The Louisville City Council erupted into applause Tuesday night after unanimously approving ConocoPhillips’ preliminary plans for a 2.5 million-square-foot campus off U.S. [...]
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Funding will allow Boulder County (and the municipalities within Boulder County) to launch the Colorado Retrofit Ramp-Up Program in partnership with the City and County of Denver, Garfield County, the Governor’s Energy Office, Xcel Energy and others
Boulder County, Colo. – The White House announced today that Boulder County, in partnership with the City and County of Denver, Garfield County, the Governor’s Energy Office, Xcel Energy and others, will receive $25 million in federal stimulus grants (out of a pool of $452M in Recovery Act funding) through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Retrofit Ramp-Up Initiative. Under the Initiative, communities, governments, private sector companies and non-profit organizations will work collaboratively to promote large-scale retrofits and make energy efficiency resources accessible to homeowners and businesses across the country. The goals of the program are to stimulate local economic growth and investment in our region, and to advance the state of Colorado’s energy independence through large-scale retrofits in the neighborhoods and business districts in Boulder County (including the municipalities of Boulder, Erie, Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Nederland, Superior and Ward); the City and County of Denver; and Garfield County.
Statement from the Boulder County Board of Commissioners:
“We are delighted that the federal government has chosen Boulder County as one of only 25 communities in the country to receive funding under the Retrofit Ramp-Up Program. These grants will stimulate significant investment and innovation in energy efficiency across the nation, leading to more jobs, lowered greenhouse gas emissions, and a stronger economy. We are proud to be part of this momentous effort.
“In being selected to participate in this program, we are pleased that the Department of Energy recognizes the outstanding leadership of our residents, our municipal partners, and our business community in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and innovative financing options to help residents and businesses pay for these improvements.
“The federal grant will enable more businesses and residents to take advantage of expanded energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofits, leading to great energy savings, cost savings and jobs creation. The $25 million federal investment is expected to leverage an investment of $180 million in energy upgrades, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 200,000 tons, and generate or retain thousands of green jobs across the region.
“While Boulder County is the lead agency for this grant, we submitted it in partnership with the City and County of Denver, Garfield County, the City of Boulder, the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office, the Metro Mayors’ Caucus, and the Denver Regional Council of Governments. We believe that the federal decision to award this grant reflects the remarkable leadership of Governor Ritter and the Colorado legislature in creating the New Energy Economy, and the groundbreaking efforts of Mayor Hickenlooper and his Greenprint Denver team to make Denver a sustainable city.
“We look forward to working with our residents and businesses, the federal government, and all of our regional partners, as we join together to retrofit our buildings to build the New Energy Economy, and to protect our economy, our environment, and our global climate.”
View the Department of Energy news release: http://www.energy.gov/news/8870.htm. Documents/References:
Background Through the Department of Energy’s Retrofit Ramp-Up Program, Boulder County and its program partners will work to expand on-the-ground efforts to give residents and businesses accessible options for retrofitting their existing homes and buildings to be more energy efficient. The Retrofit Ramp-Up projects are part of the overall $80 billion Recovery Act investment in clean energy and energy-efficiency. The awards are the competitive portion of DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, which was funded for the first time under the Recovery Act to help state, local, and tribal communities make strategic investments in improving energy efficiency, reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions. The Retrofit Program will deliver clear information on energy efficiency and weatherization to the residential and commercial sectors by working with utilities, community organizations, partnering with state and local agencies and businesses, and identifying and targeting neighborhoods, business districts, and social networks. These programs will then be replicated throughout the rest of the state through partnerships with the Governor’s Energy Office, the Denver Regional Council of Governments, the Metro Mayors Caucus and others. Additional partners and collaborators include Xcel Energy, Change to Win, The DC Project, Wells Fargo Securities, and other private and nonprofit partners with expertise on financial, technical, and social mobilization related matters. While it has not been determined yet exactly how the funding will be distributed among agencies and programs, the following are programs that were proposed in Boulder County’s grant application the DOE:
Two years ago, nearly every municipality in Boulder County joined with the county to adopt an ambitious yet achievable Sustainable Energy Plan which lays out a set of strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, while saving hundreds of millions of dollars in energy costs. These efforts have been years in the making: · In 2005, city of Boulder residents voted to enact the nation’s first carbon tax to support climate action programs · In 2005, residents countywide voted to create funding for countywide sustainability programs · In 2008, Boulder County voters authorized the creation of the ClimateSmart Loan Program, one of the first three property-assessed clean energy financing programs in the nation · Boulder, Longmont, Superior and Boulder County all have adopted cutting edge residential green building codes · Boulder, Longmont and Boulder County have jointly funded energy action programs designed to help homeowners and businesses identify and implement energy upgrades · Boulder, Lafayette and Boulder County all have installed large-scale solar electricity generation on public buildings · In 2008, Xcel Energy chose Boulder as the location for the nation’s first SmartGrid City · The University of Colorado at Boulder has signed the American University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, and has developed and begun implementing a long-term plan to achieve carbon neutrality · In 2009, county residents voted in favor of a bonding measure to allow deep energy retrofits to multiple public buildings, including the use of solar hot water, solar electricity, and biomass heating to cut the Jail’s energy use in half The $25 million federal investment is expected to leverage an investment of $180 million in energy upgrades, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 200,000 tons, and generate or retain thousands of green jobs across the region. Join Boston’s Equinox Fitness Clubs – Back Bay and Franklin Street – for an exclusive event celebrating Earth Day on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 from 5 to 8 p.m. Members, and guests, are invited to partake in complimentary fitness [...] Last night there was a crazy dramatic sunset over the Rocky Mountains Twin Peaks, Mt. Meeker 13,955′ and Longs Peak 14,255′ showing all the layers of the foothills. Boulder County Colorado. Lovin the colorful sunsets in Boulder County! Buy this reasonably priced fine art Colorado nature photography prints to decorate your office walls, home walls, [...] BOULDER, Colo.—Residents of a south-Boulder neighborhood say they’ll lie down in front of chemical sprayers to prevent the use of an herbicide to kill dandelions. Mo'Nique is at the height of her acting career winning several awards including the Oscar for her raw performance as Mary Jones in Precious. In an honest, moving interview with Barbara Walters, Mo'Nique admitted that her older brother, Gerald, [...] |
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