Congresswoman Kathy Castor hailed today the clean-energy jobs being created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant initiative. Through this initiative, Hillsborough County has received $7.7 million and today they debuted new solar panels atop the old main courthouse.

“When we passed President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, two of our goals were to create clean-energy jobs and to foster a more energy-efficient environment and a clean-energy economy,” Castor said. “I am proud that Hillsborough’s courthouse solar panel project fits that bill. Adding solar panels to this courthouse has created clean-energy jobs in our community.”

Castor recognized Andrew Tanner, whose Sarasota-based EcoTechnologies, was the contractor on the project. EcoTechnologies hired and trained workers to install the solar panels.

With the $7.7 million grant, the county also directed money to energy-efficiency projects at the tax collector’s office, Orient Road Jail and other county offices throughout Hillsborough. Castor touted the expected energy cost savings, including $60,000 annually at the courthouse alone.

“The benefits are evident: energy savings, lower energy costs, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and, of course, creating jobs in a clean-energy economy while ending our addiction to foreign oil,” Castor said.

“Local communities like Hillsborough County are leading the transition to clean energy,” U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said.  “Their investments in solar energy under the Recovery Act are putting Floridians to work, while reducing the county's energy use and saving taxpayers money.”