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Bill To Boost Renewable Energy In Colorado Schools

solar panels
flickr/theentiremikey

A bill that seeks to give grants to schools for alternative energy projects will be taken up by a state Senate committee next week. 

A federally funded program that started in 2007 gave grants to public school for wind energy projects. In Colorado 16 schools took advantage of it. 

The money for that program has since dried up, but a bill introduced by Democratic State Senator Kerry Donovan of District 5 seeks to revive it at the local level. 

Donovan says her bill would broaden the program to include other forms of alternative energy.

"We can work with schools to provide grants for them to install renewable energies at their schools to provide not only exposure and educational opportunities about alternative energies, but hopefully to also help schools that are facing ever tightening budgets defray the energy costs a little bit," she says. 

Donovan says the Colorado Energy Office would oversee the program.

"The grants would not exceed $15,000 and schools would be required to partner with other people in the community to provide some matching funds," she says.

The Senate Agricultural, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee is set to vote on the bill next Wednesday.

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