Title
Authorizing the Office of Financial Services-Real Estate to apply for and accept grant funds of $317,800 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program for developing a municipal buildings decarbonization plan.
Body
WHEREAS, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided $550 million for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program for fiscal year 2022, of which DOE dedicated $2.99 million for formula awards to eligible units of local government for the purpose of implementing projects and programs that cut carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and build a clean and equitable energy economy; and
WHEREAS, the EECBG Program includes a formula grant funding allocation based on population for the City of Saint Paul of $317,800 with no match required, which the City is eligible to apply for through January 2024; and
WHEREAS, the greenhouse gas inventory conducted by the City of Saint Paul in 2016 documented that over 50% of emissions in Saint Paul are generated by the building sector; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan adopted in December 2019 established goals of achieving net zero emissions in Saint Paul by 2050, while also making city operations carbon neutral by 2030; and
WHEREAS, reaching carbon neutrality in city operations by 2030 will require a detailed plan that identifies cost-effective strategies and pathways for prioritizing energy efficiency, pursuing electrification opportunities, and expanding the use of renewable energy resources across the municipal building portfolio; and
WHEREAS, the DOE allows EECBG Program funds to be used for the development and implementation of an energy efficiency and conservation strategy, and retaining technical consultant services to assist the eligible entity in the development of such a strategy; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Financial Services-Real Estate is requesting permission to apply for the City of Saint Paul’s EECBG allocation of $317,800 to be used for technical consulting services to conduct energy and carbon modeling and analysis resulting in a municipal buildings decarbonization plan aligning with the carbon neutrality goal for city operations; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Saint Paul authorizes the Office of Financial Services-Real Estate to apply for formula funds under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program and to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to accept the grant funds to be used for obtaining technical consulting services; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Office of Financial Services-Real Estate staff will work with the technical consultant to develop a municipal buildings decarbonization plan for reaching carbon neutrality in city operations by 2030.