Mat Su Borough awarded Forest Service grant

The Mat Su Borough has been awarded a national grant in the amount of $80,000 for the 2011 round of wood biomass utilization grants.  The grants are nation wide and according to the list of recipients, the Borough is the only agency in Alaska to receive a project grant.

Nearly $3 million was awarded nationwide to businesses and community groups and agencies to develop wood-to-energy projects across the country.

Emerson Kruger, planner with the Mat Su Borough, confirms that the eighty thousand will go to the Su Valley Wood boiler project, however, its not a given yet.  First, the governor has to NOT veto the amount currently in the state budget allotted to AEA, and second, AEA has to give the allotted money in the state budget to the Borough for the boiler project instead of reallocating it to a higher priority.

Kruger says if the money is received from the state through AEA, then the Forest Service grant will go on the Assembly agenda for approval. He says it is unlikely that the Assembly would approve the Forest service grant without the matching funds needed from AEA.

The yearly Forest Service biomass grant program started in 2005 to provide support for projects like wood boilers for schools and prisons, to help businesses acquire equipment and improve efficiency.