The Obama administration is steering $20 million to Maryland as part of a $452 million stimulus grant program to be announced Wednesday.
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development will use the money to help finance energy-efficiency retrofits and bulk purchases of supplies and equipment to assist businesses, homeowners and multi-family housing units in reducing energy costs.
Vice President Joe Biden will announce the retrofit grants at a White House ceremony kicking off the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which is Thursday. The Energy department awards are going to 25 communities, government and non-profit organizations around the country, according to the administration.
The federal stimulus grants are designed to spur $2.8 billion in private sector spending through low- and no-interest loans that recipients can repay through property tax and utility bills.
President Barack Obama will play host to environmentalists at a reception on Thursday, and administration officials will visit more than a dozen localities to promote energy efficiency. The White House also hopes to use the Earth Day commemoration to push for action in Congress on its clean-energy plan, which remains stalled in the Senate.According to the White House, the $20 Million retrofit grant will go to the State of Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
The White House release will also say:
DHCD's "Investment in Main Street: Energy Efficiency for Economic Growth" strategy proposes a holistic, community-based approach to target individual households, multifamily rental properties, and commercial properties for energy-efficiency retrofits.
The project includes a state-wide bulk purchasing program for supplies and equipment that will lower overall costs. Maryland will also focus on multi-family and small business retrofits that will result in significant, measurable reductions in energy consumption.