City of Carbondale, several other southern Illinois entities to receive energy transition grant

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) - The city of Carbondale is one of dozens of Illinois communities and entities selected to receive an energy Transition Community Grant.

Carbondale is set to receive $80,707 from the program to address the economic and social impacts of fossil fuel plant or coal mine closures or significant reductions.

A total of $40 million will be awarded to more than 50 communities and entities across the state. Nearly half of the recipients are in southern Illinois.

According to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the funds from the program can be used on a variety of initiatives and investments. These include workforce investments, housing support, business attraction efforts and more.

Carbondale city leaders said they will be meeting with a diverse set of stakeholders to come up with a detailed plan and budget on how the funds will be used.

“The fossil fuel industry has historically played a vital role in the region’s economy,” said Carbondale Economic Development Director Steven Mitchell. “The jobs that the industry provided offered a living wage, benefits, and a path to a better life for generations of Southern Illinoisans. The flexibility built into the grant program provides us an opportunity to begin addressing some of the issues that the loss of those jobs has created in our local economy.”

The following is a list of southern Illinois entities receiving the grant and the amounts they have been awarded:

Carbondale Park District: $80,707
Carrier Mills-Stonefort Community Unit School District #2: $160,918
City of Carbondale: $160,918
City of Eldorado: $199,319
City of Harrisburg: $507,898
City of Marion: $57,029
City of Red Bud: $86,776
Eldorado School District: $729,416
Galatia Community Unit School District #1: $597,515
Harrisburg Community Unit School District #3: $539,006
Jackson County: $124,423
John A. Logan College: $272,769
Kinkaid Reed’s Creek Conservancy District: $84,074
Lake Egypt Fire Protection District: $50,921
Marion Park District: $57,029
Massac County: $1,182,105
Randolph County: $1,622,869
Saline County: $859,400
Village of Baldwin: $53,036
Village of Carrier Mills: $116,701
Village of Dowell: $50,517
Village of Galatia: $745,516
Village of Goreville: $50,199
Williamson County: $62,511
Williamson County Airport Authority: $62,511

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