As a part of the The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, funds have been allocated to the Department of Energy for local governments in the form of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. The purpose of these funds is to stimulate the economy, create jobs and meet these environmental goals:

• Reduce fossil fuel emissions in a manner that is environmentally sustainable
• Reduce the total energy use of the eligible entities; and
• Improve energy efficiency in the building sector, the transportation sector, and other sectors.

The EECBG provides local governments with an unprecedented and potentially unique opportunity to access federal funds to promote sustainability, conserve energy and address climate change. Key priorities of the EECBG include:

• Linking energy efficiency efforts to long-term priorities (especially community economic development, community stabilization and poverty reduction efforts).
• Targeting programs and projects that will provide substantial, sustainable and measurable energy savings, job creation and economic stimulus effects.
• To the extent possible, develop programs and strategies that will continue beyond the funding period.
• Develop comprehensive plans that benchmark current performance, set aggressive goals, and monitor and measure results over time.

EECBG funding can be used for a wide-range of projects, such as:

• Planning efforts including General Plan Updates, Climate Action Plans, Travel Demand Model Enhancements to support VMT forecasting, and development of green zoning, building codes and ordinances
• Program development such as incentive programs for energy retrofits, local engaged carbon offset programs, Energy Management Programs, or transportation demand management programs
• Sustainable Facilities Management processes for government buildings, including energy audits, retro-commissioning and upgrades, recycling programs and purchasing policies
• Installation of energy efficient equipment and renewable energy systems