(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that $23,818,030 has been awarded to Washington state to weatherize 5,000 homes over three years. This program will help to reduce energy consumption and energy bills for Washington state families and will create jobs throughout the state. Senator Murray worked with the Obama administration to include this weatherization funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
“This funding will allow families across Washington state to reduce their energy costs and will provide a much-needed boost to the economy,” said Senator Patty Murray. “These investments will put men and women to work across the state helping families reduce their energy consumption, save money, and improve the environment.”
The Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) will administer the program and allocate funds to community-based non-profit agencies and local government organizations to provide weatherization services to every county and tribal nation in the state. The funding will also go toward training to provide local weatherization technicians with the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out home energy audits and weatherization procedures.
After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive more than $29 million in additional funding, for a total of over $59 million.
As a senior member of the Senate committee overseeing energy funding, Senator Murray worked to ensure that investments in energy efficiency were included in the Recovery Act. Senator Murray voted to pass the Recovery Act on February 13th. The bill was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th.
More information on how families can lower their energy costs can be found at Senator Murray’s One-Stop Economic Resource Center.
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