JMU Receives $750K In 'Green' Funds
August 11, 2009
by Jenny Jones, Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG - James Madison University will receive $750,000 in federal funds toward plans to make the Shenandoah Valley more sustainable. U.S. Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner recently announced the funding as part of a $1 million allocation for water and energy projects in the Valley.
The money is part of the fiscal 2010 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, which provides funding for a variety of economic development projects, according to a press release.
The JMU-bound funds will pay for a program to help Valley residents achieve 25 percent renewable energy by 2025.
JMU has proposed a program focused on environmental sustainability that will serve as a test bed for alternative energy execution. It will build a model to be replicated on a regional, state and national scale, the release said.
Another $255,000 will go to the Gathright Dam and Lake Moomaw in Bath County to fund a project management plan and feasibility study aimed at improving environmental conditions from the dam to the James River.
"These projects will ensure that Virginia remains at the forefront in technology and conservation practices while also creating jobs in the Shenandoah Valley," Webb said in a statement.
Contact Jenny Jones at 574-6286 or jjones@dnronline.com