LANSING, MI — According to the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services (CIS), the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) has created procedures for its Low-Income and Energy Efficiency Fund.

The MPSC will undertake the design of specific objectives and funding priorities in the form of a request for proposal (RFP) that will be developed in the near future. The fund's annual disbursements for each of the six program years will fall into three categories:

• Energy assistance for low-income customers;
• Conservation and energy efficiency measures for low-income customers; and
• Energy efficiency programs that benefit all customer classes.

The MPSC expects to allocate approximately 75% of the funds for low-income assistance and programs, and approximately 25% for energy efficiency programs for all customer classes. The commission intends to set aside a portion of the dollars allocated to create an endowment to finance programs beyond the six-year period. It is expected that the fund will be approximately $50 million per year.

In a related story, the RFP for Low-Income Energy Assistance Grants has been released by the MPSC. The purpose of this RFP is to obtain proposals from nonprofit and public organizations on the means by which they will provide assistance to Michigan's low-income residential customers. One or more grants totaling $15 million may be awarded for a period through Sept. 2002.

The RFP is available on the commission's website at www.cis.state.mi.us/mpsc/execsec/low-incomerfp.htm. Proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2002.

Publication date: 01/01/2002