Source: Burlington Free Press, July 13

By Nicole Gaudiano

“WASHINGTON — Vermont leads the nation in meeting goals for weatherizing low-income homes using stimulus funds, and a state official says that merits some special consideration from the federal government. Shaun Donahue, director of the state’s Office of Economic Opportunity, said he’s asked federal energy officials to give unused stimulus weatherization money — assuming there is any once the program ends — to states that meet or exceed their goals.

“Certainly we could use them,” Donahue said of the funds. “We have homes that could be weatherized, and we have trained crews that will run out of (stimulus) funds before the project is over.”

The Energy Department doesn’t expect to have leftover weatherization stimulus funds by March 31, 2012, the deadline for states to spend their allocations, Energy Department spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller said. But if it does, and the department is allowed to use it beyond the deadline, she said, “it is likely that the funds would be distributed to those states with an expressed need and a proven ability to spend funding rapidly and deliver high quality work.”…”

Full story:  Vermont seeks to leverage success in weatherization numbers

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