What's ABC of Georgia's Perspective on PLAs within the Stimulus Package?

Read ABC of Georgia President Bill Anderson's comments here.  

Read ABC National's take on the stimulus package and how it may benefit our industry here.   

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Energy-related Stimulus Projects Ready for Georgia
  
As stimulus programs and monies become more available across Georgia, ABC remains committed in being a resource for members, monitoring these funds, and reporting to you as new information comes available. We feel it is essential to keep you informed about the "who, what, where and when" regarding potential stimulus-funded opportunities, but we also want to stress to you that as government officials decide how to spend these monies, it might be in your best interest to reach out to your local reps with suggestions on how to use these dollars wisely and effectively. Outlined below are some of the recent stimulus projects, most of which are energy-related:

As a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) will be receiving new or expanded funding for the State Energy Program, the Weatherization Assistance Program, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, and the Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. For more information on GEFA's goals, budgets and timetables, access this link: www.gefa.org/Index.aspx?page=476.

At this time the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program has a number of state and local allocations available for Georgia. To see these allocations, click here: http://www.eecbg.energy.gov/grantalloc.html - then click on Georgia. There are also two upcoming funding opportunities of notable interest in Georgia. One is for $117.5 million in solar energy R & D and photovoltaic technology deployment. The press release with more information is available at: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=173. The second is a $3.375 billion funding opportunity for Smart Grid projects; release date unknown at this time.

GEFA will notify companies in the ARRA email database as more up-to-date information becomes available. To register to receive these emails, click here: https://www.gefa.org/index.aspx?recordid=25&page=205. The GEFA website also contains information on federal (non-GEFA) funding opportunities and financial incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy (EERE) at: www.gefa.org/Index.aspx?page=479. If you are interested in pursuing these opportunities, and have questions, email: energy@gefa.ga.gov. 

•To see a previous list of bond-supported, state-wide construction projects, worth $1.2 billion, recently approved by Georgia lawmakers, click here (PDF). NOTE!! This PDF file is quite large (2.5 MB) and contains other specific, budget-related information. TO VIEW THE BOND PROJECTS GO DIRECTLY TO PAGES 313-329. For a quick overview of the jobs, their budgets and location, click an Excel file here.