24 Projects Recommended for State Energy Program ARRA Funding; Plan Submitted to DOE for Approval

May 14, 2009, Oklahoma City, OK — The Oklahoma Department of Commerce has submitted a comprehensive application to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recommending 24 projects to receive $42,245,028 in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) State Energy Program funding. If all 24 projects are approved, Commerce expects that 745 jobs will be created or saved. DOE approval should occur within 30-60 days and funding will begin immediately thereafter.

A working group comprised of state and business leaders was convened early in the process to establish priorities that would best serve the interests of Oklahoma, taking into consideration the requirements of DOE. Thereafter, a separate advisory committee evaluated 211 proposals submitted from all over the state and ultimately selected 4 projects to receive loans from the SEP ARRA funds and 20 projects to receive grants. Gov. Brad Henry approved the recommended projects that have been submitted to the DOE for funding.

Projects range from CNG conversions to furthering smart grid technology to building energy efficiency to energy education. In keeping with DOE’s recommendation, the working group gave priority to projects that achieve a high degree of leveraging and/or extend the impact of the funds.

“There was consent among the advisory group that the quality of proposals was extremely high,” says Secretary of Commerce and Tourism Natalie Shirley. “Deciding which projects to recommend for funding was difficult, but ultimately, we believe the selected projects will benefit Oklahomans, businesses, and the environment.”

In addition to Shirley, the working group also included Oklahoma Secretary of Energy Bobby Wegener, Secretary of the Environment J.D. Strong, EDGE Fund Policy Board Executive Director Dr. Paul Risser, Oklahoma Business Roundtable President Blake Wade, and President and CEO of Flintco Companies Tom Maxwell.

The team considered the applications thoroughly during the review process to ensure that the best proposals were selected, based on the priorities established by the working group and the criteria required by DOE. The team was pleased to see that the funding recommendations represented urban and rural areas of the state and included funding for projects from both the universities and career tech.

Under the RFP (request for proposal) requirements, private entities were eligible to submit loan applications, and public entities were eligible for grants. Four loan projects among the 11 loan applications were recommended for funding at 3% interest over a 15-year payback period. Twenty projects were recommended for grants.

According to Commerce Community Development Director Vaughn Clark, the agency will prepare grant and loan contracts for the recommended projects to ensure projects can begin as quickly as possible after approval from the DOE. The ARRA gives preference to projects that can be started and completed expeditiously. Funds will be provided to the state on a staged schedule to ensure project funds are being spent properly and that jobs are being created.

Following is the list of recommended projects that have been submitted by Commerce to the DOE for SEP funding ( Download the Word document ):

RECOMMENDED GRANTS

Applicant Name

Brief Project Description

Project Location

Funds Recommended
Community Action Development Corporation Head Start Center Retrofit Frederick 55,000
Oklahoma State University Energy Savings Performance Contract Stillwater 2,500,000
Oklahoma Sustainability Network Oklahoma Building Codes – A Foundation for EnergyEfficiency Oklahoma City 448,086
Native American Cultural and Educational Authority AmericanIndian Cultural Center & Museum Oklahoma City 1,000,000
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Building Energy Efficiency Tulsa 1,500,000
Red River Technology Center Health Building – Geothermal HVAC Duncan 303,160
Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority Oklahoma Comfort Project various -OK 3,000,000
Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma Electric Vehicle Solar Charging Station Norman 15,715
Tulsa Industrial Authority Brady Village Green Sustainability Project Tulsa 2,580,000
High Plains Technology Center Integrated Renewable Energy Systems Training Institute Woodward 1,200,000
Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education Oklahoma Wind Training Initiative (OWETI) Stillwater 158,684
Oklahoma Office of the Secretaries of Energy & Environment 2009 Revolution: Oklahoma Wind Energy Conference Oklahoma City 150,000
Noble Foundation/Oklahoma State University Establish pilot plants to demonstrate decentralized bioenergy production systems. Stillwater 4,492,141
Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts Oklahoma Carbon Incentive Program Statewide 308,262
Cherokee Hills Resource Conservation and Development Renewable Energy Project Delaware County 1,000,000
Department of Central Services, Fleet Mgt Div AlternativeFuel Vehicle Conversion Oklahoma City 1,000,000
Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority PurchaseCNG buses Tulsa 3,840,000
Northeast Oklahoma Public Facilities Authority New CNG fueling stations (2) Tahlequah& Stilwell 1,484,298
Northeastern State University NSU Community Transit System Tahlequah 800,000
Tulsa Public Schools CNG Bus Conversion Tulsa 3,950,112
RECOMMENDED LOANS

Applicant Name

Brief Project Description

Project Location

Funds Recommended
Advanced Environmental Technologies Inc Advanced resource recovery project Watts 3,006,830
OEM Systems, LLC Convert vehicles to CNG Okarche 702,740
Orbitek,Inc. S.T.A.R. Center, Sand Springs SandSprings 1,750,000
Public Service Company of Oklahoma gridSMART Tulsa 7,000,000


TOTAL 42,245,028*

*Oklahoma will receive total SEP ARRA funding of $46,704,000. In accordance with DOE guidance, 10% of the funds are reserved to cover the costs of administering the grants and loans.