U.S. Department of Energy

READER’S EDITORIAL: GRANHOLM VISIT RAISES MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

 

By Bart Ziegler, PhD

June 27, 2023 (San Diego) -- When announcing that the Biden administration has committed $26 million to search for sites to store the nation's nuclear waste, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm raised more questions than answers.


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SDG&E SEEKING $100M IN FEDERAL FUNDS TO ADVANCE WILDFIRE SAFETY EFFORTS ON OR NEAR TRIBAL LANDS

Federal Funds Would Support the Strategic Undergrounding and Overhead Hardening of Power Lines around Tribal Lands
 
April 13, 2023 (San Diego) – As part of its commitment to reduce the impact of infrastructure costs on electric rates, this month, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) submitted an application to the United States Department of Energy (DOE) seeking up to $100 million in federal funds through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Grant program, which is part of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). If awarded, the grant would help offset the costs of wildfire hardening efforts on and around federally recognized Tribal Nations’ land within SDG&E’s service territory. Pending final approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the federal funds would be matched with an additional $100 million from SDG&E.
 
“Our region has the most federally recognized Tribes of any county in the nation, and all are located in areas facing the highest risk for wildfire. These funds would help us continue to work with Tribes to provide safe and resilient energy in the face of a changing climate,” said Caroline Winn, CEO of SDG&E. “If approved, this grant would not only help advance wildfire safety initiatives planned on Tribal lands which have experienced wildfires and Public Safety Power Shutoffs in the past, but also plays a key role in in our strategy to reduce energy costs for customers.”

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"WHO ARE MY PEOPLE?" IS WELL WORTH WATCHING

 

Originally Published on the ECOreport

Editor’s Note: The ECOreport is pleased to present a unique article by Dr. Allan Hoffman, former senior executive at the Department of Energy, who served under five Presidents between 1978 and 2012, reviewing ECOreport partner, Robert Lundahl’s film, “Who Are My People?”

At the ECOreport, we have been aware that Lundahl’s film captures a key transition in the history of renewable energy, as concentrating solar, which had been developed in the US, began to return in the hands of international firms building large solar facilities in the Mojave desert.

Lundahl ventured to these remote locations to capture responses from Native American elders whose communities and tribal groups have had a connection to the land since time immemorial. The film is about resulting conflicts in values that define renewable energy in its current form, and provide a consultative view about how we implement these technologies today, and in the future.

March 6, 2015--I was invited to review the documentary film “Who Are My People?” because of my professional familiarity with concentrating solar power technologies. I was responsible for the U.S. Department of Energy’s broad range of renewable energy electricity programs for several years during the Clinton Administration. “Who Are My People?” is well worth watching.


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NEARLY 44,000 LOW-INCOME HOMES WEATHERIZED IN CA--3 MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

 
Reducing Energy Bills for Low-Income Families Across California

 
January 31, 2012  (Sacramento) -- The Department of Community Services and Development (CSD) today announced California has weatherized 43,530 low-income homes three months ahead of schedule under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). This surpasses California’s original goal of weatherizing 43,150 homes by the end of March 2012.

 


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.