The enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has opened the door for unprecedented opportunity for local governments to build green. ARRA funds are being actively sought by local governments across the country, and with short timelines and high priorities, speed is the name of the game. Given the state of the economy, smart, calculated, and quality investments in green building and infrastructure are creating both a down payment on the green economy, and good green jobs that are putting our communities back to work. The following resources can help local governments understand the available opportunities in ARRA and navigate the many paths to accessing funding.
ARRA Guidance and Other Government Programs
As guidelines are released and updated daily, consult your state’s economic recovery web page, as well as these constantly-updated resource pages from the federal government:
- Recovery.gov: www.recovery.gov
- Department of Education: www.ed.gov/recovery
- Department of Energy: www.energy.gov/recovery
- Department of Housing and Urban Development: www.hud.gov/recovery
- Department of Labor: www.dol.gov/recovery
- Department of Transportation: www.dot.gov/recovery
- Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov/recovery
ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA’s Economic Recovery Funding Updates
Find breaking updates, tips and tools for the application process, recorded and upcoming webinars, and FAQs on applying for ARRA-funded programs, especially the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Programon their Economic Recovery Funding Updates page.
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Tool – the primary tool for local governments to use in reporting back to the U.S. Department of Energy for EECBG funding.
U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Economic Recovery Resources
Visit USGBC’s resource page for economic recovery for multiple resources for the government community, including a 4-part webinar series on accessing and implementing recovery funding.
Roadmap to Sustainable Government Buildings - A collection of resources developed by state government agencies with established and emerging green building programs. The Roadmap draws on these resources to suggest strategies for developing a green building program within a typical government entity framework.
Matrix of Key Provisions and Resources Related to Green Building (XLS) - This chart gives a brief overview of several provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that are relevant to green building. In support of state and local governments that wish to invest in greener buildings for the green economy, the chart highlights best practices that may be referenced and resources that can be used to ensure that green choices are embraced throughout projects funded by the Act.
LEED as a Tool for Performance Strategies (PDF) - Using LEED credits to guide the implementation of limited-scope building modernization projects or to add green elements to new construction projects ensures that these elements align with nationally recognized green benchmarks and provide a stepping stone to future LEED certification.
