As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, today the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced nine states and five tribal nations will receive a combined total of $125 million as the seventh cohort of Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants. Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, these grants will help modernize the electric grid to reduce impacts of climate-driven extreme weather and natural disasters while also ensuring power sector reliability. This funding will enable communities to access affordable, reliable, and clean electricity while helping deliver on the President’s ambitious clean energy goals.
“This year, the U.S. has already incurred $15 billion in extreme climate-related disaster costs, underscoring the urgent need to strengthen the grid to deliver dependable power supply to Americans,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and its transformative investments, we are not only fortifying the nation’s electrical grid for the future but also empowering the American workforce, all while ensuring that the lights stay on in our communities.”
This cohort of nine states and five tribes will receive a combined total of $125 million. Since May 2023, DOE has distributed more than $580.5 million in Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.
- Beaver Village will support a continuous supply of power to consumers through preventative maintenance and training for utility owners and operators. The grant funding will also be used to provide backup power in case of outages, reduce outage risks, and advance energy justice. (Amount: $112,917)
- Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan) will support continuous operations through preventative maintenance and grid resilience training and will reduce outage risks while reducing restoration times following a severe event. The grant funding will also be used to develop battery storage for critical facilities and reduce the energy burden to low-income and disadvantaged Tribal members. (Amount: $117,116)
- Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma will install battery backup for critical care and emergency facilities and will reduce the overall cost of operations while increasing grid resilience. The grant funding will also be used to invest in clean energy and decarbonization solutions, improve the energy infrastructure through joint efforts with their electric cooperative utility, and increase the skilled Tribal workforce. (Amount: $927,979)
- Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe will ensure critical community facilities that serve the Tribe are not impacted by extreme weather and other disruptive events and will address outdated or failing grid infrastructure. The grant funding will support investments in modern grid infrastructure and clean energy while enabling lower-cost energy to consumers. (Amount: $169,830)
- Maryland will improve the resilience and reliability of the power grid, critical infrastructure, and essential services–especially in disadvantaged communities. Grant funding will also be used to invest in carbon-neutral energy technologies that can help the state meet greenhouse gas reduction goals, and to support workforce development for clean energy jobs. (Amount: $8.7 million)
- Massachusetts will improve energy reliability and resilience while reducing the cost and number of outages for communities and underserved populations. The grant funding will support clean energy and decarbonization solutions, help advance environmental and energy justice priorities, and create good-paying jobs. (Amount: $9.2 million)
- Mississippi will mitigate the risk of severe weather to critical facilities through investments in grid hardening and last-mile delivery solutions for low-income customers. The grant funding will support resilient infrastructure improvements and upgrades, development of microgrid and non-wired alternative projects, and growth of the skilled workforce for grid resilience activities. (Amount: $12 million)
- Montana will improve the reliability and resilience of the electric grid by reducing the vulnerability to disruptive events and the consequences of outages to community facilities and critical infrastructure. The grant funding will be used to limit wildfire ignition from transmission and distribution equipment and increase the skilled workforce in Montana to operate and maintain resilience measures. (Amount: $14 million)
- Nebraska will strengthen existing equipment and harden electric system components to withstand extreme heat, cold, and storms. The grant funding will also be used for adaptive technologies that support real-time monitoring. It will create good paying jobs and training opportunities for electric energy technology workers and ensure that benefits are equitably distributed to Nebraskans, including underserved communities. (Amount: $10.8 million)
- New Jersey will ensure that critical community facilities are not impacted by extreme weather events and that operations for essential government functions can be maintained during disruptive outages. The grant funding will also be used to increase the skilled workforce to operate and maintain resilience measures and to support modernization of grid infrastructure consistent with the New Jersey Energy Master Plan and the Justice40 Initiative. (Amount: $12.8 million)
- New York will improve the resilience of the electric grid against disruptive events and will invest in decarbonization solutions and other technologies that support social benefits and minimize system costs. The grant funding will support energy systems that benefit disadvantaged communities, reduce the energy burden to disadvantaged communities, and increase the skilled workforce. (Amount: $23.8 million)
- United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma will ensure that the critical Tribal facilities serving the Tribe’s citizens are not impacted by disruptive events such as extreme weather through efforts to modernize the grid, and implement improved controls, automation, and communications to support adaptive grid operations. The grant funding will also be used to enable access to lower cost energy and increase the skills of the Tribal workforce to operate and maintain grid resilience measures. (Amount: $550,543)
- Washington will reduce the frequency, duration, and impact of outages while enhancing resilience in historically disadvantaged communities. The grant will help build a community of practice and maximize project benefits by identifying pathways for scaling innovations. The grant funding will also strengthen prosperity by making well-paying, safe jobs accessible to all workers and ensuring investments have a positive effect on quality job creation and equitable economic development. (Amount: $23.4 million)
- Wyoming will increase grid resilience and reliability by improving weatherization, wildfire mitigation, and system redundancy. The grant will be used to replace deteriorating infrastructure, improve planning, and harden the system. The grant funding will also be used to advance energy justice by mitigating costs to small rural customers and improve public safety through grid improvements. (Amount: $8.1 million)
Over the next five years, the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants will distribute a total of $2.3 billion to States, Territories, and federally recognized Tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, based on a formula that includes factors such as population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts. The States, Territories, and Tribes will then award these funds to eligible entities to complete a diverse set of projects, with priority given to efforts that generate the greatest community benefit while providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy.
Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant recipients are being announced on a rolling basis as applications are received. Applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 and FY 2023 are now closed.