WASHINGTON
– U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today announced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $1.3 million grant to support innovation and job creation through the delivery of weatherization programs in Baltimore City. The grant, awarded to the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, will help low-income Maryland residents achieve energy efficiency in their homes as a part of integrated model that also focuses on air quality and lead abatement.
“This $1.3 million in federal funding will make is possible for the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning to help Baltimore families weatherize their homes and save money,” said
Senator Cardin. “The program is a winner because it builds on the innovative technology that is available to create clean energy jobs, reduce pollution, and provide greater energy savings.”
“This federal funding is an investment in jobs, jobs, jobs right here in Maryland,”
Senator Mikulski said. “These funds will help put dollars back into the pockets of low-income Marylanders by making homes more energy efficient and lowering their energy bills. I’m so proud to support grants that create green jobs and help Maryland families, and I will keep fighting in the U.S. Senate for federal investment in Maryland communities.”
The grant, awarded under DOE’s Weatherization Assistance Program, will enable the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning to add energy efficiency improvements to the services already offered to low-income clients, such as lead abatement, mold reduction, and window replacement. The Coalition will use an integrated model to deliver these services, combining weatherization services with a comprehensive ‘green and healthy homes’ approach that incorporates indoor air quality improvement and lead abatement services.
The award is one of 16 funded with $30 million from the Weatherization Assistance Program’s annual budget to demonstrate new, innovative approaches to weatherizing low-income single and multifamily homes. Projects will include new types of weatherization partnerships, financial models that allow for greater private sector leveraging, workforce training and volunteer engagement, and the demonstration of new energy efficiency technologies like in-home energy monitors.
The Weatherization Assistance Program weatherizes approximately 25,000 homes per month and is partially funded by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) funding. According to state reports, the Recovery Act portion of the Weatherization Program supported more than 13,000 jobs in the second quarter of 2010 by putting carpenters, electricians and factory workers back to work installing insulation, upgrading appliances, and improving heating and cooling systems.
For more information on the DOE Weatherization Assistance Program, please go to
