JEFFERSON CITY, MO, NOV. 22, 2024 - Wesley Fitzgibbons, an engineer with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Energy, has been selected as the department’s Team Member of the Month for November 2024. They were selected for their service to the department and their efforts while assisting with the Division of Energy’s portion of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant application.
Recently, the department applied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for over $428 million in funds for a variety of projects that would reduce emissions by over 26 million tons through 2050. The application process was led by the department’s Air Pollution Control Program, with Fitzgibbons contributing to the energy-related section of the document.
Contributions to the application from Fitzgibbons include funding opportunities for Missouri State Parks, the Office of Administration’s Facilities, Maintenance, Design and Construction, and Missouri farmers.
In addition to the CPRG grant, they pursued opportunities for further funding by joining the department to the Resilient Local Energy Coalition which allows states to apply for funding in partnership, expanding the impact of projects beyond what is possible on a state-level. Missouri joins 14 other states seeking additional CPRG funding through the coalition, to be used for funding new programs, bolstering existing programs and for enhancing grid resilience for local governments.
“Wes was instrumental in the timely completion of this application,” said Nora Maxwell, of the department’s Division of Energy. “They always look for opportunities to grow Missouri’s energy efficiency efforts, whether through grant funding, infrastructure or energy security.”
Fitzgibbons joined the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in November 2018 and resides in Jefferson City.