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Concern is mounting over whether the smart grid awards and project grants to be distributed by the Department of Energy (“DOE”) will be taxable in the hands of the recipients.  Certain grants administered by  federal, state, or local programs for renewable energy projects located in the US may be reportable by the recipient.  The 100 smart grid award recipients, …

We invite you to join us for the third installment of our complimentary Stimulus Bill Webinar series. This session will focus on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program, which received nearly $6 billion in Stimulus Bill funding. The DOE recently redesigned the program in an effort to bring private capital back to large-scale renewable energy…

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the first awards of cash grants in lieu of the investment tax credit (ITC) today.  The total award value was over $502 million.  Recipients include projects in Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas.  Click here for a detailed list of the awards…

We announce the publication of the second edition to our “Show Me The Money – the Law of Stimulus Bill”. The second edition of the guide reviews the various programs and potential sources of federal funding for clean energy companies and projects. Like the first edition published in May, the second edition addresses funding opportunities…

Today, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) announced more than $66 million in Recovery Act funding to four states for their weatherization assistance programs. The funding will help weatherize over 26,000 homes, lower energy costs, reduce pollution, and create green jobs across the country. Here is how the funds will be used in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut and Hawaii:

Continue Reading Show me the Money: $66 Million for State Weatherization Assistance Programs

Today, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend 10 CFR Part 609, the rule regulating the loan guarantee program authorized by section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.  The two principal goals of section 1703 of Title XVII are to encourage commercial use of new or significantly improved energy-related technologies and to achieve substantial environmental benefits.  (See these recent alerts regarding the DOE loan guarantee program and the related application process)

After reexamining Title XVII, the DOE has concluded that the statute does not require a first lien on all project assets.  DOE has discovered that its current requirement that it be in lien position is in conflict with the financing structure of many energy projects.  For example, many utility scale power plants are jointly owned by public power agencies, cooperative power systems and investor-owned utilities.  In these cases, it may not be commercially feasible to obtain a lien on all project assets or the credit of a sponsor may be sufficient to support a more modest pledge of assets.

Furthermore, DOE has found that other parties are interested in participating as co-lenders, co-guarantors, or insurers of Title XVII loans.  However, these other parties expect to share, on a pari passu basis, in any collateral securing such loans.

Consequently, DOE proposes two amendments to the current rules:

  1. Delete the requirement of a first priority lien on all project assets and leave to the Secretary (of DOE) the determination of an appropriate collateral package, as well as intercreditor arrangements; and
  2. Allow the Secretary (of DOE) to determine if pari passu lending is in the best interests of the United States

Continue Reading Show me the Money: DOE Proposes Amendments to its Loan Guarantee Program

Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued $500 million for green job training.  This money is being released through a series of competitive grants.

If you are an organization within Washington State, the Governor’s Office requests that you submit a brief information form to the Governor’s Evergreen Jobs Leadership Team.  The Team is compiling…

From our colleague Christina Asavareungchai:

Today, the Department of Energy announced more than $162 million in Recovery Act funding to seven states and territories under their State Energy Programs (“SEPs”). Here is how the funds will be used in Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico:

 Continue Reading Show me the Money: $162 million Deployed to Seven State Energy Programs