GOV. FLETCHER AWARDS $170,000 ENERGY GRANT TO UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY POLLUTION PREVENTION CENTER
BYLINE: US States News
DATELINE: FRANKFORT, Ky.
The Kentucky Office of Energy Policy issued the following news release:
Gov. Ernie Fletcher awarded a $170,000 grant from the Governor's Office of Energy Policy (GOEP) to the University of Louisville (U of L) and the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center (KPPC) to fund various energy-saving initiatives for businesses, industries and schools through the state.
"These funds help to strengthen our partnership with the university and support the governor's drive to improve energy efficiency in all sectors of Kentucky's economy," said Kentucky Division of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency director John Davies.
Davies met with U of L President James Ramsey and KPPC executive director Cam Metcalf to discuss how the grant money will help promote responsible and efficient energy use for Kentucky's schools, businesses, industries and other organizations.
KPPC, which is part of U of L's J.B. Speed School of Engineering, will use the money to further develop the Kentucky Energy Efficiency Program for Schools, a program that helps Kentucky school districts and higher education institutions reduce energy consumption and operating expenses.
Funding also will provide KPPC's technical staff with an energy efficiency auditor, who will conduct free and confidential energy assessments that will help Kentucky's businesses and industries improve their profitability through energy efficiency and resource management.
The energy efficiency auditor will also promote the incorporation of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards in design and construction of new and existing buildings, which may include U of L's Regional Biosafety Laboratory, the new downtown arena, Museum Plaza and 21st Century Park.
The grant also provides for KPPC's participation in an energy efficiency tax incentive study, which will investigate the economic impact of creating tax incentives in Kentucky for the implementation of energy-efficient technologies.
Governor Fletcher issued the state's first comprehensive energy strategy in February 2005 (Kentucky's Energy: Opportunities for our Future). It contains 54 recommendations to guide the commonwealth's policy-making as it relates to energy. Among those, the Governor recommended that the Commonwealth work with industries, businesses and educational institutions to promote energy-efficient products and practices.
More details about the grant are available on KPPC's Web site, www.kppc.org. A copy of Kentucky's comprehensive energy strategy can be found at www.energy.ky.gov.
Contact: Lola Lyle, 502/564-7192, ext.435, lola.lyle@ky.gov.