U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu Thursday announced $30.4 million in Recovery Act funding to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in North Carolina.

Under DOE's State Energy Program, North Carolina proposed a statewide plan that prioritizes energy savings, creates or retains jobs, increases the use of renewable energy, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative is part of the Obama Administration's national strategy to support job growth, while making a historic down payment on clean energy and conservation.

"This funding will provide an important boost for state economies, help to put Americans back to work, and move us toward energy independence," said Secretary Chu. "It reflects our commitment to support innovative state and local strategies to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy while insisting that taxpayer dollars be spent responsibly."

Secretary Chu announced a total of more than $154 million for State Energy Programs in 4 states: California, Missouri, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Each of the states is receiving 40 percent of their total State Energy Program (SEP) funding authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

With the announcement, North Carolina will now have received 50 percent of its total Recovery Act SEP funding. The initial 10 percent of total funding was previously available to support planning activities; the remaining 50 p[ercent of funds will be released once it meets reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones required by the Recovery Act. After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive more than $38 million in additional funding, for a total of more than $76 million.

North Carolina will establish several programs to increase renewable energy projects and energy efficiency in government, commercial, and residential buildings under its State Energy Program. The North Carolina SEP will use Recovery Act funding to establish revolving loan programs, competitive grant programs, and education and training programs designed to spur investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. A new revolving loan fund will be created to provide no- and low-interest loans to businesses, nonprofit organizations, local and state governments, and schools and universities, along with competitive grants that will be available to businesses and organizations with innovative clean energy projects.

The state will also develop a multi-level training and workforce program through its community college and university systems to meet the needs of an emerging green economy. This education and training will focus on energy efficiency and clean energy technologies and will provide participants with skills to solve energy problems, reduce energy usage, save energy costs, and access state and federal funding opportunities.

Under the Recovery Act, DOE expanded the types of activities eligible for State Energy Program funding, which include energy audits, building retrofits, education and training efforts, transportation programs to increase the use of alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles, and new financing mechanisms to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy investments.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriated $3.1 billion to the State Energy Program to help achieve national energy independence goals and promote local economic recovery. States use these grants at the state and local level to create green jobs, address state energy priorities, and adopt emerging renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

Transparency and accountability are important priorities for SEP and all Recovery Act projects. Throughout the program's implementation, DOE will provide strong oversight at the local, state, and national level, while emphasizing with states the need to quickly award funds to help create new jobs and stimulate local economies.