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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Energy Efficiency Has Big Business Potential in Arkansas

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Monday, June 18, 2018   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Saving energy in Arkansas is giving the state money to spend in its economic sector.

Tuesday, industry experts will join local and state leaders at the Arkansas Energy Performance Contracting Summit in Little Rock.

The AEPC program has saved public entities in the state more than $120 million since 2014, and enables municipalities, universities and state agencies to improve energy efficiency with no upfront cost.

Katie Niebaum, executive director of the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association, says the summit is expected to generate additional projects in future years.

"It's really been a success story here in Arkansas that is creating jobs, saving taxpayer dollars and conserving energy, and we've really seen an explosion of interest in this program," she states.

According to the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation, nearly 700 companies employing 16,000 Arkansans are involved in the advanced energy economy, which aims to reduce the energy requirement needed to sustain the same level of service.

The effort is made possible by the 2013 Guaranteed Energy Cost Savings Act that allows public entities to pursue energy performance contracts that will maximize the energy used by the state.

This year's summit will include discussion of solar energy for the first time because of growing interest in renewables from public entities and residential and commercial customers.

Niebaum says that's important.

"From a taxpayer's perspective, energy performance contracting is saving taxpayer dollars, creating jobs and conserving energy, and it's about being good stewards of taxpayer dollars and our state and local agencies are able to invest that in other operations," she states.

Niebaum adds that the added benefit of energy efficiency is reducing the impact on the environment by using less fossil fuels and in some cases employing solar and wind generation to produce electricity.


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