§7628 Demonstration Grant Program for Local Governments

Summary

Must run a demo grant program that gives competitive grants to help local governments (like cities and counties) make their buildings use cost-effective technologies and practices and cut operational costs, with the Administrator checking the savings. The federal share is 40 percent, but the Administrator may waive up to 100 percent of the local share for economically distressed communities based on published criteria. No single grant can be more than $1,000,000. Within 1 year after December 19, 2007, the Administrator must issue guidelines that set rules for verifying savings, for required training and technical help, and that require each grantee to cut facility-wide operating costs by at least 40 percent compared to a baseline (using a 3-year, weather-normalized average). The program does not override stricter state or local laws. Up to $20,000,000 is authorized for each fiscal year 2007–2012. The Administrator must send annual reports to Congress and a final report at the end. The program ends on September 30, 2012. The key terms are defined in section 17061.