The White House is set to announce a number of public and private sector initiatives on Monday morning that are geared towards accelerating the modernization of the Nation’s electric infrastructure, bolstering electric-grid innovation, and advancing a clean energy economy. They include $250 million in Rural Utility Service (RUS) loans for smart-grid technology deployment, a private sector initiative to promote consumer-friendly tools for energy management and privacy, and the formation of a Renewable Energy Rapid Response Team which will be jointly led by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Energy.

A report titled "A Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid" by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) will also be released at today's event. This report will address steps the administration plans to take to meet it's goals of boosting the development and deployment of smart grid technologies, creation of standards and interoperability to drive innovation, improved grid security and resilience, and consumer-focused energy information access and engagement.

The announcement will be made at a meeting today scheduled for 10am ET. A webcast of the meeting will be available on the White House website. For more information, see this press release.