Energy Block Grant Funding in LIFT America Act

The effort to renew 2009’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program got a boost recently when it was announced that the LIFT America Act, introduced to the House Committee on Energy & Commerce on March 11, includes $17.5 billion in EECBG funding.

Overall, the Act proposes investment of more than $312 billion in energy and infrastructure improvements, with more than $67 billion allocated to clean energy and energy efficiency specifically:

• $3.5 billion for electric grid infrastructure to accommodate more renewable energy and to make the grid more resilient, efficient, and secure
• $20 billion to increase resiliency and efficiency at public and critical facilities
• $18 billion to help rapidly deploy new technologies aimed at reducing emissions
• $1 billion in grants for the installation of solar panels in low-income and underserved communities
• $250 million to support clean distributed energy
• $6.5 billion for home energy efficiency retrofits
• $500 million for energy efficiency grants to public schools
• $17.5 billion for energy efficiency and conservation block grants

The Act also proposes spending more than $109 billion to expand broadband internet access nationwide and approximately $37 billion on health care infrastructure improvements.

House Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) introduced the LIFT Act. “As our nation combats COVID-19 and a severe economic downturn, the LIFT America Act fulfills President Biden’s promise to Build Back Better,” Congressman Pallone said. “Over the last year, we’ve seen the devastating results of inaction: major power outages, water shortages, health care facilities stretched to the limit, and communities left behind due to the digital divide. By modernizing our infrastructure, we have an opportunity to revitalize our economy, create millions of new jobs, combat climate change, and ensure no community is left behind.” 

In anticipation of the LIFT America Act’s passage, we encourage you to start organizing your project details and the amount of funding required. Issuing an RFI can be a useful first step in documenting project requirements and gathering information about utility bill accounting and energy management solutions that are available. You can jumpstart the RFI process by downloading our free RFI/RFP Template via the link below.