| August 14, 2009 Ohio to Receive $1.2 Million In Federal Stimulus Funds |
| Tuesday, August 18, 2009 9:12:50 AM - Middletown Ohio |
Posted By Randy Lewis
Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Department of Development Interim Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel and Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Alan R. Schriber announced today that Ohio will receive approximately $1.2 million in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve Ohio's state energy assurance and emergency preparedness plans and to help reduce recovery times from energy supply disruptions.
"Maintaining a consistent and effective energy supply is important for the safety of Ohio's businesses and residents," said Patt-McDaniel. "These funds will enable Ohio to enhance its ability to respond to potentially damaging incidents and better prepare us to incorporate renewable energy sources into our grid."
In May 2008, Governor Ted Strickland signed Senate Bill 221 into law that establishes new alternative energy portfolio standards and encourages the development and implementation of advanced metering infrastructure, also known as Smart Grid. Ohio applied to the program and received these funds through a formula-based allocation by the United States Department of Energy through the Recovery Act of 2009. Ohio will use the funds to update and integrate new energy resources and Smart Grid capabilities into energy emergency response and energy assurance plans.
"Emergency response and energy assurance planning is critical to Ohio," Schriber stated. "These funds will assist Ohio's agencies in developing comprehensive energy assurance plans that incorporate our new alternative energy portfolio standards and both the capabilities and vulnerabilities of Smart Grid technology."
Ohio will refine existing emergency response plans for energy supply disruption risks and vulnerabilities to lessen the significant impact that such incidents can have on the economy and the health and safety of Ohioans. Ohio will modernize the processes for tracking energy emergencies and assessing restoration and recovery times of supply disruptions; train appropriate personnel on energy infrastructure and supply systems, including Smart Grid applications and vulnerabilities; and conduct and participate in state and regional energy emergency exercises to evaluate the effectiveness of the energy assurance plan.
Energy assurance support will also help Ohio address cyber security concerns and develop regional energy assurance capability to improve coordination and communication among states on energy security, reliability and emergency response issues. Ohio agencies will coordinate best practices to build both state-level and regional resiliency for the grid.
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