ANNAPOLIS, MD -- Governor Martin O'Malley announced today the award recipients for round one of the "EmPOWER Clean Energy Communities" grant program, which helps local governments and nonprofits fund energy efficiency projects specifically for low to moderate income Marylanders. The grants, overseen by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), are providing a total of over $3 million this fiscal year, broken into two rounds, to local governments and nonprofits across our One Maryland. The first round of these funds will be used to perform energy makeovers to save money for at an estimated 1,000 low and moderate income Maryland families. Governor O'Malley also announced the start of round two for additional counties who did not exhaust their available funding for projects in round one.
"These grants are an example of exactly the type of efficiency projects we had intended for Maryland communities and families when we entered into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation's first multi-state collaborative carbon cap-and-trade program," said Governor O'Malley. "These grants are another step forward in our goal to make Maryland's future cleaner, greener, and more sustainable for all our citizens."
Approximately $2 million in grants are being awarded in round one to a wide variety of projects that will jumpstart energy savings and decrease monthly electricity bills. The MEA is providing a total of 24 grants to 13 Maryland Counties in round one, with projects ranging from an energy efficiency retrofit of the Annapolis Boys and Girls Club building in the St. Ambrose Senior Community in Baltimore City, to supporting the efforts of the National Association of American Veterans to weatherize homes of low to moderate income veterans in Prince George's County.
"The Maryland Energy Administration is thrilled to be able to help hundreds of Maryland families reduce their energy bills with investments in their homes that will save them money today and for years to come," commented MEA Director Malcolm Woolf, "This marks yet another big step forward in meeting Governor O'Malley's EmPOWER Maryland goal of 15% reduced energy consumption by 2015."
Round two funding in the amount of approximately $1.2 million is currently available for projects in counties that have not yet exhausted their formula-based portion of the grants. Each Maryland county and Baltimore City was provided an allocation based on the number of low-to-moderate income households residing in the respective area. A listing of all grants awarded in round one, along with a county by county guide to available funding for round two, is detailed below. Guidelines for the grant program are on the MEA webpage:
http://www.energy.state.md.us/incentives/state-local/empowercleanenergycommunities.asp
Funding for the program comes from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which was created from public auctions of carbon credits through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
"Garrett County Community Action Committee Garrett County $50,000
The Garrett County Community Action Committee will use the $50,000 grant to help purchase energy efficient appliances for a new thirty-six (36) unit low income housing development currently being constructed. " (Jay's note: Liberty Mews)
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
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