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HARRISBURG, Pa., July 7, 2006 /PRNewswire
Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell is investing $1 million to help small business owners put equipment or processes in place to enhance energy efficiency or promote pollution prevention. The Small Business Advantage Grant Program, which is open to small business owners whose business or facility is located in Pennsylvania, has been extremely popular, awarding more than $2 million to 400 recipients across the state since Governor Rendell launched the program in July 2004. The program provides a 50 percent matching grant of up to $7,500 for equipment or processes that reduce energy consumption and promote pollution prevention while helping to increase profitability for small businesses. An eligible applicant must be a for-profit business enterprise that is a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, sole proprietorship or other legal entity that has no more than 100 full-time employees and is a separate legal business entity at the time the application is submitted. Applicants may be manufacturers or service providers. The project for which the grant applies must be located within the applicant's Pennsylvania facility. Grants are awarded on a first-come, first- serve basis. "The Governor's leadership and the willingness of our business community to invest in innovation are keeping Pennsylvania at the national forefront of alternative energy development and deployment," Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said. "Combining new sources of clean energy with energy efficiency improvements and conservation is a winning strategy that will move Pennsylvania and the nation toward greater energy independence." The Small Business Advantage Grant Program is part of Governor Rendell's larger effort to put policies and financial tools in place to promote advanced energy projects in the state. Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, one of the most progressive in the nation, ensures that 18 percent of all retail energy generated by 2020 comes from clean, efficient and advanced resources. Clean energy builds substantially on the state's leadership in wind production east of the Mississippi, with wind sources providing enough clean energy to power some 70,000 homes. Because of that leadership, Governor Rendell was able to lead a campaign to land the Spanish wind-energy company Gamesa Corp., the second largest wind energy company in the world, beating out many other vying states. With its U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia and manufacturing facilities in Bucks and Cambria counties, Gamesa represents an $84 million investment in the state that will create as many as 1,000 jobs over five years. The commonwealth is leading in other areas of advanced energy development, creating jobs and cleaning up the environment while putting indigenous resources to work. Governor Rendell's "PennSecurity Fuels Initiative" will produce and use 900 million gallons annually of clean, domestic fuel -- an amount equivalent to what the state is expected to import from the Persian Gulf 10 years from now. The Governor is investing $30 million over the next five years to build re-fueling and production infrastructure to support wide distribution of the alternative fuels. Pennsylvania very well could be the nation's leading producer of biodiesel within the year, going from practically nowhere a year ago to a projected 40 million gallons of annual production. The state already is home to the East Coast's first, state-of-the-art, biofuels injection facility, which opened last fall with $220,000 in state aid. The plant will replace 3.2 million gallons of foreign oil with domestically produced biodiesel and keep at home $6 million worth of energy dollars by reducing the state's need to purchase imported fuels. The nation's first coal gasification-liquefaction plant is being built in northeastern Pennsylvania. The facility will use waste coal to produce 40 million gallons of clean-burning diesel fuel each year. What the Governor is doing to support the project is unprecedented, creating a fuel consortium with private industry to purchase nearly all of the offtake. Pennsylvania will lock in its supply for some 10 years at prices well below current market values and ensure a long-term, viable market for the plant. Pennsylvanians now spend some $30 billion per year on imported energy fuels. Instead of spending overseas, Governor Rendell is investing at home and putting Pennsylvanians to work. Brought back to life after years of inactivity, the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority has awarded $15 million in grants and loans for 41 clean energy projects that will leverage $200 million in private investment. The projects will create 1,558 permanent and construction jobs. The Pennsylvania Energy Harvest Grant Program has awarded $15.9 million and leveraged another $43.7 million in private funds since its inception in May 2003 for projects using sources such as wind, solar, biomass, waste coal and recycled energy. Applications for the Small Business Advantage Grant Program will be accepted through Dec. 15, 2006. Applications can be downloaded from the DEP's Web site at http://www.depweb.state.pa.us, Keyword: "SBAdvantage," or by selecting "Small Business Advantage Grant Program" from the Energy Topics drop-down list. The Rendell Administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us . News Provided By |
