TRENTON — Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono said Monday she will hold a hearing on the problems with the state’s weatherization program, which has received an infusion of federal stimulus dollars but has not met goals for upgrading homes. Buono said she is concerned the state is not managing the program well enough to receive more federal funding. "This...
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Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) speaks during a press conference on Monday, October, 25, 2010.TRENTON — Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono said Monday she will hold a hearing on the problems with the state’s weatherization program, which has received an infusion of federal stimulus dollars but has not met goals for upgrading homes.
Buono said she is concerned the state is not managing the program well enough to receive more federal funding.
"This program has been fraught with problems for a long time. Now that there’s been an infusion of funds, it’s important that we take a second look at it," said Buono (D-Middlesex). "Any delay in drawing down the funds will not only put vulnerable families in jeopardy but also lose an opportunity to put people back to work."
The weatherization program, part of President Obama’s stimulus package, provides $5 billion nationwide over three years in an attempt to reduce greenhouse emissions, create green jobs and help low-income households cut their energy bills.
New Jersey was allocated $118.8 million to weatherize almost 13,400 homes by March 2012. Half of that money has been delivered to the state, and the second half is being held until it shows "successful implementation of its plan."
So far 2,157 homes have been reported finished and about $11.3 million has been spent, leaving the state behind its goals.
Buono originally floated the idea for a hearing earlier this month but confirmed her plans today, after a Sunday Star-Ledger report cited federal data showing New Jersey has one of the worst records in the country for completing weatherization projects. In addition, the state has used more than $1 million in federal funds to train 225 people for weatherization work but only seven have found jobs.
Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Lori Grifa said she plans to "cooperate fully" with the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee, whose hearing is scheduled for Dec. 13.
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"We welcome the opportunity to appear before the committee and we look forward to sharing the progress we’ve made on NJ’s weatherization program with the senator and her colleagues," she said in a statement.
Buono has praised Grifa for her response to problems in the program, and the pace of production increased this year. In the first six months, local nonprofit and government agencies handling weatherization work completed 389 homes. But from July to October, they finished more than three times that.
Still, the U.S. Department of Energy, which disperses the federal grants, is concerned about the state’s progress, and Community Affairs terminated funding to seven of the roughly two dozen agencies earlier this month, saying they were failing to meet production goals. The decision was angrily contested by the terminated agencies.
The state’s weatherization program has been the subject of two negative audits: One in March said residents making too much money were getting home improvement work they weren’t eligible for, prompting tighter controls; and one released Nov. 8, cited improper spending and slow progress.