More stimulus headed for Michigan's small businesses; $15 million to be split among businesses making renewable energy

Gov. Jennifer Granholm just announced the state will divide $15 million among businesses who want to make renewable energy equipment.

Those funds are part of an $82 million stimulus package Michigan will get for its state energy program. The governor says this will be a big help to auto suppliers.

"We know that the financial institutions have basically redlined the auto industry and it's been very difficult for auto suppliers to get access to capital," she said.

"What we're announcing today will enable them to have access to capital to diversify."

Any manufacturer with 500 or fewer full-time workers can apply for the grants by Aug. 14. Granholm says firms must show they can obtain private funding as well.

The governor wants makers of car parts to apply their expertise to building wind turbines and solar panels.

The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth will oversee the process.

The agency's director hopes these grants to lead to even more federal loans down the line.

"If an applicant for these monies that we're offering today would get $2 million and that would enable them to qualify for other loans so that they could get $5 million more, then we've pieced together a financial plan for a company to make it," said Michigan DELEG Director Stanley Pruss.

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=6924129

$11 Million In Water Resource Projects Headed To Southside VA

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will award $11 million in contracts through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for 15 water resource projects at the John H. Kerr Reservoir in Boydton and Philpott Reservoir near Martinsville, area Congressmen announced this week.

The projects are designed to restore shorelines, rehabilitate recreation and campground facilities, and hire additional staff to provide visitor assistance during the peak season. Selection criteria required that projects be executed quickly and result in high, immediate employment. Funding is dedicated to complete an ongoing project or an element/phase of an ongoing project.

“The $11-million investment announced will provide much-needed maintenance and modernization to Southside’s major water resources and stimulate economic growth at a time when Virginia’s communities need it most,” said Senator Jim Webb.

“I am happy to see these stimulus dollars being used to make smart investments in Southside,” Senator Mark Warner said. “These projects will create jobs in the near term and help diversify Henry County’s economic opportunities over the longer term.”

“The allocation of $3.75 million in Recovery Act funding for Philpott Reservoir will provide a great economic benefit to Henry County,” said Congressman Rick Boucher.

“Since 2004, I have worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and Henry County officials to identify funding opportunities for a wastewater system to serve Philpott Lake. The new wastewater system is necessary for the potential development of a Marina in Henry County which would provide additional recreational opportunities for area residents and would greatly enhance the County’s tourism economy. The Recovery Act funding announced today is a significant step toward developing the Marina and will provide a long-term foundation for future economic growth in Henry County.”

"We're really excited to have helped secure these projects to increase tourism and spark economic development in our communities in Southside. This is why I supported the recovery act: to create jobs now while investing in our future competitive advantage,” said Congressman Tom Perriello.

The following is a project breakdown:

John H. Kerr Reservoir and Lake, Boydton, received $7,250,000.

• $1,500,000 to perform shoreline stabilization and land acquisition of highly eroded areas. The John H. Kerr shoreline is suffering from severe erosion and some areas of the reservoir have eroded onto private property. The contract will ensure availability of flood pool storage and prevent additional loss of public lands and private property.

• $200,000 to hire additional temporary ranger employees and term employees to provide additional visitor assistance during the peak recreation season, which will improve public safety and security for the visiting public.

• $750,000 to rehabilitate recreation and campground facilities at North Bend Park inclusive of campsites, roadways and restrooms. Contract will repair deteriorated public park facilities and correct non-compliance with modern design standards inclusive of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Activity will also reduce future maintenance costs.

• $1,000,000 to repave entrance roads and parking lots for four recreation areas. Contract will repair deteriorated park roadways, improve and maintain access and ensure safe entrance and exit from the facility.

• $400,000 to update master plan and shoreline management plan which was last updated in 1980. Contract will initiate revisions to comprehensive planning documents that guide limited development and land use allocations on over 50 thousand acres of public lands. Will provide funding to conduct necessary NEPA documentation and current opportunity for public input into the planning process.

• $2,100,000 to conduct characterization and remediation of hazardous waste sites. Contract will thoroughly evaluate extent of environmental contamination and provide necessary remediation to known DDT and dioxin sites at John H. Kerr Reservoir improving environmental health and employee safety in operational areas.

• $1,200,000 to rehabilitate recreational and campground facilities at North Bend Park. This activity will provide additional funds for continued renovations at the Wilmington districts largest Corps-operated recreation area. Contract will repair deteriorated park facilities and correct non-compliance with modern design standards and the American with Disabilities Act.

• $100,000 to update natural and cultural resources data for geographic information system (GIS) database including level one inventory data. Contract will provide critical data to enhance Corps and state partner management of natural resources of nearly 50,000 acres of public lands.
Philpott Reservoir and Lake, near Martinsville, received $3,750,000.

• $150,000 to develop plans and specifications using architectural and engineering services contract to replace critical equipment the powerhouse headgate machinery and controls supporting a 14,000 kilowatts powerhouse.

• $300,000 to prepare plans and specifications using archeological and engineering services contract for the rewind of electric generators and replace the hydraulic turbines to increase capacity at the 14,000 kilowatts powerhouse.

• $150,000 to hire additional temporary ranger employees and term employees to provide additional visitor assistance during the peak recreation season, which will improve public safety and security.

• $200,000 to develop plans and to repair the 50 ton overhead bridge crane in powerhouse supporting a 14,000 kilowatts powerhouse and preventing failure of the dam. The plant goal is to maintain 90 percent availability of operation without a major failure of equipment.

• $750,000 to repair recreational facilities at Horseshoe Point and Salt House Branch Parks. This activity will repair deteriorated public park facilities and correct non-compliance with modern design standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act, increasing visitor satisfaction and reducing future maintenance costs.

• $1,000,000 to repair a bridge crane that has failed once and reached end of life for critical lifts. Contract to rebuild crane controls, motors, and cables supporting a 14,000 kilowatts powerhouse.

• $1,200,000 to construct sewer line to connect Philpott Park to Henry County system. Contract will connect administrative public recreation facilities and powerhouse to municipal sewer, eliminating the need for maintenance of 50 year plus septic systems.

http://www.gazettevirginian.com/news/news/state-news/582-11-million-in-water-resource-projects-headed-to-southside.html

Stimulus Deal Reached...Here’s What’s Green In It (Nuke Is Out!)

From "Climate Progress":

A final deal was reached on a $789 billion stimulus plan (see NYT here). One of the best pieces of news is that the $50 billion in fraudulent budget gimmickry on behalf of the nuclear industry was axed, as posted last night.

There’s also a 3-year extension of the production tax credit for wind and other renewables, which will be crucial to Obama meeting his goal to “double the production of alternative energy in the next three years.” And there’s an expanded tax credit for plug in hybrids, which will be critical for Obama to meet his goal of one million plug-ins by 2015.

The conferees did put back $400 million for DOE’s ARPA-E program, which in normal circumstances would be mostly duplicative of existing DOE R&D programs (see “Note to media on ARPA-E“). But it is new money, and will give Stephen Chu something to chew on quickly.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has distributed a fact sheet on the conference report on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Here are the details on what’s green in ARRA (and I’ll also post the science and tech stuff):

Clean, Efficient, American Energy: To put people back to work today and reduce our dependence on foreign oil tomorrow, we will increase renewable energy production and renovate public buildings to make them more energy efficient.

Smart Grid/Advanced Battery Technology/Energy Efficiency

o Provides a total of $30 billion for such initiatives as a new, smart power grid, advanced battery technology, and energy efficiency measures, which will create nearly 500,000 jobs.

o Transforms the nation’s electricity systems through the Smart Grid Investment Program to modernize the electricity grid to make it more efficient and reliable.

o Supports U.S. development of advanced vehicle batteries and battery systems through loans and grants so that America can lead the world in transforming the way automobiles are powered.

o Helps state and local governments make investments in innovative best practices to achieve greater energy efficiency and reduce energy usage.

o Spurs energy efficiency and renewable energy R&D.

Tax Incentives to Spur Energy Savings and Green Jobs

o Provides $20 billion in tax incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency over the next 10 years.

o Includes a three-year extension of the production tax credit (PTC) for electricity derived from wind (through 2012) and for electricity derived from biomass, geothermal, hydropower, landfill gas, waste-to-energy, and marine facilities (through 2013).

o Provides grants of up to 30 percent of the cost of building a new renewable energy facility to address current renewable energy credit market concerns.

o Promotes energy-efficient investments in homes by extending and expanding tax credits through 2010 for purchases such as new furnaces, energy-efficient windows and doors, or insulation.

o Provides a tax credit for families that purchase plug-in hybrid vehicles of up to $7,500 to spur the next generation of American cars.

o Includes clean renewable energy bonds for State and local governments.

o Establishes a new manufacturing investment tax credit for investment in advanced energy facilities, such as facilities that manufacture components for the production of renewable energy, advanced battery technology, and other innovative next-generation green technologies.

Landmark Energy Savings at Home

o Provides $5 billion for landmark provisions to improve the energy efficiency of more than 1 million modest-income homes through weatherization.

o This will save modest-income families on average $350 per year on their heating and air conditioning bills.

Repairing Public Housing and Making Key Energy Efficiency Retrofits to HUD-Assisted Housing

o Provides a total of $6.3 billion for increasing energy efficiency in federally-supported housing programs.

o Specifically, establishes a new program to upgrade HUD-sponsored low-income housing (elderly, disabled, and Section to increase energy efficiency, including new insulation, windows, and frames.

o Also invests in energy efficiency upgrades in public housing, including new windows, furnaces, and insulation to improve living conditions for residents and lower the cost of operating these facilities.

All in all, an impressive down payment on the transition to a clean energy economy.

Here’s the science and tech stuff (which includes ARPA-E):

Transform our Economy with Science and Technology: To secure America’s role as a world leader in a competitive global economy, we are renewing America’s investments in basic research and development, in training students for an innovation economy, and in deploying new technologies into the marketplace. This will help businesses in every community succeed in a global economy.

Investing in Scientific Research (More than $15 Billion)

o Provides $3 billion for the National Science Foundation, for basic research in fundamental science and engineering — which spurs discovery and innovation.

o Provides $1.6 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which funds research in such areas as climate science, biofuels, high-energy physics, nuclear physics and fusion energy sciences — areas crucial to our energy future.

o Provides $400 million for the Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to support high-risk, high-payoff research into energy sources and energy efficiency in collaboration with industry.

o Provides $580 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, including the Technology Innovation Program and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

o Provides $8.5 billion for NIH, including expanding good jobs in biomedical research to study diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, and heart disease.

o Provides $1 billion for NASA, including $400 million to put more scientists to work doing climate change research.

o Provides $1.5 billion for NIH to renovate university research facilities and help them compete for biomedical research grants.

http://climateprogress.org/2009/02/12/stimulus-deal-reached-heres-whats-green-it-it/