FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

March 26, 2008                                               Department of Community and Economic Development

Commonwealth News Bureau

                                                                        Room 308, Main Capitol Building

                                                                        Harrisburg, PA  17120

                                                                        CONTACT:    Janel Miller

(717) 783-1132

DCED HELPING PA MUNICIPALITIES

CUT ENERGY COSTS 

            HARRISBURG – A small, state-supported change to traffic light technology will mean big savings for dozens of municipalities in north-central Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Yablonsky said today.

SEDA-Council of Governments, a development agency serving 11 counties in north-central Pennsylvania, received a $180,000 grant to help 60, mostly small and rural, municipalities cover the costs associated with having to convert 200 traffic lights to light emitting diode (LED), energy-savings technology.  

LED devices require less maintenance, are more visible, and provide energy savings that should pay for the changeover within three years.  The process is expected to be completed by mid-2009.

            “Most people probably won’t notice the change,” Yablonsky said. “The money saved, however, will help municipalities invest in other worthwhile purposes that benefit their communities.”

            The grant, from Pennsylvania’s Shared Municipal Services Program, helps to promote cooperation among municipalities and encourages more efficient and effective delivery of municipal services.  Since 2003, the program has awarded $7.6 million.

            To help municipalities and Pennsylvania residents save more energy dollars, Governor Edward G. Rendell has urged lawmakers to enact his Energy Independence Strategy, which would allow for $850 million to be invested in emerging technologies and innovative ideas that could lower energy bills and reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil.  It would also allow the state to see $10 billion in energy savings over the next 10 years. 

            “With energy costs rising and electricity rate caps expiring in the next few years, we need to act now on the Energy Independence Strategy,” Yablonsky said.  “This plan defrays the costs our businesses and communities will face, bring new companies, new jobs and new investment to Pennsylvania. It will also reduce our reliance on foreign oil, making us more environmentally sustainable in the years to come.”

            More details on the Governor’s Energy Independence Strategy and his proposed budget are available at www.pa.gov.  For additional information on funding sources available to Pennsylvania communities, visit www.NewPA.com or call 1-866-466-3972.

###