As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy announced seven states, three tribal nations and the District of Columbia were selected as the second cohort to receive more than $77 million in Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants. Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grants will help modernize the electric grid to reduce impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters while also ensuring power sector reliability. This historic funding is helping deliver on the President’s goal of ensuring all communities have access to affordable, reliable, 100% clean electricity.
“As climate change threats intensify and we add more renewable energy to our power system, it is critical that the American people have a safe and resilient electric grid,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Department is announcing a stream of investments to assist States and tribes in modernizing the nation’s transmission system and preparing the U.S. for its clean energy future.”
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out—from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.
Over the next five years, the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants will distribute a total of $2.3 billion to States, Territories, and federally recognized tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, based on a formula that includes factors such as population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts. The States, Territories, and tribes will then award these funds to complete a diverse set of projects, with priority given to efforts that generate the greatest community benefit while providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy.
“I am proud to have worked with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to—along with fixing our roads, repairing our bridges, and expanding access to high-speed internet—invest in a resilient energy grid,” said U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin. “This investment will help Wisconsin communities modernize and strengthen our grid, creating local jobs, and be better prepared for the next extreme weather event.”
The States and tribes awarded funding for fiscal years (FY) 22 and 23 in the announcement (June 16) are:
- The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana will use funding to develop distributed energy resources that provide grid resilience during disruptive events and allow the Tribal community to capture energy savings, generate revenue for reinvestment into the community, and control its energy future. Selected projects will strengthen the community through partnerships with training providers and strong labor standards and protections. (Amount: $711,000)
- District of Columbia will work to deploy battery energy storage systems, microgrids, and other grid solutions. Deploying advanced system monitoring and control devices will provide opportunities for demand side-management and virtual power plants. (Amount: $3 million)
- Hawaii plans to deploy projects that benefit disadvantaged communities in a measurable way while engaging community leadership and residents. To execute these plans, the Hawaii State Energy Office created a new Community Engagement and Public Affairs branch which will support the Hawaii Grid Resiliency Program. (Amount: $6.1 million)
- Idaho will strategically deploy resilience investments to demonstrate measurable improvements to grid resilience, deliver modernized grid infrastructure, and accommodate increased electrification, while addressing hazards from extreme weather. Projects selected through the program will encourage consumer engagement and enforce strong labor standards and protections that prioritize the local workforce. (Amount: $9.3 million)
- Indiana aims to improve the resilience of Indiana’s electric grid against natural disasters and ensure the availability of power to critical community services, such as public safety, communications, medical, and transportation systems during disasters. Grant funding will be invested in projects that demonstrate a commitment to attract, train, and retain a diverse, highly skilled, and well-paid workforce.
(Amount: $9.2 million) - Iowa aims to undertake preventive actions to strengthen the grid against severe weather and improve asset management through evaluation and monitoring. Selected projects will facilitate faster service restoration, while expanding opportunities for a skilled workforce to secure and retain quality jobs.
(Amount: $11.8 million) - The Mohegan Tribe will work to ensure that critical community facilities and the operation of essential programs and services are protected from disruptive events and extreme weather. Selected projects will address outdated and failing monitoring and control technology infrastructure and build the Tribal workforce by ensuring that any new resilience measures can be operated and maintained by Tribal members and tribal employees. (Amount: $317,000)
- Nevada plans to ensure an equitable energy future that leaves no one behind, including underserved and disadvantaged communities and vulnerable populations. To achieve this goal, Nevada will focus on equitably sharing the burdens and benefits of energy production and consumption, while reducing the likelihood and consequence of disruptive events. (Amount: $10.5 million)
- Pennsylvania will work to protect urban and rural communities from the consequences of disruptive events on critical grid infrastructure by integrating grid resilience solutions that primarily benefit underserved and disadvantaged communities. Selected projects will improve the health of residents by deploying energy projects that reduce air emissions and greenhouse gases, and promote workforce benefits, including strong labor standards and protections. (Amount: $16.2 million)
- The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians will fund activities that increase resilience to the devastating effects of wildfires and support electric production during planned and unplanned regional power outages. Selected projects will also increase the tribe’s skilled workforce that implements activities to increase resilience against the wildfires. Projects will also advance the economic vitality of the tribe through creating and sustaining good-paying jobs. (Amount: $266,000)
- Wisconsin will invest in the modernization and hardening of Wisconsin’s electric grid to protect it from current and future threats. Selected projects will increase the skilled workforce, demonstrate partnerships with training providers, including registered apprenticeships and other joint labor-management training programs, and improve the total number of contractors trained to operate and maintain eligible resilience projects, with a particular emphasis on disadvantaged communities. (Amount: $10.2 million)
Today’s recipients are the second cohort to receive funding under the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants, administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office. Additional awards will be announced on a rolling basis in the coming weeks and months as applications are received. The fiscal year (FY) 22 and FY 23 application deadline for States and Territories was May 31, 2023. The FY 22 and FY 23 application deadline for Indian tribes, including Alaska Native Corporations, is August 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET (with a mail-in option post-marked by this date).
Learn more about the Grid Deployment Office.
