The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has approved plans by 16 states for how they will spend money from the State Energy Program, which is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The 16 State Energy Offices that submitted the plans will receive a total of $508 million.

The approved plans come from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Washington. Each state is receiving half of their full program funding now, and more funds will be appropriated as the programs are implemented and show results.

DOE is still reviewing plans from 39 other states, and is expected to act on them by the end of July. ARRA allocates $3.1 billion for the State Energy Program, which intends to create jobs in the clean energy field. “This funding will provide an important boost for state economies, help put Americans back to work, and move us toward energy independence,” DOE Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement. “It reflects our commitment to support innovative state and local strategies to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy while insisting that taxpayer dollars be spent responsibly.”

More details on the 16 plans and the State Energy Program are available at http://naseo.org/members/states.