Illinois e-News Release

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded an additional $649,482 in grant funds to seven (7) units of local government that applied for funding through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. The EECBG Program supports municipalities and counties with the development or revision of existing strategic energy or climate action plans. Such plans will help prepare local governments for future project funding opportunities either offered by the State or Federal government.

The first EECBG funding opportunity awarded $902,200 in grants to four recipients, which included project funding. The second round of funding, which closed on March 18, and third round of funding, which closed on June 17, offered funding for the development of energy plans only.

The recipients of the second round of EECBG Program funding are:

• City of Carbondale (Jackson County) - $135,607

• City of Colona (Henry County) - $30,000

• City of East St. Louis (St. Clair County)- $149,975

• Peoria County - $100,000

• Village of Broadview (Cook County) - $145,400

• Village of Itasca (DuPage County) - $48,500

• Village of Westchester (Cook County) - $40,000

“Through this competitive grant program, Illinois EPA is investing U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funds in energy planning,” said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. “We have now awarded over $1.55 million in Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants with more to come.”

The Illinois EPA is investing U.S. DOE IIJA funds in projects across the State that focus on energy efficiency, resiliency, and clean energy technologies, specifically in areas of environmental justice concern. For more information about Office of Energy programming, including EECBG Program, please visit https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/energy.html or call 217-785-8841. More information on the U.S. DOE EECBG is available at https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/articles/doe-iija-congressional-report.