WASHINGTON, D.C.— As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced two states and three tribal nations will receive a combined total of $34 million as the fifth cohort of 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 agenda—a core pillar of Bidenomics, the President’s economic strategy for growing the economy from the middle out and bottom up. 

“Every community deserves a strong and reliable energy grid that can deploy cleaner, cheaper power to homes and businesses, while keeping their lights on during extreme weather,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Thanks to the transformative investments in grid infrastructure under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda we are strengthening America’s workforce and preparing the nation for a more resilient, clean energy future.” 

This cohort of two states and three tribal nations, will receive a combined total of $34 million. Since May 2023, DOE has distributed more than $407 million in Grid Resilience Formula Grants thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. 

• Aroostook Band of Micmacs will ensure critical Tribal facilities are not impacted by extreme weather events and will address the energy burden experienced by low-income Tribal members and disadvantaged Tribal communities. Grant funds would support modernizing grid infrastructure while improving outdated or failing infrastructure and advancing Tribal workforce development.  (Amount: $194,000)
   
• Miccosukee Tribe of Indians will reduce the impact of disruptive events on critical Tribal facilities serving Tribal citizens and will improve and update infrastructure and communications to enhance local grid control. Grant funds will also support Tribal workforce development and enhance green jobs and STEM-based skills of the Tribal workforce. (Amount: $229,000)
   
• Missouri will produce measurable improvements in resilience and reliability for small and disadvantaged communities while incorporating demand-side management as a strategy to optimize program-eligible resilience investments. Projects will support employment and workforce development and mitigate impacts to ratepayers. (Amount: $13.8 million)
   
• North Carolina will support and deploy grid modernization technologies that strengthen resilience and increase the flexibility of the grid while improving energy reliability and resilience in disadvantaged communities, which are more impacted by outages and subject to higher energy burdens. Grants will support equitable workforce development through projects that attract, train, and retain an appropriately skilled workforce. (Amount: $18.5 million)
   
• Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California (Carson Colony, Dresslerville Colony, Woodfords Community, Stewart Community, & Washoe Ranches) will ensure that Tribal members and the Tribe’s critical community facilities are not impacted by weather events. The grant funds will support modernizing grid infrastructure and investments in clean energy while also addressing the energy burden experienced by low-income and disadvantaged Tribal communities. (Amount: $1.3 million) 

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.   

Grid Resilience Formula Grant recipients are being announced on a rolling basis 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.