Washington Receives $13.5 million for Energy Assistance and Efficiency

Washington state community action agencies, tribes and utilities and their low-income clientele will benefit over the next two years from the state’s settlements with energy companies that manipulated energy market prices three years ago.

Attorney General Christine Gregoire created the $13.5 million Washington Consumer Energy Fund in late 2003 with the proceeds of settlements negotiated by her office with Williams Energy Company, the El Paso Corporation and Duke Energy. The money was turned over to The Seattle Foundation to distribute grants to nonprofit agencies and utilities that in turn would provide energy assistance and energy efficiency services to those who most need it.

Washington received a total of $37 million for distribution to residential and business electrical ratepayers during the next twenty years, based on past electricity consumption by each group.

The Foundation sought proposals from non-profit organizations, municipalities, public utility districts, and tribal organizations for energy assistance and efficiency projects that would return a meaningful benefit to residential ratepayers. The key recipients, announced September 16 by the Foundation, were the following:

• The Energy Project, a consortium of 11 community action programs led by the Opportunity Council in Bellingham, will receive $5,319,964 to provide bill paying assistance and energy efficiency services to people living in 30 of the 53 utility service areas.
  
  
• Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians – Economic Development Corporation will receive $436,845 to facilitate the efforts of Washington’s 29 federally recognized tribes to expand assistance programs, provide weatherization training and increase the amount of energy efficiency work done. Non-federally recognized tribes will receive funding for energy assistance through a $44,951 grant to Small Tribes Organization of Western Washington.
  
  
• Thirteen utilities, including Snohomish PUD, Tacoma Power, Seattle City Light, and Clark Public Utilities, will receive a total of $6,593,087 for a variety of energy assistance and efficiency projects benefiting residential customers.

Seattle City Light has announced that it will use its $1.6 million to help fund distribution of efficient lighting to residential customers and assistance programs for low-income customers. Clark Public Utilities will use its nearly $2 million to boost funding for its low-income payment assistance program, Operation Warm Heart, and for weatherization activities. Snohomish County PUD, in partnership with Snohomish County Human Services and the Salvation Army, will spend its $3 million to expand low-income assistance and conservation programs throughout the county.

Grantees will have 24 months to implement and complete their projects.

Source: Washington Attorney General press release

Page Last Updated: February 27, 2007