U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Thursday announced plans to invest $3.2 billion in energy efficiency and conservation projects in the United States. In a statement released on Thursday, Biden and Chu said the billions would be allocated to projects in U.S. cities, countries, states, territories, and Native American tribes. The plan, called the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program is funded by U.S. President Barack Obama's $787 billion recovery plan. “These investments will save taxpayer dollars and create jobs in communities around the country. Local leaders will have the flexibility in how they put these resources to work – but we will hold them accountable for making the investments quickly and wisely to spur the local economy and cut energy use,” Biden said. The $3.2 billion will support energy audits and energy efficiency re-fits in residential and commercial buildings, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements. Cities and counties will receive $1.9 billion under the grant program, while states and territories will receive $770 million, and more than $54 million will go directly to Tribal governments. As the multi-billion dollar plan will be allocated in the midst of an ever-growing economic crisis, the statement also urged accountability, saying the Department of Energy will provide “guidance to and require grant recipients to report on the number of jobs created or retained, energy saved, renewable energy capacity installed, greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and funds leveraged. Funding is based on a formula that accounts for population and energy use.”
