Energy Futures Program – City of Duluth

The City of Duluth has been selected for an award of $500,000 from the U.S.Department ofEnergy to studyaccelerated planningfor commercial buildingand reducingcarbon produced in industry. The award is part of a recentlyannounced $27 million assistance to 40 partner teams of states, localgovernments,and tribes through the Energy Future Grants (EFG) Program.

The City’s application, J40 Community LEAPing Forward: Accelerated Planning for Commercial Building and Industrial Decarbonization (LEAPing), builds upon previous research on how to reduce the largest sector of greenhouse gas emissions in the Duluth community: use of energy in commercialand industrial buildings. The City of Duluth is partnered with the community-based organization Ecolibrium3 (Eco3), whose mission is to inspire and lead change in our community toward an equitable and sustainable future. The project will engage a wide group of stakeholders to develop innovative pathways to address cross-cutting energy opportunities in commercialand industrial decarbonization. The projectaims to make energy cheaper and find clean solutions for industries, which could lead to more jobs, more renewable energy,cleaner industries,and less energy poverty.

The City was awarded $500,000 in the first phase for planning, technicalassistance,and cohort-based support,and is eligible to compete for approximately $1M in implementation fundingin the second phase. The program contributes to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative commitment to support eligible governments to direct 40% of the overall benefits of the EFG Program to flow to disadvantaged communities.