Part of federal stimulus money
AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced plans to invest $3.2 billion in energy efficiency and conservation projects throughout the nation, Amarillo is scheduled to get over $1.7 million. Vice President Biden said that this will help save taxpayer dollars and create jobs in communities around the country. The Vice President also said that local leaders will have the flexibility in how they decide to put the money to work.
The money comes from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, funded by President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding will support energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings. To ensure accountability, the Department of Energy will require grant recipients to report on the number of jobs created or retained.
We are still looking into what the city plans to do with the money, stay tuned. Amarillo is the only city in the Texas Panhandle to receive the federal money.
