Herseth Sandlin announces stimulus funding for Vermillion

Herseth Sandlin announces stimulus funding for Vermillion Rep. Herseth Sandlin announced that the City of Vermillion will receive $50,000 authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to be used for energy efficiency and conservation projects. This funding will assist the city in reducing total energy use and fossil fuel emissions, and improve energy efficiency. "Not only will projects funded through this grant program improve energy efficiency, they will also create jobs and reduce overall costs for cities," Rep. Herseth Sandlin said. "I'm pleased that during these tough economic times, stimulus funding is reaching communities in South Dakota and that local officials will have more resources to assist them in their efforts to improve energy efficiency and reach conservation goals." The funding will support energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements.  Other activities eligible for use of grant funds include transportation programs that conserve energy, projects to reduce and capture methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, renewable energy installations on government buildings, energy efficient traffic signals and street lights, deployment of Combined Heat and Power and district heating and cooling systems, and others. To ensure accountability, the Department of Energy will provide guidance to and require grant recipients to report on the number of jobs created or retained, energy saved, renewable energy capacity installed, greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and funds leveraged.  Funding is based on a formula that accounts for population and energy use.