Champlain Hudson Power Express Announces Second Round of Green Economy Fund Grantees

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chpe@risaheller.com

Champlain Hudson Power Express Announces Second Round of Green Economy Fund Grantees

 Funding empowers organizations to train and support New Yorkers pursuing careers in the fast-growing green economy

CHPE GEF has awarded $1.5 million in funding more than a year before the project’s expected in-operation date

New York, NY – The Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) today announced the recipients of the second round of funding from its Green Economy Fund (GEF) – a $40 million, 20-year initiative dedicated to supporting New York State’s disadvantaged communities, low-income individuals, and transitioning fossil fuel workers to careers in the green economy.

The GEF provides funding to organizations and projects that prepare workers from disadvantaged communities for careers in the green economy. This round of funding included $745,000 in grants, bringing the total amount awarded over the past two years to $1.5 million, more than a year before the transmission line is expected to be operational and begin delivering clean energy to New York City.

This round’s recipients included organizations active across the state, with several programs and initiatives serving residents in upstate communities who may have more limited access to green economy job training. The grantees include:

• The Osborne Association – Brooklyn, The Bronx, Buffalo, Manhattan, Newburgh, Troy, & Westchester
• The Door – A Center for Alternatives, Inc. – The Bronx
• The Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services (WSWHE BOCES)
• BronxWorks, Inc.
• The East River Development Alliance Inc. (Urban Upbound)– Queens
• The Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce
• Communities for Local Power – Mid-Hudson Region

“The Green Economy Fund is helping to ensure that New York’s transition to clean energy creates opportunities for everyone, especially those from disadvantaged communities,” said Laura Gibson, Transmission Developers Director of Workforce Development. “New York continues to lead the way with ambitious clean energy initiatives, and this diverse group of grantees are equipping workers with the skills, training, and support they need to build meaningful careers in the green economy.”

“Hydro-Quebec is proud of the Green Economy Fund and its role in helping to build a skilled workforce for New York’s clean energy future,” said Serge Abergel, Chief Operating Officer of Hydro-Quebec Energy Services. “These grantees provide direct support to underserved communities by ensuring access to training and opportunities for residents to participate in the green economy.”

The GEF solicited applications from organizations or projects that focus on:

• Initiatives that link disadvantaged and low-income New Yorkers to good jobs in the green economy with sustainable wages. Funding is available for direct training costs, wrap-around services, and general operating expenses.
• Organizations offering critical support services to workers from target communities. These services may include transportation, technology access, participant stipends, mentorship, and childcare, enabling individuals to connect to and sustain themselves in good jobs and training programs.
• Efforts by organizations to build partnerships with employers, creating pipelines for participants in training or job readiness programs.
• Community colleges and other educational institutions that provide adult basic education and the qualifications needed for union apprenticeships and job training programs with employer partnerships in the green economy.

This round of funding follows the successful distribution of $750,000 to organizations who applied during the initial RFP in 2023. Inaugural Recipients included Pathways to Apprenticeship, Stacks + Joules, Nontraditional Employment for Women, and the NYC District Council of Carpenters Apprenticeship Journeyman Retraining Educational & Industry Fund (AJREIF). The third request for proposals, which will be the final RFP prior to CHPE’s expected in-operation date, will open on February 10th.

About the Champlain Hudson Power Express

CHPE involves the construction of an underground and underwater transmission line spanning approximately 339 miles between the Canada–U.S. border and New York City.

CHPE will also provide competitively priced hydropower from Québec that is expected to lower climate emissions and local air pollutants, as well as electricity generation costs throughout the state by $17 billion over the first 25 years of operation, all the while providing increased reliability and resiliency for the downstate grid. The project also provides a total of $3.5 billion in economic benefits to New Yorkers and creates approximately 1,400 family-sustaining jobs during construction, with a commitment to use union labor. CHPE will provide an economic boost to 73 municipalities and 59 school districts throughout New York State with an increase in incremental tax revenue of $1.4 billion in funding for local communities over the first 25 years of the project.