Weatherization Stimulus Saga Continues

The conference committee on the FY2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Act allocated $210 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program. This level would have been extremely disappointing if not for the weatherization stimulus.

More disappointing was the fact that $30 million of the $210 million was earmarked for demonstrations of alternative weatherization financing opportunities. There are some who want to get the Weatherization Assistance Program off the federal books and have the private sector pay for it. I thought Congress would reject such attempts, especially after the Obama Administration’s letter saying it didn’t need or want that. Unfortunately, it is included in the final compromise.

This is just another troubling chapter in the weatherization program’s recent history. Here's a quick recap of the past several months since the Weatherization Assistance Program was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Before the first stimulus dollar was allocated, we found ourselves counteracting the misinformation that Community Action Agencies and other current weatherization providers could not manage the weatherization of more homes. CAAs were, and still are, up for the task. I am proud of where they are.

Next, we dealt with a rush to get into the weatherization field. We were contacted by groups and individuals with no experience whatsoever who now wanted to be instant expert weatherizers. For a $5 billion investment in which accountability, results and transparency are so important, to open the weatherization system up was absolutely the wrong policy.

Then we dealt with the issues surrounding the Davis-Bacon Act wage requirements, which took months and months to resolve. Some of our federal partners believed that it was a flimsy excuse for CAAs not wanting to do their jobs.

Some CAAs are finding difficulty maneuvering within historic preservation parameters, because they can’t weatherize any homes if they are more than 50 years old without the state’s permission.

Today, the flow of weatherization stimulus dollars to the local level continues to be stymied. As I shared in a previous blog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office clearly has pointed a finger at the federal level and somewhat at the states, but I fear that local providers will ultimately take the heat.

What should be one of the most exciting times in the Weatherization Assistance Program’s history has become one of the more frustrating times. Yet, the Community Action weatherization network continues to scale hurdle after hurdle to make low-income households more energy efficient.