Colorado Governor Bill Ritter on Tuesday announced the first recipients of $10 million in grants under the “New Energy Communities Initiative.” Ritter said the 14 projects will stimulate economic growth, create new jobs, enhance sustainability and lead to more livable communities all across Colorado.
Gov. Ritter made the announcement Tuesday morning during a keynote address at the second annual New Energy Economy Conference at the Colorado Convention Center.
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The initiative is a joint effort of Colorado Department of Local Affairs and the Governor’s Energy Office. It is designed to maximize energy efficiency and conservation, enhance community livability, promote economic development, and address climate change by reducing carbon emissions.
The 14 grant recipients, representing regional and collaborative efforts, were selected from 32 applications. About 1.8 million people live in the areas that will benefit from these projects. The program directs $10 million in Energy Impact Assistance Funds to regional efforts, with a maximum of $2 million per region.
The projects are:
* Avon Heat Recovery Facility: $1.5 million
* Boulder County Biomass Heating Initiative: $500,000
* Cortez Micro-Hydroelectric Plant: $500,000
* Fort Collins Regional New Energy Communities Initiative: $778,000
* Garfield County New Energy Communities Initiative: $1.6 million
* Grand Junction New Energy Communities Initiative: $1 million
* Greeley Intergovernmental New Energy Communities Initiative: $700,000
* La Plata County Regional New Energy Communities Initiative: $1.2 million
* Longmont New Energy Communities Initiative: $500,000
* Loveland Multi-Agency New Energy Communities Initiative: $39,250
* Pikes Peak Region New Energy Communities Initiative: $200,000
* Pueblo Sustainable New Energy Communities Initiative: $1 million
* Routt County New Energy Communities Initiative: $87,000
* Yuma County New Energy Communities Initiative: $400,000.
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