$$ Energy Districts’ Clean Energy Technical Assistance just got SERIOUS!

On October 12, 2023, the Department of Energy announced that the City of Decorah, in partnership with the Clean Energy Districts of Iowa, has been awarded $1.1 million in funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Competitive Program.

The EECBG Program is designed to assist states, local governments, and Tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use, reduce fossil fuel emissions, and improve energy efficiency.

The project area features eight rural counties with clean energy districts where neither the county nor the incorporated cities are eligible for EECBG formula grants. The list includes Vernon County in Wisconsin, which includes Ho-Chunk Nation land, and seven counties in Iowa: Allamakee, Winneshiek, Howard, Clayton, Delaware, Jackson, and Tama County, which includes land owned by the Meskwaki Tribe.

CEDI plans to use this funding to provide vital technical assistance to help local governments and schools benefit from the clean energy transition. CEDI will also use the funds to reduce energy burdens in low-income households in Allamakee, Clayton, Delaware, Howard, Jackson, Tama, and Winneshiek counties in Iowa and Vernon County in Wisconsin, including tribal lands.

EECBG funding will be used to hire two energy planners and an engineer to provide vital technical assistance to municipalities, school districts, and low-income households throughout the project area so that they can make cost-effective investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

In August 2023, CEDI surveyed 228 mayors, city clerks, city managers, school district superintendents, and other key leaders in the eight-county project area. The responses revealed that 95% are interested in receiving assistance via the EECBG funding.

To learn more, please visit: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program | Department of Energy