Since the Fall of 2021, the Green Bank has provided public comments to various initiatives resulting from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“IIJA”) (a.k.a., Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”), and more, through agencies of the U.S. Government. The following is a breakdown of Green Bank engagement.
US Environmental Protection Agency
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (“GHGRF”) – a new initiative administered by the EPA to provide $27 billion in funding in support (1) zero emission technologies (e.g., residential rooftop solar PV) for low-income and disadvantaged communities, and (2) national climate bank modelled after the Connecticut Green Bank, including:
US Department of Energy
- Communities Local Energy Action Plan (“Communities LEAP”) – the pilot Justice 40 Initiative program of the DOE, in support of the Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises, the Green Bank and Operation Fuel collaborated on public comments and a winning application, including:
- Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs – a key initiative of the DOE to advance hydrogen and fuel cells, the Green Bank provided public comment:
- Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund Capitalization Grant Program – a finance initiative of the DOE, supported by research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Green Bank was featured in national research report and provided public comment:
- Loan Programs Office (“LPO”) – a finance initiative of the DOE, the Green Bank invited the LPO to present at a Board of Directors meeting and provided public comment:
- Battery Recycling – an initiative to support the lifecycle of battery storage technologies, as a co-administrator of Energy Storage Solutions, the Green Bank provided public comment:
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- Grid Innovation Program (40103(B)) – Topic Area 3 – Area of Interest 2
US Department of Treasury
- Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) – an initiative to update the 1977 civil rights policy to enable FDIC insured financial institutions to invest in less than 80% area median income communities, with Connecticut’s “vulnerable communities” definition (i.e., per Public Act 20-05) including CRA-eligible communities and the Green Bank’s goal of “by 2025 no less than 40 percent of investment and benefits in vulnerable communities,” the Green Bank provided public comment:
- Inflation Reduction Act Tax Credit Programs – various tax credit programs provided through Treasury, of relevance to Connecticut, the Green Bank provided public comment:
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (“GRRP”) – an initiative to improve the resilience of affordable housing, the Green Bank provided public comment:
Projects Led by Partners that are Supported by the Green Bank
- DOE Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) – Topic Area 2 (Smart Grids)
- Led by the University of Connecticut – REINFORCE: Northeastern-Puerto Rico Energy Innovation Alliance for Outage Anticipation, Response and Self-healing Control During Abnormal Weather Events
- Led by Eversource – Accelerating Decarbonization with AMI-Enabled Volt VAR Optimization in Disadvantaged Communities
- DOE Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT)
- Led by the University of Connecticut – Equitable Deployment of Carbon-Responsive Operation of Battery Energy Storage Systems for Achieving Net-Zero Emissions in Connecticut and Beyond
- DOE Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation
- Led by Clean Energy Group – Climate Resilient Energy Codes for Multifamily Affordable Housing
Proposals Supported by the Green Bank
Resources from the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) on IIJA and IRA
Resources from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) on IIJA and IRA
House Select Committee on Connecticut’s Sustainable & Renewable Energy
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