Wednesday, February 04, 2009
From an article by Tim Damos in The Sauk Prairie Eagle:
Two Sauk County groups are among 10 statewide that will receive grant money for tracking the energy use of government-owned infrastructure, such as buildings and vehicles.
One group including the Village of Spring Green, River Valley School District and Town of Spring Green will receive $50,000, said Brian Driscoll, a spokesman for the state's Office of Energy Independence.
The Town of Fairfield will receive $13,500, but there has been confusion about what that money can be used for.
The federal grant money is funneled through the state as part of Gov. Jim Doyle's plan to generate 25 percent of the state's electricity and transportation fuel from renewable resources by 2025 — the so-called 25X25 plan.
Fairfield Town Chairman Tim Stone said he included non-profit groups and agribusinesses as partners in the town's grant application in hopes of developing a community-wide 25 by 25 strategy. But state officials have said the town can only use the money for government-owned infrastructure, he said.
Stone said the town still plans to explore a comprehensive strategy, even if state funds can't be used for that process.
"Certainly we will move forward and we will not only do the government buildings, but attempt to include the whole community," Stone said Monday.
The town will create a board to oversee the process and will partner with the Sauk County University of Wisconsin-Extension office in developing a plan, Stone said.
River Valley School District Administrator James Benson said finding alternative energy use strategies for the district's six school buildings will ultimately save taxpayer money.
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