Massachusetts Recovery Update

Week of November 2, 2009

The Massachusetts Recovery Update is a periodic email update of recovery-related news in the Commonwealth. If you find this information useful, please forward it to others and encourage them to subscribe or follow our updates via Twitter, RSS, or http://Mass.Gov/Recovery.

General Program Updates

$10 Million for SmartGrid Technology Development

photo: power lines
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Massachusetts-based NSTAR Electric a $10 million grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to improve the company's electric grid system. Using smart grid technology advanced by General Electric, NSTAR hopes to modernize and revolutionize its electric grid. Smart grid technology would further improve NSTAR's system, which is already the largest automated power grid in the country. Smart grid technologies aim to create more efficient electricity delivery services by automatically detecting power outages, automatically rerouting power to minimize disturbance to customers around the damaged power lines, and dispatching the appropriate work crews to ensure prompt repair. Learn more about Smart Grid Technologies from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Stimulus Rebates for Energy Efficient Home Appliances

photo: refrigerator
$6.2 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will be used to create a federal stimulus-funded rebate program that rewards consumers who swap energy inefficient home refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers and dish washers for qualified ENERGY STAR models. When approved by the US Department of Energy (DOE), the program will launch in late February 2010 and continue as long as rebate funds last. It is estimated that Massachusetts residents will exchange 27,000 old energy-wasting appliances as a result of the program. The state's carbon footprint is expected to drop by 4.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide or enough energy to power 340 households for one year. .

Opportunities for Municipalities:

Additional ARRA Information for Cities and Towns.

Find a Job

Opportunities for Individuals: Find a Job using JobQuest

Employers who create jobs using Recovery funding must post those job announcements to the Commonwealth's JobQuest system. A wide range of stimulus-related positions--ranging from career counselors to communication specialists are available. This system is constantly updated, so residents should check back for new opportunities.

Comm-Pass

Opportunities For Businesses: Search for Contracts

For the most up to date ARRA business opportunities , head to Comm-PASS, the Commonwealth's sole online procurement record site which supports all bid and grant records related to any ARRA funds distributed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Comm-PASS is available for use free of charge and provides you with the ability to search for a variety of contracts by either category or department.

Contact Us

For the latest recovery news and updates:

As always, please feel free to visit our website or contact the stimulus office at 617-979-8380 if you have any questions.