Third of Recovery Act Funds for Energy and Environment
WASHINGTON – The 40th anniversary of Earth Day finds the Department of Veterans Affairs excelling year-round at “going green,” with a variety of energy initiatives planned or begun.
“As VA transforms into a 21st century organization, VA facilities nationwide are reducing energy consumption and using more renewable energy sources,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.
Nearly $400 million, or more than a third of VA’s spending for projects under its American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriations, is being invested in energy initiatives, clean energy generation and energy conservation.
This includes $197.5 million for energy efficiency through maintenance and repair projects at medical centers, plus approximately $200 million in energy efficiency projects and renewable energy projects such as wind turbine, geothermal and solar photovoltaic projects.
For example, New York’s VA Hudson Valley Health Care System plans to use solar energy to power electric vehicles and a wind turbine to power lighting fixtures and upgrade boilers to more efficient units.
The Martinsburg, W. Va., VA Medical Center has a $140,000 fueling station planned that will mix 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petroleum. The project, which uses alternative fuels, is slated for completion in late summer 2010.
The Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw, Mich., is doing its part to be environmentally friendly and lower energy costs by placing solar panels on the roof of its community living center. These solar panels will generate approximately 13,250 kilowatt hours per year, which is more than the typical U.S. household uses. It is anticipated the panels will save VA $1,100 a year in energy costs.
To conserve natural resources, at least four VA cemeteries in the West limit water use. The Bakersfield, Calif., National Cemetery is being constructed using natural desert soil, ground cover of natural materials, and drought-resistant and indigenous plants. Plants with similar water needs are grouped and receive drip-emitting irrigation. At the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Gustine, Calif., burial areas are seed with a grass mix that resists drought. In El Paso, Texas, the Fort Bliss National Cemetery has converted to natural landscaping. The National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix uses a ground cover of decomposed granite, raked daily, and plants adapted to growing in sand. The cemetery uses seven miles of drip irrigation tubing to water 1,800 plants.
VA has begun construction at the St. Cloud, Minn., VA Medical Center on planned renewable energy systems valued at $4.7 million. The projects include installing a ground-source heat pump system, under construction using Recovery Act funds, and a wind turbine.
The VA North Texas Health Care System has a photovoltaic system mounted on the roof at the Dallas VA Medical Center. The system includes 1,728 solar panels that tie directly into the hospital’s electrical system and provides a portion of the electrical utility consumption for that building.
VA is installing solar systems at 18 medical centers. These solar panel installations, to be completed in September, will have a total capacity of 3,020 kilowatts.
The Veterans Benefits Administration’s newest facilities in Reno, Nev., and Ft. Harrison, Mont., are meeting the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green-building standards, along with the Boise, Idaho, benefits office and the mental health clinic in Oakland, Calif. In addition, 21 medical centers recently earned the “Green Globe” certification for meeting environmental standards.
Overall, among all of its projects funded both from the Recovery Act and regular appropriations, VA’s energy initiatives include feasibility studies for renewable energy projects; alternative fueling stations at 91 facilities to power VA’s fleet of alternative fuel vehicles; and metering systems at all VA facilities, where energy consumption analyses can guide energy conservation measures.
VA operates more than 1,400 sites of care. More than 5.5 million people receive care in VA health care facilities.
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