WHY is the state's weatherization program still having problems? This time, one of the state agencies responsible for completing work on 3,900 homes is woefully behind. Last year a state audit found slow completion progress overall, plus participating local agencies that didn't submit the proper paperwork, didn't do proper inspections, didn't pay contracted workers the mandatory wages and didn't document purchases.
The federal program to make homes more energy-efficient should be straightforward enough. Homeowners who qualify are visited by technicians who check for ways to save energy. They repair and caulk windows and doors if needed, or insulate hot water tanks and pipes, or install energy-efficient light bulbs, insulate attics, that kind of work. If there's funding, they may even make major repairs. All for free for residents earning 200 percent or less of the federal poverty level, which works out to $44,700 for a family of four, or $29,420 for a couple.
Families save money on energy expenses, the state uses less energy and people in need of jobs are hired to be weatherization technicians. A three-way win. It's not even a new idea. The federal Weatherization Assistance Program was launched in 1976, during another tough economy. President Obama beefed it up in 2009 with stimulus funds. New Jersey got nearly $119 million, with work to be completed on more than 13,000 houses by March 31, 2012.
Guess what might not be completed by March 31, 2012. The Department of Community Affairs oversees the program, but gives grants to local non-profits and public agencies to administer it. After last year's audit, the DCA promised to tighten its reins. Yet here we are again. Now it's the state's Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, which has nearly 3,900 homes on its list and received $29 million to get them into energy shape. By the end of the month it will have finished 658 units, and has begun on another 513, according to the DCA. But that still brings them to less than one-third of their workload.
U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, both Democrats, wrote a letter to the U.S. energy secretary asking for an extension of the March 31 deadline, citing the agency's lack of progress. Without an extension, the state will have to return any unused federal funds. The Energy Department should grant the extension, with the proviso that the agency report weekly, if need be, on its progress.
New Jersey has fixed up more than 8,000 homes so far, more than half the target amount. Good. But it's been a bumpy ride. We hope politics isn't playing into it: a Democratic program administered by a Republican state administration. Whatever the reason, the last five months must run more smoothly.
