Arizona’s three biggest electric utilities including Tucson Electric Power Co. have pledged a combined $1 million to help secure grant funding for communities that could be impacted by the retirement of coal-fired power plants.
TEP teamed up with Arizona Public Service and the Salt River Project to create the Utilities’ Grant Program, which will support tribal, state and local governments as well as nonprofit groups and other stakeholders in applying for grants from federal, state and other sources.
The individual grants of up to $25,000 can help communities hire grant writers or commission economic impact studies, for example, to bolster community efforts to compete for federal, state and other grant opportunities.
Applications may be filed on behalf of impacted communities within 50 miles of a coal-fired power plant owned by APS, SRP or TEP, including the now-closed Navajo Generating Station and other plants partially shutdown or planned for closure in the coming years, such as SRP’s Coronado Generating Station, APS’ Cholla Power Plant and TEP's Springerville Generating Station.
Tribal, state and local governments, public schools, economic development groups and nonprofit groups may be eligible to apply.
More details about submission eligibility and requirements are available at at www.tep.com/coal-community-transition.
The first grant application cycle closes May 15. Additional grant cycles will be scheduled later this year, TEP said.
Tribal and community groups have been pressing TEP and other utilities to compensate coal-impacted communities in proceedings before the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases, are all heating up the planet.
