WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) today announced $8,790,108 in federal funding for the Maryland Energy Administration to modernize the state’s power grid and invest in clean energy.

 

The funding, authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was made available through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants Program. The Maryland Energy Administration will distribute the funds to localities after holding a competitive selection process to identify critical projects that improve the resiliency and reliability of the power grid, invest in renewable carbon-neutral energy technologies and enhance clean energy workforce development.

 

“An outdated power grid not only drives up costs for taxpayers, but it also undermines our readiness in times of emergency and threatens our national security. That’s why we fought to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and deliver these funds to provide a safer, more reliable grid system that will withstand the test of time and climate change,” said the lawmakers. “As severe weather events increase across Maryland and nationwide, this funding will give us a much-needed head start on increasing our resiliency while simultaneously investing in technology that will reduce our emissions.” 

 

The award total was based on a formula that considers population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and states’ historical expenditures on mitigation efforts. To date, the U.S. Department of Energy has distributed more than $580.5 million in funding nationwide through the program.