Grassley Asks Agency To Respond To Concerns About Management of Stimulus Dollars For Weatherization

Press Release

Senator Chuck Grassley has asked the Energy Secretary to respond to independent assessments identifying lax oversight of weatherization programs that were funded by last year's federal stimulus legislation and to account for large amounts of time federal officials have spent in Pacific island territories on weatherization grants, compared to states with much larger programs than the tropical locations.

Grassley's questions were based on findings of the Inspector General for the Department of Energy and the Government Accountability Office, which is the investigative arm of Congress.

Earlier this year, Grassley asked the Energy Secretary how the department had responded to separate Inspector General reports of little, if any, progress being made in weatherizing homes with stimulus dollars. The earlier audits described big grants going to four states (CA, TX, NY, MI) without a proportional number of homes being improved and, where there was work done, poor workmanship without anyone being held accountable.

"There's a lot of pressure on the bureaucracy to spend massive sums very quickly, and that can be a recipe for wasteful spending and bad management of tax dollars," Grassley said. "Continued reports from independent watchdogs expressing concern about what's happening, or not, with stimulus dollars for weatherization are cause for real concern. The reports demand a swift and sure response from the administration in order to safeguard tax dollars."

Initiatives in the weatherization program are supposed to be among the most shovel-ready. Government projects receiving stimulus money in this area have a limited timeframe in which to get the money out the door. In order to meet its requirement alone, the Department of Energy has to obligate an average of $55 million a day.

Source