Iowa will receive $16 million in economic stimulus funding for energy efficiency programs plus more funds for weatherization programs, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced this morning in Des Moines.

Chu made the announcement during a press conference at the Des Moines Botanical Center with Gov. Chet Culver and Congressman Leonard Boswell. The $16 million funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be the first installment of an expected $40 million the state will receive to carry out the State Energy Plan. Chu also announced that Iowa will receive its next 40 percent in weatherization funds, adding to the 10 percent the state has already received.

“This is a great state; it’s incredibly progressive,” Chu said, emphasizing that actions taken now in energy efficiency are vital to reduce the effects of global warming. Citing a new report, Chu said extreme weather and flooding in Iowa could dramatically increase by the end of this century.

“If there is any reason that you would want to have more energy efficiency and renewable energy, that is one,” he said.

As a leader in biorenewables and wind energy, Iowa is trying to be creative in its approach to its energy programs, Culver said. The state is one of the few in the nation to create a “Green Corps” of AmeriCorps volunteers to carry out energy-efficiency projects, he said.

“This money the secretary announced today will help us to move forward on energy initiatives in the state,” Culver said. The state-funded Iowa Power Fund, which in less than two years has provided funding to 25 energy technology commercialization projects, will also help the state to leverage federal funding for energy efficiency projects and create more jobs in Iowa, he said.