Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today said he is pleased that the Department of Energy has made it easier to access economic recovery funding to improve our nation’s energy grid.

Last month, Bingaman pressed the DOE to increase the cap on “smart grid” grants offered through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The proposed levels were too low to help advance technology in a meaningful and timely fashion.

Energy Secretary Chu today announced that the Smart Grid Investment Grant Program will be increased from $20 million to $200 million and for the Smart Grid Demonstration Projects from $40 million to $100 million. 

The secretary today also addressed another problem Bingaman identified.  At an Energy Committee hearing on March, Bingaman highlighted the need to develop standards that manufacturers could adhere to, ensuring that their technologies can be integrated to make a “smart system,” and urged the accelerated development of standards. Chu announced today that the first set of standards had been agreed to.

“There is a significant amount of grant funding available in the economic recovery package to upgrade our electric grid.  I’m glad DOE is now committed to awarding grants at levels that are more likely to make the kind of technological advances that will improve our grid,” Bingaman said.