Mar. 25--Connecticut officials have filed a formal application with the federal government to receive nearly $39 million in federal stimulus funds for energy programs, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Tuesday.

Rell has sent a letter of application to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu that states Connecticut will adhere to stipulations outlined in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The letter seeking the $38.5 million Connecticut officials say the state is entitled to includes an outline of the state's Energy Program, which was designed to meet four goals mandated by the U.S. Energy Department.

Those goals are: increasing efficiency and reducing energy costs for consumers, businesses and government; reducing reliance on imported energy; improving reliability of electricity and delivery of energy services; and reducing the effect of energy production on the environment.

Rell said Connecticut's Energy Plan includes expansion of the state's fuel cell industry, a geothermal and solar thermal initiative for residential and commercial buildings and increased support for wind energy. She said the federal money will "continue our momentum on creating a green collar work force while building an economy of the future that includes renewable and alternative energy sources and clean technology."

"Many of our standards in Connecticut meet or exceed the federal requirements and I am confident we will be able to put these stimulus funds to work as soon as possible," she said.

The energy efficiency and clean energy funds support nearly 1,000 highly skilled and well-paying Connecticut jobs for solar installers, fuel cell manufacturers and energy auditors, said Charles Rothenberger, staff attorney for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, a New Haven-based environmental group.

Rothenberger said using the federal stimulus money will result in significant savings on utility bills for state consumers through reduced energy consumption.

"She (Rell) clearly recognizes the importance of green initiatives and job training in rebuilding the state's economy," Rothenberger said. "Now she has positioned the state to receive an infusion of federal dollars that will not only ensure the state's relevance in the clean energy economy, but help us to meet global warming goals."

The decision to apply for the federal money represents something of a shift in Rell's thinking. Democratic lawmakers have been critical of the governor because her original budget plans called for a reduction of $50 million per year in state energy efficiency funding for the next two years.

But the state faced losing the federal stimulus funding unless the energy funds were maintained at current expenditure levels, which Rell's letter promises to do.

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