Atlanta gets federal grant for sustainability project [Video]

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited Atlanta on Thursday with good news. The city has been awarded — as part of a coalition team with nearby Decatur, Savannah, and Georgia Tech itself — $500,000 in grant funding to develop a clean energy plan for their residents, by their residents.

The Energy Future Grants (EFG) were awarded to 40 coalition groups nationwide, consisting of partnerships between cities and their surrounding universities. The Energy Department will eventually choose a handful of the projects to move forward, with even more funding to implement their ideas.

“We wanted to give them a chance to design what they see as an energy future and have it be from the bottom up,” said Granholm.

WATCH BLAIR MILLER’S INTERVIEW WITH SEC. GRANHOLM BELOW

She’s currently traveling the country trying to sell what the administration has accomplished.

Recipient cities will solicit input from residents to come up with a plan …