Voinovich School Receives $100,000 ARC Grant to Provide Green Energy Services

WASHINGTON, September 15, 2010—The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced today a grant of $100,000 to the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University to provide energy-efficiency and renewable-energy assistance services to public- and private-sector clients in Appalachian Ohio.

The technical assistance services will include:

• Creation of a southeast Ohio clean-energy roundtable;
• Publication of an advanced-energy business start-up guide;
• Development of an online energy resource center;
• Hosting of four clean-energy workshops to identify and support energy entrepreneurs;
• Market analyses and commercialization studies; and
• Support for energy-related public-sector programs;

In addition to the ARC funds, an additional $42,900 in funding will be provided by local sources.

The technical services provided will benefit 100 participants and create 20 new jobs as a result.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland welcomed the grant: "This investment by the Appalachian Regional Commission represents another building block in developing Ohio's clean-energy base—which will fuel job growth in Appalachian Ohio for years to come," he said. "Ohio stands at the forefront of the renewable-energy economy, and these types of innovative projects help create new jobs and give needed resources to our renewable-energy entrepreneurs."

ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl said that the grant would "help keep Appalachian Ohio on the cutting edge of green-job creation, taking advantage of the unique combination of energy and environmental resources offered by the Voinovich School." Gohl noted that the grant was "the latest installment in a long and productive partnership that ARC has had with the school in promoting economic development in the region and the jobs that go with it."

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown remarked, "These funds will help the Appalachian Regional Commission and Ohio University ensure that Ohio emerges from this recession better prepared for the twenty-first-century economy. By preparing our workforce for new, high-growth industries—like clean energy—Ohio University students and southern Ohio entrepreneurs will help make our state a national leader in clean-energy manufacturing jobs. This industry will create well-paying jobs that strengthen our economy and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy."

Ohio Representative Charlie Wilson said, "Investing in energy efficiency is the gift that keeps giving. It helps keeps the bills lower, it helps the environment, and it saves resources, which ensures that we'll have them when we need them in the future."