Biden-Harris Administration Invests Over $200 Million in States and Tribal Nations to Modernize America’s Electrical Grid

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced nine states and three tribal nations as the third cohort to receive a combined total of $207.6 million in Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants. Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, these grants will help modernize the electric grid to reduce impacts of climate-driven extreme weather and natural disasters while also ensuring power sector reliability. This funding will ensure all communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity while helping deliver on the President’s ambitious clean energy goals.

“Renewable energy has helped many parts of the country withstand a crippling heat dome, and the President’s Investing in America agenda will increase the amount of clean power sources available on the nation’s grid,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “DOE is excited to announce a continued stream of funding aimed at strengthening America’s workforce and preparing the nation for a more resilient, clean energy future. These grants will help modernize the electric grid to reduce impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters while enhancing power sector reliability.”

This cohort of nine States and three tribal nations will receive a combined total of $207.6 million. Since May 2023, DOE has distributed $324 million in Grid Resilience Formula Grants thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. 

• California will reduce the frequency and duration of power outages for communities while ensuring the benefits of clean, safe, affordable, and reliable energy are shared by all, particularly those in disadvantaged communities and communities with critical energy resilience needs. Selected projects will be used to advance California’s goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy through resilience solutions that deploy zero-carbon energy resources and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. (Amount: $67.5 million)
• Kansas plans to promote grid equity by ensuring that funds are distributed equitably, particularly in rural, disadvantaged, and underserved communities. Grants funds will be used to promote resilience projects while advancing projects that attract, train, and retain a skilled Kansas workforce. (Amount: $13.3 million)
• Kentucky will work to improve the safety and reliability of the electric grid serving critical facilities and increase the resilience capacity of critical infrastructure. Grant funds will be used to expand local workforce capacity and increase the resilience capacity of under-resourced communities and vulnerable populations by funding projects with small entities and state facilities that serve critical roles during natural disasters. (Amount: $11.1 million)
• Maine’s goal is to improve community and economic resilience while empowering electric customers and communities to be resilient to disruptive events. Selected projects will be used to increase clean energy workforce opportunities and activities will align with ongoing electric grid modernization and state policy climate goals while mitigating disproportionate energy burdens. (Amount: $4.4 million)
• Metlakatla Indian Community, Annette Island Reserve will use the funding to supplement efforts to improve the resiliency of Metlakatla Power & Light, a component unit of the Tribe’s electric distribution system. The Tribe will prioritize workforce development and energy justice to reduce or eliminate the impact of disruptive events on vulnerable communities. (Amount: $113,000)
• Michigan will invest in last-mile delivery solutions for low-income customers and mitigate the risk of severe weather on critical facilities through traditional grid hardening resilience investments. Grant funds will be used to grow Michigan’s skilled workforce for grid resilience activities and support innovative non-wired alternative projects. (Amount: $14.9 million)
• Minnesota will prioritize projects that will generate the greatest community benefit and enhance equity by aligning with the Justice40 initiative. With a goal of strengthening prosperity, state officials will focus on expanding good-paying, safe jobs accessible to all workers and invest in domestic supply chains. (Amount: $11.9 million)
• The Native Village of Eagle plans to address asset management and preventative maintenance and improve operational capacity so that it can reduce outage risks and increase the ability to anticipate or rapidly recover from outages. The Tribe plans to develop projects and approaches to implement backup power in case of outages for critical facilities. (Amount: $150,000) 
• Oregon’s goal is to deliver benefits to disadvantaged communities and nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon as defined by the Justice40 Initiative, while maximizing community benefits that complement grid resilience projects. Grant funds will be used to further refine program objectives, metrics, and criteria for future years to ensure program funds address the most pressing grid resilience needs. (Amount: $19.9 million)
• Rhode Island will work to address electric resilience threats through a bottom-up approach to identify innovative projects with robust municipal collaboration. State officials will develop a replicable planning framework which will leverage this funding opportunity with other competitive or private funding opportunities. (Amount: $3.4 million)
• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South Dakota will use the funding to increase the resiliency of the power supply serving the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s Reservation with a focus on increasing energy justice in the Tribal community. The Tribe plans to develop distributed energy resources and support workforce development. (Amount: $359,000)
• Texas will use grant funds to identify gaps in grid resilience and minimize disruption to normal grid operations during weather events with weatherization and modeling technologies, as well as vegetation and fuel load management. Furthermore, Texas will increase the skilled workforce by assuring that any installed resilience measures can be operated and maintained without contractor support, whenever possible. (Amount: $60.6 million) 

“I’m proud that the critical funding secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, modeled off of my POWER ON Act, has brought home millions of dollars that will help California avoid shut-offs and keep the lights on,” said U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (CA). “As once-in-a-generation weather events test the resiliency of our grid, these life-saving investments will ensure families — especially ones in disadvantaged communities — are not left in the dark.”   

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and Bidenomics strategy is growing the American economy from the middle out and bottom up – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $500 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good paying jobs and building a clean energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient. 

Over the next five years, the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants will distribute a total of $2.3 billion to States, Territories, and federally recognized tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, based on a formula that includes factors such as population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts. The States, Territories, and tribes will then award these funds to complete a diverse set of projects, with priority given to efforts that generate the greatest community benefit while providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy.   

Additional Grid Resilience Formula Grant recipients will be announced on a rolling basis in the coming months as applications are received. The fiscal year (FY) 22 and FY 23 application deadline for States and Territories was May 31, 2023. The FY 22 and FY 23 application deadline for Indian tribes, including Alaska Native Corporations, is August 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET (with a mail-in option post-marked by this date).    

Learn more about the Grid Deployment Office.