WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $40,441,471 grant funding to Evergreen Wind Power in Danforth.
The funding is being distributed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and is part of $502 million in awards announced today intended to provide cash assistance to energy companies in place of earned tax credits. According to the Departments of Energy (DOE) and Treasury, the new funding creates additional upfront capital, enabling companies to create jobs and begin construction on planned projects.
“Investment is critical if Maine is to become a leader in the development of wind power. This funding will assist Evergreen Wind Power tap this potential and will help create good-paying, clean energy jobs in Maine,” said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement.
Created by the economic recovery act that Senators Snowe and Collins helped craft earlier this year, this grant program is expected to provide more than $3 billion in financial support for clean energy projects by providing direct payments in lieu of tax credits. According to DOE, these payments will support an estimated 5,000 bio-mass, solar, wind, and other types of renewable energy production facilities in all regions of the country over the life of the program. As a result of this first round of funding, more than 2,000 Americans will have access to jobs in the renewable energy industry – both in construction and in manufacturing – while moving the nation closer to meeting the Administration's goal of doubling renewable energy generation in the next few years.