CARBONDALE – The City of Carbondale has been awarded $500,000 in planning funding through the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Phase 1 Energy Future Grants Program (EFG).

Over the next year, the City of Carbondale, in partnership with the Village of Dowell, the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), Elevate Energy, and Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) will conduct a comprehensive pre-feasibility study of what the community has been calling “The Energy Sovereignty, Security, & Democracy Proposal,” a revenue-positive and replicable rural energy system model that fosters equitable American self-sufficiency and lasting prosperity for our Nation’s recovering energy communities.

Planner and Sustainability Coordinator Lauren Becker says it’s never been a question of whether renewable energy is coming to Southern Illinois. It’s already here. It’s always been a question of who benefits. This proposal ensures that local resource generation fosters local prosperity.

Becker thanks every community member who provided their perspective on this proposal so far. Becker says her team could not have won this planning grant without your insight.