Energy and Environment
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG)
(National Appropriation: $2,600,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $27,172,500) (Oklahoma Department of Commerce Appropriation: $9,593,500) Description: The EECBG program assists States, Units of local government, and Tribal organizations in implementing strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions, total energy use, and improve energy efficiency in all sectors. Funding will be provided by the U.S. Department of Energy and distributed by competitive grants from the OK Department of Commerce, pending U.S. DOE approval of projects. Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds: Each state that receives a grant under the program shall use at least 60% of the amount received to provide sub-grants to units of local government in the state that are not eligible for direct formula grants. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce will decide how to award these sub-grants.
Local Energy Assurance Planning (LEAP) Initiative
(National Appropriation: $10,500,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $534,197) Description: A goal of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, in part, is to: "facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply" and "enhance reliability and quicker repair of outages." This initiative will create jobs at the local level and allow Cities to have well-developed, standardized energy assurance and resiliency plans that they can rely on during energy emergencies and supply disruptions. City governments will address energy supply disruption risks and vulnerabilities in their plans to lessen the devastating impact that such incidents have on the economy and the health and safety of citizens. This initiative focuses on developing new, or refining existing, plans to integrate new energy portfolios (renewables, biofuels, etc) and new applications, such as Smart Grid technology (http://www.oe.energy.gov/smartgrid.htm), into energy assurance and emergency preparedness plans. Better planning efforts will help contribute to the resiliency of the energy sector, including the electricity grid, by focusing on the entire energy supply system, which includes refining, storage, and distribution of fossil and renewable fuels. Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds: State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program (SEEARP)
(National Appropriation: $296,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $3,494,731) Description: The U.S. Department of Energy will provide funding to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce for the State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, in order for states to establish or supplement established ENERGY STAR appliance rebate programs. �The objectives of the program are to:
Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds: The Oklahoma Department of Commerce will submit their final application for funds by October 15, 2009. The funds will be distributed on a formula basis and awarded in late November 2009. State Energy Program
(National Appropriation: $3,100,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $46,704,000) Description: The U.S. Department of Energy will distribute formula grants to applicant states to assist in preparing and implementing comprehensive state energy conservation plans. The goals established for the State Energy Program are:
The State Energy Program funding will be distributed by the Department of Commerce and will be available for rebates to consumers for home energy audits or other energy saving improvements; development of renewable energy projects for clean electricity generation and alternative fuels: promotion of Energy Star products; efficiency upgrades for state and local government buildings: and other innovative state efforts to help save families money on their energy bills. State Electricity Regulators Assistance Program
(National Appropriation: $46,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $842,838) Description: The U.S. Department of Energy will award formula grants to states and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission will administer the funds for eligible projects. The primary purposes of this initiative are to:
Electricity-related ARRA activities include, but are not necessarily limited to: energy efficiency, electricity-based renewable energy, energy storage, smart grid, electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, demand response equipment, coal with carbon capture and storage, and transmission. Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds: Weatherization Assistance Program
(National Appropriation: $5,000,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $60,903,196) Description: The U.S. Department of Energy will provide formula grants to applicant states for the Weatherization Assistance Program, which will be awarded to community action agencies by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to low income families that need assistance to weatherize their homes. The purpose of the Weatherization Assistance Program is to increase the energy efficiency of dwellings owned or occupied by low-income persons, reduce their total residential expenditures, and improve their health and safety. �The priority population for the Weatherization Assistance Program are those who are particularly vulnerable such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, families with children, high residential energy users, and households with high-energy burden. Weatherization assistance includes such services as: replacing broken windows; caulking and weather stripping doors and windows; insulating ceilings, walls and floors; installing storm windows and thermostats; and repairing and cleaning heating systems Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds: March 23, 2009 - Deadline for states to submit initial application to DOE More Information
For more information on grant opportunities from the U.S. Department of Energy visit www.energy.gov/recovery/funding.htm. Aquaculture Grant Program
(National Appropriation: $50,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $91,200) Description: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is providing funding for grants to States that agree to provide assistance to eligible aquaculture producers for losses associated with high feed input costs during the 2008 calendar year. Eligible applicants are limited to State Departments of Agriculture or similar state government entities in each State. Grants to States will be made on a pro rata basis based on the amount of aquaculture feed used in each State during the 2007 calendar year, as determined by CCC. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture will distribute the funding to eligible applicants. An eligible aquaculture producer is one who during the 2008 calendar year raised an aquaculture species in a controlled environment; maintained the aquaculture species as part of a farming operation; had a financial risk in the production of such species; raises aquaculture as of the date of their application for assistance with the state; and meets the program loss requirements. Eligible aquaculture producers under the program may begin submitting applications and receiving payments once the funds are received by the agency and payments may continue through September, 2010 at which time this assistance program will end. The program will be administered in the Animal Industry Services Division. Division personnel must report to the federal agency all payments made to producers within 30 days of the payment date. Brownfields
(National Appropriation: $100,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $2,000,000) Description: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Program provides funding to state, local and tribal governments through Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grants. These grants are used to make loans and subgrants to help communities carry out cleanup activities, redevelopment projects and create jobs for local residents living near Brownfields sites. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will use funds to facilitate job creation in the assessment, remediation or preparation of Brownfields sites for sustainable reuse. Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land and both improves and protects the environment. Brownfields Revolving Loan Funds are targeted to developers of land (private and public). Competitive grants are available for evaluation and cleanup of former industrial and commercial sites. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality recovery funds includes $1,350,000 for hazardous substances and $605,580 for petroleum, which will be used to replenish the RLF, from which the Department will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities at as many as seven shovel-ready projects identified by the Department that are contaminated with hazardous substances and petroleum.
Clean Diesel Grant Program (State) - Oklahoma Clean Diesel School Bus Program
(National Appropriation: $300,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $1,730,000) Description: The Environmental Protection Agency will distribute funds that the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality will use to provide funding for the retrofit, upgrade or replacement of diesel engines in a manner that is EPA or California Air Resources Board (CARB) certified to reduce emissions. Grant awards will be made on a competitive basis by determining the most cost-effective projects. The funds will be used for the replacement, re-power and/or retrofit of school buses in the smaller school districts in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas. Specifically, the grant funds will assist schools in the purchase of one or more of the following: new 2007 or 2010 emission standard diesel school buses, 2007 or 2010 emission standard diesel engine re-power and/or the purchase and installation of EPA or CARB verified crankcase ventilation systems, diesel oxidation catalysts and/or diesel particulate filters. Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds:
Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program (National)
(National Appropriation: $156,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $1,854,672) Description: The Recovery Act Funding for National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program will be awarded on a competitive basis to support diesel emission reduction programs. The funding must be used to achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions in terms of tons of pollution produced and diesel emissions exposure (particularly from fleets operating in areas designated by the Administrator as poor air quality areas), and the project must demonstrate the ability to maximize job preservation and creation. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality will use the funds for the Oklahoma Clean Diesel School Bus Program for Large Schools in Potential Non-Attainment Areas. Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds: Applicants must submit applications to the EPA Region in which the project will take place.
Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
(National Appropriation: $4,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $31,662,100) Description: The Clean Water program helps communities upgrade wastewater treatment systems. The Environmental Protection Agency will distribute funds that the Oklahoma Water Resources Board will use for the Clean Water Program. Eligible projects will be construction of new wastewater facilities or the replacement or rehabilitation of existing facilities for secondary and advanced treatment, inflow and infiltration (I&I) correction, collector and interceptor sewers, combined sewer overflow correction, and related wastewater projects, nonpoint source, Brownfields, green infrastructure, and related stormwater pollution control projects. Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds:
More information | More information Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)
(National Appropriation: $2,000,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $31,481,000) Description: The Drinking Water Program functions to upgrade drinking water infrastructure. The Environmental Protection Agency will distribute funds that the Oklahoma Water Resources Board will use to provide low interest loans and grants for qualifying improvements to public water systems. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality administers the program. Eligible projects include water facility expansion, replacement, improvement, and/or repair. Refinancing of existing debt obligations for such projects will also be eligible to receive funding. Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds:
More information | More information | More information Hazardous Substances Superfund
(National Appropriation: $600,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $25,000,000) Description: The Environmental Protection Agency will distribute recovery funds to help clean up Super -fund sites across the nation. Superfund is the federal government's program to clean up the nation's uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. The funding will accelerate ongoing cleanup activities or initiate new construction projects at 51 Superfund sites, boosting local economies by creating and maintaining jobs while also protecting human health and the environment. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality will use funds to help with the continued clean up of the Tar Creek area in Ottawa County. Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds:
Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program
(National Appropriation: $200,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $2,336,000) Description: The Environmental Protection Agency will distribute funds that the Oklahoma Corporation Commission will administer to clean up (or remove) underground petroleum product tanks such as gas station tanks as well as any contaminated soils. Timeline & Criteria to Receive Funds:
National Resources Conservation Service Floodplain Easement
(National Appropriation: $145,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $2,810,520) Description: Floodplain easements restore, protect, maintain, and enhance the functions of the floodplain; conserve natural values including fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, flood water retention, ground water recharge, and open space; reduce long-term federal disaster assistance; and safeguard lives and property from floods, drought, and the products of erosion. NRCS may purchase easements on floodplain lands that meet program criteria. Purchases are based upon established priorities. The easement provides NRCS with the authority to restore and enhance the floodplain's functions and values. Landowners retain several rights to the property, including quiet enjoyment, the right to control public access, and the right to undeveloped recreational use such as hunting and fishing. National Resources Conservation Service Watershed Rehabilitation Program
(National Appropriation: $50,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $14,015,000) Description: The Oklahoma Conservation Commission will prepare bid packets for the funding that the NRCS will be receiving for watershed projects. The authority for rehabilitation of aging watershed dams is included in section 14 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act. Any of the over 11,000 dams in 47 states that were constructed under the four watershed programs are eligible for assistance under this authority. Many of these dams are nearing the end of their 50-year design life. Rehabilitation of these dams is needed to address critical public health and safety issues in these communities. Priority for funding of projects is based on a priority ranking system that considers the condition of the dam and number of people at risk if the dam should fail. NRCS may provide technical assistance and 65% of the total rehabilitation project cost.
National Resources Conservation Service Watershed Operations
(National Appropriation: $145,000,000) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $3,164,000) Description: This voluntary program provides assistance to sponsoring local organizations of authorized watershed projects, planned and approved under the authority of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954, and designated watersheds authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1944. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to States, local governments and Tribes (as project sponsors) to implement authorized watershed project plans for the purpose of watershed protection; flood mitigation; water quality improvements; soil erosion reduction; rural, municipal and industrial water supply; irrigation water management; sediment control; fish and wildlife enhancement; and wetlands and wetland function creation and restoration. There are over 1,500 active or completed watershed projects.
USDA Rural Development Water and Wastewater Loan and Grant Program
(National Appropriation: NA) (Oklahoma Appropriation: $70,000,000) Description: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal (WWD) loan and grant program will use Recovery Act funds to build drinking water, sanitary sewer, solid waste and storm drainage facilities in rural communities of 10,000 or fewer people. The program provides financing for water and waste infrastructure when commercial credit is unavailable at reasonable rates, allowing rural communities to provide safe, reasonably priced services to their residents. The infrastructure enhancements will significantly improve the health and quality of life for millions of Americans who live outside of our major urban centers.
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