Gov. Corbett Monday announced the Department of Environmental Protection has awarded $996,713 in grants to help 134 small businesses across Pennsylvania invest in energy-efficiency or pollution-prevention projects.

“These grants are yet another example of my administration’s commitment to supporting small business owners in Pennsylvania.” Corbett said. “I am pleased to bolster businesses, like these, that are working hard to become more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.”

Pennsylvania’s Small Business Advantage Grant Program, funded through the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, helps businesses with 100 or fewer employees. It provides 50-percent matching reimbursement grants of up to $9,500 to implement projects that will save 25 percent annually in pollution-prevention or energy-related costs.

The grants will create more than $3.7 million in private-sector investment in small businesses.

Examples of eligible projects include high-efficiency HVAC and insulation upgrades, high-efficiency lighting to save energy, installation of energy-efficient heat pumps and new auxiliary power units that help large trucks reduce time spent with idling engines.

Since 2004, the program has awarded in excess of $8.5 million in more than 1776 small businesses statewide.

A list of grants awarded is available online.

For more information about how the DEP can help support small businesses or about future Small Business Advantage Grant Programs, contact DEP’s Office of the Small Business Ombudsman at 717-772-8909 or send email to: epadvantagegrant@pa.gov.

NewsClip: Businesses Receive State Energy Efficiency Grants

2/17/2014