Stimulus Funding and New York City

It’s hard to keep track of all the activity at the Federal level, and what is and is not happening with stimulus money and how it impacts developers of green buildings is no exception.  The next few selections hope to act as a starting point for those seeking information on how to apply for funding, and how the money is being dispersed in New York thus far.  Much of this funding is targeting infrastructure energy efficiency projects administered by local and state governments, but more is always to come.

• NYC Stimulus Tracker – This is the City’s portal to track it’s spending.  A pending request includes an application for The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG) which provides grants to eligible cities, states, and other entities to fund projects that reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions, and that improve energy efficiency.  The City seeks $16 million, and dedicate some to “establish a revolving loan fund. This new pilot program will help large building owners make cost-saving energy efficiency improvements in their buildings…”

There’s a lot of information to go through.  Some EECBG’s have been awarded, but more digging is needed.  The process isn’t easy, but Planetizen has found a way to make it a little easier.

• New York State is mapping funding

• So is the US Department of Energy

• NYSERDA maintains an excellent resource on how to utilize the Recovery Act’s funding –  Competitive grants from the Department of Energy are reportedly forthcoming

• The AIA put out a thorough national analysis of where the money has gone so far.  As the story asks, however “Will the stimulus lead to a hiring wave at architecture firms?”  “Based on the interviews for this story, probably not.”