More jobs, cleaner air, taxpayer savings in King County

Federal stimulus means $6.1 million for green energy projects

Roughly 250 regional jobs will be created and the environment will benefit from $6.1 million awarded to King County from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.

“These funds will be dedicated to activities that create new jobs, reduce the region’s climate changing greenhouse gas emissions, leverage other funding opportunities, and save taxpayer money by reducing energy costs,” said King County Executive Kurt Triplett.  “These activities will help the county meet its aggressive operational and regional climate change pollution reduction and energy goals.”

The grant was awarded last month as part of the federal government’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Many of the partnerships are part of a regional collaborative effort called New Energy Solutions, which is focused on projects that include deep energy efficiency improvements, smart grid, and clean mobility components. “King County is proud that many of these activities are being done in partnership with other regional governments and partners,” said Triplett.

Highlights of activities to be funded, pending DOE approval, include:

• Energy efficiency improvements at two low-income transit-oriented housing projects – the YWCA Family Village in Issaquah and the Senior City Affordable Housing Project in Federal Way.
• Technical support and incentives for improved building energy efficiency and meeting green building standards, including priority processing and reduced review fees for new developments.
• Installation of electric vehicle charging stations in support of a planned broad regional transportation electrification initiative intended to increase transit energy efficiency and reduce emissions.
• In collaboration with the City of Seattle, support for the electrification of Metro Bus Route 36 – which will reduce diesel use about 350,000 gallons annually.
• Building equipment efficiency and control upgrades as a part of new construction and renovation on at least five county buildings.
• Synchronization of traffic signals on the Novelty Hill Road to reduce travel times and vehicle idling.
• Support for the Enumclaw Dairy Manure Digestion and Energy Recovery Project.
• Establishing a Community Based Travel project, leveraging federal dollars and targeting disadvantaged communities to provide residents with information about travel options and incentives for reducing daily car trips.
• Other activities include purchase of new hybrid vehicles, expanding a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) recycling program, and an energy audit and implementation program for the county’s wastewater treatment facilities.

King County will also be applying for other competitive federal stimulus funding to support its efforts to reduce energy usage and address climate change.

For more details on King County’s Energy and Climate Change Initiatives, visit: www.kingcounty.gov/exec/globalwarming.

Related information

King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks