SEP funds to improve energy efficiency and promote renewable energy projects by providing stimulus funds for energy efficiency retrofits and the biofuels industry.  The state will provide grants to support new biomass manufacturing capacity or retrofits to existing facilities that will help reduce operating expenses and the environmental impact of biofuels manufacturing.

In addition, the state will use SEP funding to provide grants to various entities including schools, public buildings, and industrial facilities to improve energy efficiency in new and existing buildings, facilities, equipment and processes.  Grants will fund multiple initiatives, including investments in energy efficient lighting, cooling, traffic signals, boilers and furnaces.  Programs will look to leverage funding with outside sources and will specifically target large-scale energy users in order to identify and prioritize energy efficiency measures that will result in the greatest return on investment.

The funding announced for Illinois today represents 40 percent of its total SEP funding authorized by the stimulus, and to date, they have now received 50 percent of their total stimulus SEP funding.  The initial 10 percent of funds was previously available to Illinois for planning activities.  The remaining 50 percent of funds will be released once Illinois meets the reporting, oversight and accountability standards as required by the stimulus.