The City of Grants Pass has been awarded funding from the US Department of Energy that it plans to use for environmental studies on three of its properties.
Grants Pass was awarded $76,430 from a total of $20.5 million in funding for 32 states, territories, local governments and tribes through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program.
The money will be used to fund a feasibility study of the Economic Performance, Environmental Resiliency, Sustainability and Social Benefits of solar projects at the Foothill and Merlin Landfills as well as the Redwood Pump Station.
The Foothill Landfill is the oldest of the two landfills and it consists two tax lots totaling 15.97 acres. The Merlin Landfill is capped and comprises more than 300 acres. However, the substation at this site can only support an amount equivalent to what can be produced on approximately 8 to 10 acres. The Redwood Pump Station is located on about seven acres of land.
Once the feasibility study is completed, Grants Pass will know which options might be the best for each specific site and then can apply for grants tailored to each site.
The Request for Qualifications for the feasibility study can be found at the following link: "grantspassoregon.gov/DocumentCenter/View/32464/RFQ-Solar-Feasibility?bidId=278." The deadline for submission of proposals is February 8th.
