The Minnesota Office of Energy Security is providing periodic updates regarding the federal stimulus in Minnesota. We will be posting these updates on the CERTs blog.
June/July News:
- Cities, counties and Indian tribes eligible for direct formula grants through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program must apply directly to the U.S. Department of Energy no later than June 25, 2009. Our office has partnered with the League of Minnesota Cities, Association of Minnesota Counties and other organizations to help these governments understand the program requirements and process.
- A competitive grant process through the EECBG Program for units of local governments not eligible for direct formula grants is being developed by our office. We expect to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) by September. Our state plan for this program must be submitted to USDOE for this program by June 25, 2009. For additional information visit the EECBG Program section of our website.
- The Office of Energy Security (OES) is currently designing the multiple grant programs that will be funded through the State Energy Program as required by Chapter 138 – Federal Stimulus for Energy Programs. Grant opportunities will begin to be posted on our website in July 2009.
- Approval of the Weatherization Assistance Program and State Energy Program ARRA Draft Plans and the dispersal of the first set of funds are expected in July 2009.
- Stimulus related jobs are now available at OES. The job postings are accessible at the Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) website. Multiple jobs will be available over the next several weeks. Be sure to check often since these jobs will only be posted for a short period of time. To search for jobs at our office, take the following steps:
- Point your browser to http://www.careers.state.mn.us
- Click on “search for a job”
- Under the Department category select “Commerce”
- At the bottom of the page click on “search”
- If the search returns no results, there are currently no positions available. Check back frequently as new openings will become available.
May Summary:
- Senate File 657 was passed by the Legislature, and signed by the Governor. Chapter 138 – Federal Stimulus for Energy Programs appropriates stimulus funds to the Office of Energy Security, Minnesota Department of Commerce and directs us to spend stimulus funds on specific programs.
- The State Energy Program ARRA Draft Plan was submitted to USDOE for approval on May 12, 2009. The plan is available on our website.
- The Weatherization Assistance Program ARRA Draft Plan was submitted to USDOE for approval on May 12, 2009. The plan is available on our website.
More information on the stimulus for energy can be found at http://www.energy.mn.gov. If you have questions, please contact us at energy.info@state.mn.us or 800-657-3710.
