| $9 Billion of Shovel-Ready CHP Projects Await
Stimulus The Fastest Route to Green Technologies and Jobs (Alexandria, VA) -- The Department of Energy recently approved $150 million of grants to clean-energy applications, but it left on the table more than $9 billion of shovel-ready combined heat and power (CHP), waste energy recovery, and district energy projects. Altogether the projects would have created approximately 57,000 jobs. The grants, made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), were announced November 3. While DOE received 367 applications, it awarded grants to only nine projects. "While USCHPA commends these nine awards, there is an acute, unmet opportunity to create jobs and cut pollution through clean heat and power projects," stated Jessica Bridges, executive director of the U.S. Clean Heat and Power Association. USCHPA calls upon Congress and the Administration to act quickly to stimulate these shovel-ready clean-energy projects. As Congress contemplates a second jobs bill to stimulate the U.S. economy, we urge policymakers to include funding for CHP projects and the 57,000 clean technology jobs that await. Further, we urge Congress and the Administration to direct the needed funding through the Waste Energy Incentive Grant Program, which was authorized within Section 451 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). About USCHPA USCHPA is the national association of companies, organizations, and individuals who recognize the benefits and seek to increase the use of clean heat and power technologies, including combined heat and power (CHP), recycled energy, bioenergy and other distributed generation (DG) sources throughout the U.S. economy. Our membership includes corporate members (representing manufacturers of equipment used for CHP and clean DG), installers, users, consultants and engineering firms, as well as non-profit environmental and public-interest groups who recognize and seek the important efficiency, environmental, and reliability benefits offered by clean heat and power technologies.
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