(The Center Square) – Clean energy, security, and resiliency efforts in Rhode Island are receiving an infusion of federal cash.
Rhode Island’s Office of Energy Resources is poised to receive $6.6 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to support administrative and program efforts in the department, Gov. Dan McKee said Wednesday. Funding will also be put to work for energy security planning and enhancing the state’s electric grid.
The funding, according to a release, will assist Rhode Island in achieving Act on Climate goals. Rhode Island is receiving $3.4 million through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant Program and $3.2 million through the State Energy Program.
“One of my goals is to be able to provide all the communities in Rhode Island with reliable, clean energy,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “With this funding, the Office of Energy Resources will design a grant program that will work with eligible sub-awardees to enhance grid resilience and ensure that every Rhode Islander has access to sustainable energy solutions. This is a significant step in achieving our clean energy goals.”
According to a release, the grant programs are designed to enhance electric grids to reduce the impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters driven by the climate. The programs also ensure power sector reliability while reducing carbon emissions across all sectors.
According to a release, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will grant $207.6 million to nine states and three tribal nations and, over the next five years, will total $2.3 billion in investments across the country. The Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office will oversee the program.
“I have long advocated for hardening our energy grid against climate impacts and led Senate efforts to fully fund the State Energy Program to support targeted state-driven energy infrastructure modernization,” U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, said in a statement.
According to a release, the State Energy program will focus allocations to states for planning efforts and programs designed to cut carbon emissions, along with providing incentives under the Bispartisan Infrastructure Law to incentive states to invest in electric transmission and distribution efforts.
