Reid workshops explain stimulus money — and how to get a share

By Stephanie Tavares

Friday, April 24, 2009 | 2 a.m.

It can be more than a bit confusing to figure out Nevada’s share of the stimulus money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009.

Sen. Harry Reid hosted a conference April 16 aimed at explaining everything from how much money is specifically allocated to the state to how businesses and nonprofit groups can access the grants and other programs funded by the bill.

Nevada will receive about $1.5 billion in direct assistance, according to Reid’s staff, and the state stands to see an influx of millions more in the form of federal grants.

A total of $104 million has been allocated to Nevada for various programs under the Energy Department.

The agency is expected to play a larger role in renewable energy after Congress allocated it $16.8 billion for various programs. And that likely means money to support the budding Nevada renewable energy industry.

About $2.5 billion is specifically tagged for applied research and development in green energy industries. That includes $800 million for biomass technology, $400 million for geothermal, $400 million for the electrification of the transportation industry, $300 million for alternative fuel vehicle pilot program grants and $50 million for information and communication technology.

The Energy Department also got $2 billion for grants to support advanced battery manufacturing for the electric car industry.

And good news for out-of-work builders: The agency has been allocated $11.6 billion for weatherization programs.

Most of this money will flow directly to states and will be distributed on a local basis.

There will also be another $5 billion for low-income assistance, $3.1 billion for state energy-efficiency programs, $2.8 billion for energy-efficiency and block grants, $400 million for competitive grants over several areas and $300 million for Energy Star appliance rebate programs.

Nevada will see $34.3 million for weatherization assistance programs through the Nevada Business and Industry Department. That includes expanded criteria for who can receive the funds and how much they can receive as well as specific funding for training and teaching assistance for workers, according to the Energy Department’s Faith Lambert.

Nevada also has access to money from four Environmental Protection Agency programs. The EPA saw its budget nearly double after stimulus programs were announced.

Cleaner running government vehicles will likely multiply in the state. The stimulus bill included the Diesel Emission Reduction Act, which gives Nevada $1.7 million to convert and retrofit school buses and municipal vehicles to cleaner burning diesel.

The state also got $1.2 million to pay for cleanup of underground storage tank sites.

Blighted neighborhoods could also see a boost in money. Municipalities had until April 20 to apply for new grants under the EPA’s Brownfield program, which is meant to help communities restore abandoned properties and sweep away blight.

The agency also saw a boost in funding for its Superfund programs, but Nevada did not get an allocation under this program.

Congress granted $2.5 billion to the Agriculture Department’s rural utility service to start a program to promote broadband access in rural areas across the U.S.

The department is still formulating how it will roll out the program, which must be fully implemented by Sept. 30, 2010.

The department plans to distribute the money over three periods.

Selection of projects will be based on a scoring system, not first come, first served. There will also be a reporting requirement.

The Internal Revenue Service has some programs and benefits available from the stimulus bill. The agency showed attendees how to navigate the front page of its Web site to find tax incentives that might apply to their industry.