The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Technology Assessment Division has been awarded a $100,000 grant by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to incorporate energy-efficient and sustainable design practices into Louisiana’s rebuilding efforts. National experts with many years of experience will be available to share building design concepts at scheduled forums to be held in the hurricane affected regions of the state.

DNR Secretary Scott Angelle said the grant will be coordinated with Tulane School of Architecture and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (ULL) School of Architecture and Design. Contractors involved in the rebuilding process will have an opportunity to work with and learn from a number of urban planners and building professionals who will offer information and instructions at the forums to be held in several communities in south Louisiana starting in January 2006. According to state officials, scheduling dates and locations have not been finalized but will be announced in the coming weeks.

Secretary Angelle said, “Louisiana and other hard hit gulf coast states have a unique opportunity because of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to build back commercial and residential buildings that utilize modern energy-efficient strategies.”

“The Department of Energy is pleased to partner with the State of Louisiana to encourage the use of energy efficient building technologies and disaster-resistant building design in the reconstruction efforts,” said Douglas L. Faulkner, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE.  “Our goal is to bring together our collective resources, building research, and lessons learned from past hurricanes to create safer, stronger, more energy efficient communities.”

DNR Energy Section Manager Paula Ridgeway also announced the participation of Bill Becker, the Senior Advisor to the Global Energy Center for Community Sustainability. She said, “Mr. Becker is known as the leading expert in this arena having recently worked in Thailand with the Tsunami disaster recovery.”

DNR helps to sponsor energy efficiency projects throughout the state in the residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors in an effort to reduce energy consumption and save money.

MORE NEWS FROM USDOE TO THE STATES: Nov. 18, 2005

Dept. of Energy Launches Website to Support Gulf Coast Building Reconstruction

The Department of Energy (DOE) has a new website for information on Disaster Recovery and Building Reconstruction, as part of its continuing efforts to support disaster victims in the Gulf Coast. The new website is designed to encourage cost-effective, durable, and energy-efficient building reconstruction in areas devastated by recent hurricanes, and provides these valuable resources for state and local officials, builders, contractors, and consumers. The website includes information on training opportunities, and a wide range of guidelines, fact sheets, and case studies developed by DOE, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other organizations. The Disaster Recovery and Building Reconstruction website can be found athttp://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/disaster_recovery/.