Energy

DNR Secretary Scott Angelle directs funding to aid university energy efficiency

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle has announced that $25.7 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding will be directed to fund energy efficiency retrofits of state university buildings.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced earlier this week that Louisiana’s Department of Natural Resources has been approved for a total of $35.5 million from the ARRA to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the state – the first half of a $71 million federal allocation to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

The allocation to date brings the funding to 50% of the total allocation for Louisiana’s State Energy Program (SEP). The remaining $35 million will be available once Louisiana’s program meets reporting, oversight and accountability requirements set by the federal Recovery Act.

Part of Louisiana’s SEP plan is a $25.7 million “Lead By Example” energy efficiency program to provide funding for conserving energy through retrofitting state buildings.

Angelle has directed that the funding be targeted to state university buildings.

“Cutting state energy costs provides a benefit to all citizens, and this investment in energy efficiency will mean savings in government spending on energy in future years,” Angelle said. “Allowing our universities to use this funding to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings saves them the upfront investment and gives them energy savings opportunities in coming years, allowing them to use more of their resources on their core mission of education.”

Angelle said concentrating that funding on higher education facilities serves the “Lead By Example” purpose of the program well.

“We in Louisiana take pride in our higher education system for teaching our young people to become innovators and leaders in our state and nation,” he said. “I cannot think of a more appropriate place to concentrate the effort to develop the best practices for energy efficiency – setting examples that both the public and private sectors can follow.”

Dr. Sally Clausen, Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education, said the support will be welcomed.

“On behalf of the entire higher education community I would like to thank Secretary Angelle for directing these dollars to one of our state’s most precious resources—our colleges and universities,” said Clausen. “We appreciate every opportunity we have to operate as efficiently as possible and this infusion of dollars will allow us to redirect the savings back to support the students we serve daily. Our state sends a strong message of support for higher education when other state agencies like the Department of Natural Resources looks for ways to contribute to the future of Louisiana—and we thank them for that contribution.”

DNR will be finalizing implementation of its programs in the next few months, and will make announcements as the programs come online and are available for participation.

To learn more about the programs and opportunities to participate, go to www.dnr.louisiana.gov