Gov. Bill Ritter today announced the first recipients of the "New Energy Communities Initiative" – 14 projects that will stimulate economic growth, create new jobs, enhance sustainability and lead to more livable communities all across Colorado
"The New Energy Communities Initiative will be a valuable resource for communities that are working together to build Colorado's New Energy Economy," Gov. Ritter said during a keynote address at the second annual New Energy Economy Conference at the Colorado Convention Center Colorado
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 projects are:
· Avon Heat Recovery Facility: $1.5 million
· Boulder County
· Cortez Micro-Hydroelectric Plant: $500,000
· Fort Collins
· Garfield County
· Grand Junction
· Greeley
· La Plata County
· Longmont
· Loveland Multi-Agency
· Pikes Peak Region New Energy Communities Initiative: $200,000
· Pueblo
· Routt County
· Yuma County
"The New Energy Communities Initiative provides an energy and economic stimulus that rewards communities throughout
Gov. Ritter announced the establishment of the New Energy Communities Initiative at the Colorado Municipal League's annual conference in Steamboat Springs in June. 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 program directs $10 million in Energy Impact Assistance Funds to regional efforts, with a maximum of $2 million per region.
The program directs $10 million in Energy Impact Assistance Funds to regional efforts, with a maximum of $2 million per region.
"These grants will help local communities upgrade, retrofit or develop energy efficient public facilities, enhance streetscape improvements and downtown revitalization, and assist local
governments' efforts to educate homeowners on energy efficient upgrades and retrofits to meet higher energy efficiency standards," said Susan Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Department of Local Affairs.
governments' efforts to educate homeowners on energy efficient upgrades and retrofits to meet higher energy efficiency standards," said Susan Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Department of Local Affairs.
The Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance program assists communities in offsetting the direct impacts of energy and mineral development and in meeting other needs indirectly related to such development. The funds are administered by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and come from the state severance tax on oil, gas, carbon dioxide, coal and metals and from the state's share of royalties paid to the federal government for the extraction of minerals and mineral fuels on federally owned land.
Additional details about the 2008 New Energy Communities projects:
1) Garfield County
Partners: Garfield County , Town of Parachute , City of Rifle , Town of Silt , Town of New Castle , City of Glenwood Springs, Town ofCarbondale , Garfield County Public Library District, Roaring Fort School District
This collaborative effort includes a comprehensive program to increase energy efficiency in public, commercial, and residential buildings, increase renewable energy, enhance overall community livability, incorporate energy improvements into downtowns and advance a clean energy economy countywide. Specific project elements include: greening of public facilities, renewable energy demonstration projects, LED street Garfield County
2) Avon New Energy Communities Initiative Heat Recovery Facility - $1,500,000
Partners: Town of Avon , Eagle River
This project offers cutting-edge improvements to sludge digestion technology, pool water heating and conventional snow melting. It consists of the design and construction of a neighborhood waste heat recovery system that will capture solar heat and extract heat from the wastewater treatment plant processes to enhance livability in the community, support economic revitalization efforts, and serve a growing population in an environmentally, sustainable way. Further, it will reduce the temperature of wastewater effluent currently discharged into the Eagle River
3) La Plata County
Partners: La Plata County , City of Durango
The projects of this regional partnership include public building energy audits, public renewable energy demo projects, LED projects, marketing a small commercial audit and retrofit program, marketing for an Energy Star program for new homes, support for a recycling program, planning and design of an energy efficient municipal complex, and funding for a sustainability coordinator. The project also includes the redevelopment of a brownfield site and construction of a LEED-certified Energy and Science Museum in Durango
4) Grand Junction
Partners: City of Grand Junction , Mesa County , City of Fruita , Town of Palisade and Grand Junction
This project consists of providing energy efficiency measures and developing renewable sources of energy for public facilities, create highly visible renewable energy demonstration projects, conducting outreach to the community with programs and resources, and plans for the revitalization of a three block area in Grand Junction
5) Pueblo
Partners: City and County of Pueblo , Combined Court – 10th Judicial District, Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority and the Pueblo
Projects include use of performance contracting, installation of energy efficient equipment in the proposed regional Development Center and County Judicial Complex in downtown Pueblo
6) Fort Collins
Partners: City of Fort Collins , Fort Collins Regional Library District, Fort Collins
This effort is directed at strategically funding several energy efficiency and renewable energy projects throughout the region focusing on public buildings and facilities. Projects include light emitting diodes (LED) street lights in downtown, retro-commissioning, installing solar photovoltaics on both public buildings and affordable housing developments, installing a solar thermal system for a community pool and the hiring of a sustainability coordinator. The projects will not only increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy technologies, but also provide a significant education component showcasing projects to the general public.
7) Greeley
Partners: City of Greeley, Weld County, Town of Windsor, University of Northern Colorado, Aims Community College, Greeley/Evans School District No. 6, Greeley Downtown Development Authority
Energy efficiency and renewable energy projects will be installed in several public facilities (including elementary and middle schools, the county courthouse, Windsor town hall and the Greeley Civic Center
8) Boulder County
Partners: Boulder County , City of Boulder , Lafayette , Louisville , Lyons , Nederland , Superior and University of Colorado
This project will support the construction of a biomass facility that will burn trees lost to the Mountain Pine Beetle to provide heat for county road and bridge shops. The project funding will also support a solar pool facility in Louisville and a wind turbine project in Lafayette
9) Cortez Micro-Hydroelectric Plant - $500,000
Partners: City of Cortez , Empire Electric Association, Montezuma County
This project involves the construction of a micro-hydroelectric power generation unit located on a canal in the City of Cortez
10) Longmont
Partners: City of Longmont , St. Vrain Valley School District, Longmont Downtown Development Authority, Longmont Power and Communications and Platte River
This collaborative effort includes energy efficiency improvements at city and school district facilities, renewable energy equipment at city pools and at school district facilities, high efficiency and LED lighting, a small commercial audit program for downtown business, and a municipal energy management coordinator. The project also includes a renewable energy demonstration project at the Longmont Civic Center
11) Yuma County
Partners: Yuma County , City of Wray
12) Pikes Peak Region New Energy Communities Initiative - $200,000
Partners: City of Colorado Springs , Colorado Springs Utility, El Paso County
Project will include the hiring of a sustainability coordinator to oversee a CFL/LED instant rebate program for city residents, implement a residential insulation program, develop incentives for the Energy Star Homes program, assist the city and county with implementation of the new sustainability policies and help identify and recruit environmentally sustainable businesses to the region.
13) Routt County
Partners: City of Steamboat Springs, Routt County , Town of Yampa , Mount Werner
Project partners will utilize an energy audit/performance contracting model to address environmental sustainability. Energy efficiency upgrades will be implemented in public facilities, including a solar electric system at the regional airport and a renewable energy demonstration project at the city library.
14) Loveland Multi-Agency
Partners: City of Loveland , Housing Authority of the City of Loveland , Thompson R2-J School District, Platte River Power Authority,Loveland
