(Louisville, KY) – Today, Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) and Mayor Jerry Abramson announced the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Emergency Management Agency (EMA) would receive $300,000 in federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to develop a new plan to minimize energy shortages in the case of severe weather or disaster. By incorporating input from key agencies and private sector partners, the new plan would work to mitigate power outages and enhance the resiliency of the local energy supply system.

“In the last year and a half, every Louisvillian has been affected by rain, snow, ice, and wind storms that put our power infrastructure to the test,” said Congressman Yarmuth. “This assistance from the Recovery Act will help minimize the outages we face in the future, making sure families and businesses have their lights back on as quickly as possible - even in the toughest of circumstances.”

 “With this funding, we will be able to put together a plan that will minimize energy disruptions and streamline power restoration in an emergency. Unfortunately, we know the inconvenience and frustration of long-term power outages with the natural disasters we recently suffered through,” said Mayor Abramson. “Taking an in-depth look at our energy infrastructure and developing a strategy to tackle this problem will serve Louisville well.”

As part of a competitive award process, Louisville Metro was awarded the funding as part of the Local Energy Assurance Planning program (LEAP), which provides Recovery Act funds to help communities across the nation expand their response capabilities during energy emergencies.

In Louisville, the funds would go toward training staff to respond to emergencies, establishing emergency communication mechanisms between agencies and the private sector, and developing short- and long-term solutions to strengthen the disaster response abilities of the local energy supply system.

The Louisville-Jefferson County EMA will kick-off the project with an Energy Assurance Planning summit to highlight best practices from across the country. An Energy Assurance Planning committee will then develop a training plan for key personnel, establish response strategies, and collaborate with local, state, and private partners on energy assurance initiatives.