NEWS RELEASE

April 12, 2007 

$11.4 Million Available to Small Businesses for Renewable Energy
Systems and Energy Efficiency 

The Business and Economic Development Department of Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA) would like to bring to your attention to funds that have recently been made available through an agency of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development. The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) has announced that it is accepting applications for fiscal year 2007 to purchase renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements. The program is for use by agricultural producers and rural small businesses.

Deadline for application is May 18th, 2007 for the grant portion of the program and July 2, 2007 for the guaranteed loan or combined loan/grant portion.

The primary purpose of this program is to help small businesses and agricultural producers reduce energy costs and consumption. Program requirements include stipulations that projects employ “pre-commercial or commercially available technology.” Projects funded must be practical applications and not research and development.

Types of projects under the renewable portion of this program could be solar, wind, micro-hydro, geothermal, and biofuels projects. Examples would include the installation of solar panels and wind generators. These types of projects could also include commercially available biodiesel production equipment to fuel commercial equipment.

 Energy efficiency projects would include HVAC updates, insulation of facilities (including installation of energy efficient windows and doors). Other projects could include retrofit of old or purchase of new energy efficient equipment for mills and processing plants.

The funding for the program is being made available through grants, guaranteed loans, and combinations of both. For renewable energy systems, the grants range from $2,500 to $500,000. For energy efficiency improvements, grants range from $1,500 to $250,000. The maximum amount of a guaranteed loan is $10 million. Grants cannot exceed 25% of the total project costs. Guaranteed loan or grant/loan combinations cannot exceed 50% of projects costs. The CFDA (Catalog for Domestic Assistance) number is 10.775 Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program. Expanded information is available on the website www.cfda.gov .

Applications may be printed on www.grants.gov and must be submitted through the Alaska State USDA Rural Development office in Palmer. E-mail applications are not accepted under this grant program. All initial screening for grants and loans under this program will done at the state level before being  processed on a national level for final approval.

Further information about this program and applications should be made through USDA Rural Development, 800 West Evergreen, Suite 201, Palmer, AK   99645-6539 (907) 761-7722.

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For information on other renewable energy or economic development issues, please contact:

Steve Wade, Economic Development Specialist
CCTHITA Business & Economic Development Department
9097 Glacier Highway, Ste. 206
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Tel. 907/463-7724
Email: swade@ccthita.org