Ways and Means approves seven federal grant applications totaling about $15.7 million

The Joint Committee on Ways and Means voted on Feb. 5 to approve seven federal grant submissions and recommended one agency report be received, totaling roughly $15.7 million in grant requests.

The approvals included a $100,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program grant application from the Oregon Department of Energy to fund energy audits for agriculture producers and rural small businesses, and three retroactive approvals for federal applications already submitted by state agencies.

The Natural Resource Subcommittee reported the Department of Energy application would fund energy audits and noted “Prior grant funding has supported 13 energy audits with 2 businesses able to receive additional grant funding to implement the energy audit suggestions,” Representative Owens said. Program participants must provide a 25% match of audit costs; the department has partnered with the Energy Trust of Oregon to cover the match for…