Yesterday, the Weatherization Assistance Program received $240.5 million in the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee’s funding bill for FY08. This is $36 million more than the Department of Energy provided through the Continuing Resolution for FY07. We are grateful to Senators Dorgan and Domenici for their continued support.
This bill will now face full committee markups. We will keep you posted as further developments arise.
On June 15, the National Governors Association addressed a letter to the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee leadership expressing their support of both the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and State Energy Programs (SEP). The letter urges Congress to fund SEP at a level no less than $74 million and WAP at a level no less than $275 million for FY08.
We are grateful to the Governors for their recognition and interest in our programs. This is an outstanding example of how partnerships are being forged in DC to support these vital state energy initiatives.
The full text of this document can be found below.
For the second consecutive year, the Massachusetts Oilheat Council (MOC), through the Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD), has provided Massachusetts Weatherization Assistance Program Subgrantees with five scholarships to the New England Fuel Institute's (NEFI) Oilheat Technician Course.
The course is 4 weeks in length and is a combination of classroom and laboratory instruction.
This is a great example of a public/private partnership to strengthen the technical skills of Massachusetts WAP Energy Auditors.
As you may have noticed, our website is changing! Over the next few months, the content will be expanded so that visitors can easily access NASCSP's official position on a wide range of issues and legislation affecting the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).
We are also making every effort to provide visualizations of the WAP "in action" and provide examples of the work being done in your state. We encourage you to check back often since exciting developments occurring every day, across the country.
If you have any questions or desire more information on any of the photos, video clips, news stories, or articles posted here, we encourage you to post a response directly to this web log so that we may share our answer with the rest of the WAP community.
Thanks, and enjoy!
The Continuing Resolution in place for FY07 provided the Department of Energy with an unusual amount of discretion in determining the funding levels for programs like the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) that are not identified as a single line item in the federal budget. DOE opted to reduce the WAP funding from the FY06 level of $242.5 million to $204.5 million, or a $38 million cut from the previous year.
This funding reduction equates to at least 17,000 fewer households being served in FY07. For every million that is cut from our program 450-500 low-income families go without crucial energy efficiency measures on their homes. Such cuts are particularly devastating in light of the ever-increasing demand for WAP services by millions of households across the nation. Insufficient program funding causes these massive waiting lists and these lists will continue to grow if funding remains stagnant or is lowered.
Beyond the direct benefits provided to families who receive WAP services -like an average of $360 in first year energy savings, continued savings potential for many years in the future, and healthier and safer living conditions - there are countless positive environmental benefits. We reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil by the equivalent of 18 million barrels of oil per year. In fact, an average of 30.5 million MBtu of energy is saved as a result of WAP services - equaling nearly a 25 percent reduction in primary heating fuel use by those homes being weatherized.
We are grateful to Senator Sanders (R-VT) for recognizing the many benefits of our program and including an amendment to the 2007 Iraq War Supplemental. This provision would have restored an additional $25 million in WAP funds for FY07. Unfortunately, this language was dropped in the Joint Conference and funding remains at the $204.5 million level for 2007.
As the FY08 budget and appropriations process begins, the Administration provided the first challenge to WAP by again reducing their 2008 request another $20 million -from $164 million in 2007 to $144 million in 2008. This is far below what Congress supported in 2007 and what the program requires to support its infrastructure and to maintain its core capacity to serve in every political subdivision of the country.
Fortunately, Congress is already demonstrating its support for the WAP. In May, the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee reported its FY08 markups including $245.5 million for the WAP, a 20% increase above the DOE 2007 funding level. This bill made it to full committee without amendments and includes language
that will allow 2008 funds to be drawn down early to compensate for the FY07 loss.
We thank Chairman Visclosky (D-IN) and Ranking Member Hobson (R-OH) for their support of the WAP through these critical funds. We have held several meetings with Senate staff and have related our desire to receive a comparable (or higher) funding level offered by the House. We hope that the value of this excellent program will be recognized, and that the WAP will receive the highest funding possible so that the network can continue to serve as the nation's leader in home energy conservation.
Issue: Section 275 of S 1419- Energy and Environmental Block Grant
S.1419 Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 (Placed on Calendar in Senate)
SEC. 275. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BLOCK GRANT.
While NASCSP does not oppose the block grant described below, we are concerned that the language regarding what programs this grant would encompass is vague and may be redundant. There are already several state administered programs that address conservation issues, like the Weatherization Assistance Program and the State Energy Program. Their inclusion in this block grant could be extremely confusing and potentially detrimental to the WAP network that exists today.
Our greater concern is that funding within the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee is very limited and usually insufficient to meet the needs of the projects already in place. Adding a multi-billion dollar block could require the Subcommittee to find funding for this new initiative among already existing programs. NASCSP cannot support the shifting of funds from the WAP or the State Energy Program to pay for this new initiative. NASCSP would like to see a separate funding source identified for this block grant and coordination/cooperation between state and local governments and within units of local government before we can begin to provide public support for this new block grant.
The full House Appropriations Committee completed it's mark up of the 2008 Energy and Water bill earlier this week.
Weatherization funding for FY08 has been set at $245.6 million - $101 million more than the Administration's recommendation. The bill should be sent to the House floor for a vote later this month.
A breakdown of the figures for FY08 E&W funding can be found here.
Mark up for the Senate version of the Energy and Water bill should occur sometime between mid to late June.
Meanwhile, the House Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee on Appropriations provided $2.662 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)for FY08, an increase of $500 million over the comparable amount provided for FY07. The bill provides for FY08: $1.98 billion in block grant funding, the same level as provided in FY07 and $682 million in contingency funds, an increase of about $500 million over the FY07 contingency fund level of $181.7.
The subcommittee release regading funding for LIHEAP and other programs can be found here.
