14 THE POWER OF THE
the past year, thanks to the Energy Ef- ficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. As Mayor of North Little Rock, Arkansas, President of the ICLEI USA and Chairman of the Board of Directors, I’ve witnessed the enormous impact of the EECBG on both a local and national scale, in obvious ways and un- expected ways. The American Recovery and Rein-
T
vestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funded the Department of Energy’s EECBG program to the tune of $3.2 billion, and 59 percent of the formula funding was allocated to cities and counties. For the past year, local government staff in every state have busied themselves with develop- ing energy efficiency and conservation strategies for cost-effective and innova- tive projects and programs. We’re now seeing the immediate fruit of that labor:
here are CFLs and LEDs, and then there are intellectual light bulbs. The latter have been turning on across America over
BY PATRICK HAYS, MAYOR OF NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR, PRESIDENT OF ICLEI USA AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS EECBG
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program has transformed the way local governments approach energy issues.
building retrofit projects that are saving energy, saving money, reducing green- house gas emissions, and creating local jobs; energy financing programs that help homeowners overcome the upfront costs of efficiency upgrades, and many other examples. The EECBG has not only funded
thousands of projects, it has powered intellectual light bulbs. I believe it has stimulated more people to think about energy savings and explore the possi- bilities—and to innovate. In North Little Rock, we have prioritized energy effi- ciency for years, offering energy rebate programs and conducting LED retrofits to our traffic signals. We’re now studying the feasibility of a smart grid. Countless other local governments
share the same commitment to sav- ing energy, and the EECBG is building bridges and common purpose among cities and counties pursuing these goals. I believe the EECBG has helped us all take our efforts to a higher level
and helped institutionalize an energy- and money-saving mindset in govern- ment. When local governments lead by example, more community members begin to ask themselves, “What can I do to save energy and money?” and “What’s next?” And so the benefits multiply and persist over time. It has taken time to achieve this ini-
tial success and much effort to build a local-federal partnership. Five years ago, I helped articulate the vision for the EECBG. I traveled to Washington with a small group of local elected officials with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and we worked to convince Congress to cre- ate the program, which was approved in 2007. The EECBG wasn’t funded un- til 2009 with ARRA, and its future is not guaranteed. Ensuring the EECBG’s ongo- ing funding should be a strong priority for local governments as we continue to strengthen our relationships with federal leaders. We’ve come too far to pull the plug on all those light bulbs. PE
Towns like Little Rock, Arkansas have busied themselves with developing energy efficiency and conservation strategies.
Local Action Moves the World •
www.icleiusa.org
PLANET EARTH \\ FORWARD THINKING
BELINDA HANKINS MILLER; COURTESY OF ICLEI
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