Community Energy Transition Grant Program

Overview

The Community Energy Transition (CET) grant program was established in the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to award grants to assist eligible communities to address the economic dislocation associated with the closing of a local electric generating plant.

Eligible communities/applicants are counties, municipalities, or tribal governments in which an electric generating plant owned by a public utility, as defined in section 216B.02, that is powered by coal, nuclear energy, or natural gas:

Is currently operating and is scheduled to cease operations or whose cessation of operations has been proposed in an integrated resource plan filed with the commission under section 216B.2422; or
Ceased operations or was removed from the local property tax base no earlier than five years before the date an application is made for a grant under this section.

Eligible Projects
Ranking Criteria
Application
Contact

Eligible Projects

The CET grant program assists eligible communities with developing a plan to address the economic and social impact associated with the closing of a local electric generating plant.

Plans may include, but are not limited to, researching, planning, and implementing activities designed to:
1. Assist workers at the plant find new employment, including worker retraining and developing small business startup skills;
2. Increase the eligible community’s property tax base; and
3. Develop alternative economic development strategies to attract new employers to the eligible community.
Ranking Criteria

The CET grant program is a competitive program. DEED will prioritize grant awards to communities with the highest tax loss and net job loss. Projects should be ready to begin, clearly defined, and demonstrate collaboration and alignment with comprehensive plans in order to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Grant awards may not exceed $500,000 per eligible community.

Ranking criteria include:
- Project Scope – A clearly defined, relevant, and attainable plan with measured outcomes correlating with the plant closure.
- Timing – The immediacy of the plant closure, the project start date, and the completion of the project for when benefits are incurred. The timeline is logical, the project is ready to begin, and it will be completed within the grant term.
- Financing – The project budget is detailed, clear, and logical with all costs reasonable and necessary for implementation. With the addition of DEED money, the project is fully financed and ready for implementation.
- Economic Impact – The impact of the loss of property tax base and employment on the community and how the project addresses these losses to attain positive outcomes.
- Community Impact – The impact to the community due to plant closure and how the project addresses this and other local challenges to attain positive outcomes.
- Partnerships and Collaboration – The formal and informal partnerships between entities with similar strategies, linked to comprehensive plans, to address the impacts of plant closure in the community. Joint agreements and letters of support provide evidence of strong partnerships toward a common goal.
Application

Up to $2,000,000 is available for the FY2021 grant round. Funds will be available until June 30, 2022.

Grant awards may not exceed $500,000 per eligible community.

Applications are due on January 4, 2021, by 4:00 p.m.

Please submit 2 paper copies of the application, as well as 1 electronic copy (flash drive) to DEED’s Brownfields and Redevelopment Unit to be considered for funds.

Remember to complete the entire application, tab paper copies, and include additional documents as required in all versions of the application.
Contact

Brownfields and Redevelopment Unit

Director

Kristin Lukes
651-259-7451 or 800-657-3858