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Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office
Governor Beshear Announces Energy Efficiency Grant for Pendleton County
 FALMOUTH, Ky. – Governor Steve Beshear today announced an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) to Pendleton County in support of energy efficiency improvements.
Through the EECBG program administered by the Kentucky Department for Local Government (DLG), a $123,350 grant will allow the Pendleton County Courthouse to replace its aging, inefficient boiler with a new high efficiency steam boiler.
“By increasing energy efficiency in the Pendleton County Courthouse, this grant will lead to reduced energy costs and savings of taxpayer dollars, not to mention a more comfortable building,” said Gov. Beshear. “Projects such as these reduce Kentucky’s overall energy dependence, which is a major goal of my seven-point energy strategy.”
First passed by Congress in 2007, the EECBG program was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), with funds coming from the U.S. Department of Energy through the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence and administered by DLG.
“Our county courthouses are landmarks and symbolic not only of the seat of government but our communities’ cultural heritage,” said DLG Commissioner Tony Wilder. “By installing a new boiler, this project will decrease the county’s power usage and also create potential employment opportunities, and serve as a valuable example of local governments’ commitment to energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.”
“I am pleased we will be able to save tax dollars by reducing energy costs,” said Sen. Katie Stine of Southgate.
“Pendleton County is very deserving of this grant, and it could not come at a better time,” said Rep. Tom McKee of Cynthiana. “This new boiler will make our historic courthouse safer while improving the well-being of those who use it. I’m glad to see that we could all work together to make it happen.”
The Kentucky EECBG program provides $6.25 million to assist local governments in implementing strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions; reduce total energy use; and improve energy efficiency in the transportation, building and other appropriate sectors. Additional purposes of the EECBG program include spurring economic growth and the creation and/or retention of jobs under ARRA.
To read Governor Beshear’s Intelligent Energy Choices for Kentucky’s Future: Kentucky’s 7-Point Energy Strategy, go to:
http://www.governor.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/2880287D-511E-4421-ACC3-D4B9A7F97132/0/EnergyStrategy.pdf
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