Despite already receiving more than $93 million in stimulus money for the task, California’s weatherization program has finished retrofitting just 12 of a planned 43,400 homes statewide – one of the worst rates in the nation, according to a study released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Energy.
According to the report, the California Department of Community Services and Development has weatherized just 0.03 percent of the homes it planned to as of February 16. Only five states had lower rates – most notably Texas, which has yet to weatherize a single home.
(UPDATE: Eric Alborg, a spokesman for the California Recovery Task Force, said the state has stepped up its weatherization efforts in recent months. He said 282 homes had been weatherized as of yesterday, 750 are in the process of being weatherized, and 1,300 will be ready to go soon.)
The report comes on the heels of an audit earlier this month by State Auditor Eileen Howle, which, apart from pointing out the sluggish pace, also said the community services department has not put safeguards in place to ensure their stimulus millions are well spent.
If the state doesn’t improve, it risks losing more than $93 million in federal funds that could be used to install home climate control measures for tens of thousands of low-income families, helping them lower their energy bills.
The U.S. Department of Energy Inspector General report lists several factors for the delays, most notably a Recovery Act requirement that workers be paid prevailing wages for their communities. Since many weatherization programs were not previously under that rule, the Labor Department is conducting a "wage survey" to determine the proper wages in certain areas. The report also notes a lack of job training and complains that several states are without coordinated job plans, adding:
Because the consequences of the lack of progress by grantees in the implementation of the Weatherization Program were so significant, we found this data alarming. In short, the Nation has not, to date, realized the potential economic benefits of the $5 billion in Recovery Act funds allocated to the Weatherization Program. The job creation impact of what was considered to be one of the Department's most "shovel ready" projects has not materialized. And, modest income home residents have not enjoyed the significant reductions in energy consumption and improved living conditions promised as part of the massive Recovery Act weatherization effort.
State Inspector General Laura Chick, who is responsible for overseeing $50 billion in stimulus cash earmarked for California, has also pointed out several problems with the weatherization program. In January, she warned that stimulus money wasn't being spent fast enough.
And in November, Chick and the community services department red-flagged a contractor who was slated to receive $159,000 for weatherization projects, despite financial mismanagement and a history of lavish spending on board retreats.
Comments
via Twitter