State Wants to Pull Millions in Stimulus Dollars from the Efficiency Kansas Loan Program
by Christine Metz (Sunflower Horizons) The Kansas Energy Office is pulling funding on a state program that has lent hundreds of Kansans thousands of dollars to make energy efficiency upgrades in their homes.
Pending final approval from the U.S. Department of Energy, the money in the loan program will be redirected to three renewable-energy projects.
The program, known as Efficiency Kansas, was launched in November 2009 and was operating off the bulk of the $38 million the state received in stimulus money earmarked for energy efficiency projects.
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If approved by the DOE, more than $20 million would be redirected toward three “shovel-ready” projects in Kansas. They include:
- $5.25 for an ethanol fueling project in Wichita.
- $12 million for a biomethane production facility in Oakley.
- $4.5 million for a statewide biobased energy supply change project.
…The governor’s administration directed the KCC to reallocate the money when it became clear that the full amount of stimulus money wasn’t going to be spent by the DOE’s April 1 deadline, Ramos said.
Instead of having to return millions of dollars to the federal government, these other energy projects will keep the money in Kansas, she said. The projects will be handled through the Kansas Department of Commerce. READ MORE
