MANCHESTER - Gov. John Lynch and the Executive Council today approved approximately $9 million for projects funded through the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Fund. As part of Gov. Lynch’s Green Jobs Initiative, these funds will be used to create green jobs and help families, businesses and taxpayers save on energy costs.

The fund was created through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which New Hampshire joined last year with the support of Gov. Lynch.

“The Green Jobs Initiative is focused on putting people to work now, and making New Hampshire’s businesses more competitive into the future. These grants will help create jobs, build a more sustainable energy future for New Hampshire, and help lower energy costs so businesses can better compete and families can save,” Gov. Lynch said.

Some of the projects included in the approved funding are $7.6 million for Public Service Company of New Hampshire, Unitil Energy Systems, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative and National Grid to expand existing energy efficiency programs to help people across New Hampshire. These programs will be available to help customers weatherize their homes, regardless of the heating fuel they use; provide , assistance in purchasing energy star appliances and helping businesses undertake energy retrofits.

Clean Air - Cool Planet will receive $400,000 to assist at least two dozen New Hampshire towns develop plans to renovate their most inefficient municipal buildings.

Fraser Paper will receive a $470,000 grant that will help it reduce its oil consumption by 729,000 gallons a year, and reduce its fresh water intake by 54 million gallons a year.

LighTech, Inc., will receive $316,000 to install high-efficiency lighting in 16 schools and town buildings across the state.

Merrimack Valley School District will receive $83,686 to connect its central office building to an existing biomass plant that is already providing heat to three nearby schools.

The town of Gorham will receive $26,000 to replace the heating system in the Gorham Fire Station with a high-efficiency oil furnace and wood pellet boiler.

And Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Facility will receive a $176,531 grant to replace an oil-fired heating system with heat from central biomass system for one of its buildings.