A design-build contract for a $6.8-million solar project to help power a wastewater treatment plant in Bakersfield, Calif., could see the light of day because of a proposed $3-million federal stimulus grant. Photo: Bakersfield Public Works Funding will come from federal stimulus grant and utility, municipal sources. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds will cover 44% of the cost of a 1-MW single axis photovoltaic tracking system on a 5-acre site adjacent to Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 3, with room to expand. “The stimulus funds were a significant factor in making the numbers pencil out,” said Art Chianello,
Of the $1.3 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds scheduled for delivery to Amtrak projects, almost $50 million will go to California projects – half for a new LA Maintenance Facility and most of the balance to meet accessibility requirements. The maintenance facility is planned as a pre-engineered metal building 820 ft long by 70 ft wide, semi-enclosed with a pit running the length of the building. It will include equipment to remove, clean and service train cars. The project will go to bid in October with construction starting in January, 2010. It could take 12 to 16
The $13.5 billion in stimulus dollars for water projects announced in February could be just the start of a robust funding stream that will keep contractors busy in California for years to come. More than $441 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money will go to California wastewater and drinking water projects through the existing Environmental Protection Agency/California Water Board Clean Water and Drinking Water revolving fund grant programs. News of the influx of funding without the usual 20% match requirement brought a flood of projects to the state Water Board for consideration. Since the beginning of the year,
Just over a year into a long-term partnership with the U.S. Dept. of Energy to transform Hawaii into a model clean-energy economy, 1,000 MW of alternative-energy projects are in the works along with an undersea-cable transmission project to deliver power among the state’s islands. One goal of the partnership is to offer Hawaii’s experience as a test bed for island economies globally as they make the transition to clean energy. Photo: Castle & Cooke Hawai’i Castle & Cooke’s La Ola solar station recently began generating 1.2 MW. The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) was launched in January 2008 with a
A California county judge on May 6 ruled that two landowners cannot block access to their property to prevent engineers from studying possible routes for a 600-ft-wide and possibly 50-mile-long canal to help move water from northern sources to Southern California users. About half the owners of 125 parcels have denied access. The ruling in Contra Costa County that said two of them cannot stop the state from collecting biological and geological data on their farms—a ruling sought by state Attorney General Jerry Brown—is the first in the matter. Access requests for another 388 parcels are planned. +Image Map: Nancy
California’s push to increase renewable energy’s share of the power market is showing results. Construction of the first phase of a new 400-MW solar power project in the California desert will begin in late 2009 once a contractor is named. Photo: Brightsource Energy Inc. Flat mirrors mean lower cost for BrightSource’s solar plant, piloted in Israel’s Negev Desert. Oakland, Calif.-based BrightSource Energy Inc. this year has signed contracts with Rosemead, Calif.-based Southern California Edison Co. and San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric Co. for a total of 2,200 MW of power from seven planned solar plants at locations in California
Drawing on $8 billion from the federal economic stimulus, the Obama administration has laid out a blueprint for developing high-speed rail in 100- to 600-mile-long corridors around the country. The plan, which the U.S. Dept. of Transportation unveiled April 16, does not say which projects will be funded. DOT will start awarding the first round of grants for ready-to-go upgrades to existing routes by late summer. A second phase would have a longer-range focus. However, carrying out the plan’s lofty aims will require much more than $8 billion. It is uncertain where that new money will come from. + Image
Anticipating billions of dollars in state and federal funds, California can now pay some 80 engineering consultants that have worked for months on its planned 800-mile, $46-billion high-speed rail line stretching between Sacramento and San Diego. The Pooled Money Investment Board approved a $29.1-million loan at its April 6 meeting after state Treasurer Bill Lockyer successfully sold $6.54 billion in bonds in March. The cash-strapped state owes $5 million for scoping and design work on the project. Engineers have worked for months for the California High-Speed Rail Authority without funding authorization. The Roseville, Calif., office of URS Corp., in a
With billions of dollars of state and federal funds anticipated, California can now pay some 80 engineering consultants on its planned 800-mile, $46-billion high-speed rail line. Already $5 million in debt for scoping and design work that occurred on the north-south express connector since the financially-strapped state froze infrastructure financing in December, the Pooled Money Investment Board approved a $29.1-million loan at its April 6 meeting after State Treasurer Bill Lockyer successfully sold $6.54 billion in bonds at the end of March. Photo: CA High-Speed Rail Authority Engineers have worked on planned line without pay The High Speed Rail Authority
Federal infrastructure stimulus announced in February could pave the way to faster development at Sacramento’s 244-acre Railyards. The long-planned mixed-use project owned by S. Thomas Enterprises was selected by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments to receive $20 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. The stimulus funds will push work on track realignment and road building ahead by six months, according to Suheil Totah, vice president of Thomas Enterprises. “This is tremendously significant for the project because the money wasn’t expected and now we will be able to move forward on items that had been put on
