The U.S. Department of Energy announced a $14.1 million grant for Philadelphia yesterday.
Advocates had been lobbying for the program for years, but the city balked for a variety of reasons, and mainly that the finances didn’t work out.
Now, the city can use the grant money to fund a radio frequency identification tag system – similar to E-ZPass – on city recycling trucks and household containers. It would track who is recycling and how much is being recycled.
Details are still being worked out, but the city plans to announce them in November. At its simplest, residents would receive discount coupons to area stores based on the participation rate of their entire block.
Other plans include- energy-saving LED lights in 85,000 traffic signals, solar panels at a city sewage treatment plant, and energy-efficiency upgrades at some buildings.
Nearly $300,000 will go for training programs to help city workers reduce energy use by 10 percent – a challenge that began six months ago and is projected to save the city $3 million a year.
Eric Orts, a Wharton School professor who specializes in environmental law and policy, said the city’s plan overall “seems reasonable.”
In particular, the loans and grants for building retrofits are “money well-spent,” he said. “If you think of some of the easiest wins, building efficiency is probably the cheapest way to go.”
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20091009_City_gets__14_1_million_energy_grant.html
Tags: consumer, economy, energy, philadelphia
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