The following is a message from U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin:
U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, both D-Mich., announced [Thursday] that the state has been awarded $30 million for the Michigan Retrofit Ramp-Up Initiative (MRRI). The funding comes from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“This funding will create jobs and save families and businesses in our state money, as it creates projects that will pave the way for a cleaner and healthier future for Michigan,” said Stabenow. “These projects will help improve the energy efficiency of homes and businesses all over the state.”
“This federal grant will help put people to work improving energy efficiency in our communities and reducing the impact we have on the environment through carbon emissions,” said Levin. “Improving energy efficiency is an important step in addressing our energy challenges and moving toward clean energy.”
This funding is designed to support retrofit projects that reduce total energy use and carbon emissions and create jobs in the clean energy sector. The MRRI is designed to create energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings. It also promotes the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements. The program has two major components: one that targets residential retrofits across the state, and the other that focuses on commercial centers, called the Detroit Commercial Centers Program.
To ensure accountability, the Department of Energy will provide guidance to grant recipients and require them to report on the number of jobs created or retained, energy saved, renewable energy capacity installed, greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and funds leveraged.
