Spring Break
Possible energy plant funding brought to light
Krystal Moya / Administration Editor
Issue date: 3/23/09 Section: News
In light of Gov. Pat Quinn's budget address, administrators at Eastern have relayed three methods of requiring funding for the Renewable Energy Center proposed for the campus to replace the ailing steam plant.
Jill Nilsen, vice president for external relations, Paul McCann, interim vice president for business affairs, and William Weber, interim budget director said they could require funds to build the new center from three sources: money from the stimulus package passed by Congress, money granted through the state capitol bill and money granted from the federal department of agriculture.
The administrators have been working to secure funds for the project even before its proposal was released to community. It has been shovel-ready for months, they said in a collective e-mail.
"We are talking with folks at the (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the (Department of Energy), the (Illinois Department of Energy), the Governor's Office, the (Illinois Board of Higher Education), the members of the General Assembly and a partridge in a pear tree," they said, joking about the amount of people they have to address.
"State Sen. Dale Righter and State Rep. Chapin Rose also have been working hard to gain legislative support for our efforts to build a renewable energy center to replace our 1926 steam plant," they said.
Nilsen said acquiring commitments from legislators help to solidify chances in gaining the appropriate funds from both state and federal levels.
"We have submitted proposals, visited with folks face to face both in DC and in Springfield, talked on the phone, etc.," she, McCann and Weber said.
They also described the project as mission-critical to the campus, meaning it is a project that will fully support Eastern's mission and a "green technology" project. Both should interest politicians and garner support.
"This is the administration's main priority in facilities and planning," Nilsen said. "It will do so much for the campus, by providing jobs and grant opportunities and new energy innovations."
However, despite the fervor that the administrators have described the projects with, they cannot express the same sentiment in where the support from the legislators lie.
"We are working hard to identify funds from all three sources," they said. "(But,) we do not know the likelihood of funding."
Since student money, tuition and fees, will not be appropriated to fund the project, the administrators are relying completely on government funding. Though the project is shovel-ready, the university cannot fund the project on its own.
Nilsen said if funding is not received, "(Gary Reed, director of Facilities Planning and Management) has a plan for installing a new boiler in the existing facility which will stabilize the plant in the short run." The administrators insisted that this will be only a short-term fix and is not the intended goal of the university.
Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7942 or at ksmoya@eiu.edu.
Jill Nilsen, vice president for external relations, Paul McCann, interim vice president for business affairs, and William Weber, interim budget director said they could require funds to build the new center from three sources: money from the stimulus package passed by Congress, money granted through the state capitol bill and money granted from the federal department of agriculture.
The administrators have been working to secure funds for the project even before its proposal was released to community. It has been shovel-ready for months, they said in a collective e-mail.
"We are talking with folks at the (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the (Department of Energy), the (Illinois Department of Energy), the Governor's Office, the (Illinois Board of Higher Education), the members of the General Assembly and a partridge in a pear tree," they said, joking about the amount of people they have to address.
"State Sen. Dale Righter and State Rep. Chapin Rose also have been working hard to gain legislative support for our efforts to build a renewable energy center to replace our 1926 steam plant," they said.
Nilsen said acquiring commitments from legislators help to solidify chances in gaining the appropriate funds from both state and federal levels.
"We have submitted proposals, visited with folks face to face both in DC and in Springfield, talked on the phone, etc.," she, McCann and Weber said.
They also described the project as mission-critical to the campus, meaning it is a project that will fully support Eastern's mission and a "green technology" project. Both should interest politicians and garner support.
"This is the administration's main priority in facilities and planning," Nilsen said. "It will do so much for the campus, by providing jobs and grant opportunities and new energy innovations."
However, despite the fervor that the administrators have described the projects with, they cannot express the same sentiment in where the support from the legislators lie.
"We are working hard to identify funds from all three sources," they said. "(But,) we do not know the likelihood of funding."
Since student money, tuition and fees, will not be appropriated to fund the project, the administrators are relying completely on government funding. Though the project is shovel-ready, the university cannot fund the project on its own.
Nilsen said if funding is not received, "(Gary Reed, director of Facilities Planning and Management) has a plan for installing a new boiler in the existing facility which will stabilize the plant in the short run." The administrators insisted that this will be only a short-term fix and is not the intended goal of the university.
Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7942 or at ksmoya@eiu.edu.
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