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Operation Green Light: Getting All States ‘Up to Speed’
DOE’s leaders are anxious to put the frustrations of start-up behind and begin the promised production and employment; key officials, from Assistant Secretary Zoi to Recovery "Czar" Rogers, have started "Operation Greenlight" which takes them to state capitols where production had not started by November 1. They are trouble-shooting procedural or technical problems that are holding back the new jobs and services so desperately needed.
We want to hear of creative solutions our readers have devised to overcome red tape, insufficient training resources, recruitment and outreach issues and other barriers. Drop us a line at energy_leveraging_news@opportunitystudies.org, and we will compile and share the network’s most creative approaches.
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Opportunity:
Branding Your Contribution to Recovery
Recovery Act Buttons - The American people deserve to know that the Recovery Act funds are being put to good use. Funds are (finally) working in their own community because of you. Show your community that ARRA is funding local workers, purchases, and services.
Recovery Act Buttons
Order customized Recovery Act buttons for your agency staff and contractors to wear proudly at work. We can insert any message that fits. Some examples.
 
See more choices! Order Recovery Act buttons here.
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More News
ARRA Quarterly Job Reports = Political Targets
Weatherizers struggled to report their counts of new and "retained" workers and to calculate that work in "FTEs" by November 9th. Therefore, few were surprised about criticism from the press, think tanks, and administration opponents regarding some clearly erroneous data buried in the detailed reports on the White House Recovery website.
 Weatherization reports were not the subject of this criticism, likely because WAP production contracts were effective only late in the Quarter, if at all, and fewer than 4,400 WAP FTE jobs had been created or retained as of September 30.
The Administration defended the reports; the Vice President and others pointed out that there are generally complete and accurate submissions by more than 130,000 grantees and contractors a few days after the end of the final reporting month. They rightly called this an extraordinary, unprecedented triumph for "transparency" and hard working recipients who reported. See Vice President Biden make the case to Jon Stewart on the Daily Show (Start at minute 2:10. Can you catch him almost saying "weatherization?")
EOS has analyzed the details of the Recovery WAP job reports and we found that, from April 1st to September 30th 2009, ARRA WAP supported workers’ hours equal to 4,353 "FTE" jobs in 43 states and the Virgin Islands. These states had collectively spent just under 4% of ARRA funding, and their implementation was barely underway. Several commented on the form that they had filled many more positions by September 30; for example, the state of Mississippi reported just 72.94 FTE jobs but noted that 246 ARRA-funded workers were in new jobs on September 30.
See the EOS analysis of the type and number of jobs on the system two months ago. Next reports? Due January 10 at the White House and to be released about 2 weeks later.
Weatherizers Meet Energy-Efficiency and Green Community Development Leaders at the NCAF-CIF Conference
The first combined Community Investment Futures and NCAF Energy Programs Conference took place November 2-5 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The four-day meeting focused heavily on ways to use the ARRA expansion to make Community Action and/or WAP agencies permanently larger and more capable. New and potential partner institutions at the conference included leaders of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Laborers’ International Union of North America, General Motors, Morgan Stanley Community Funds (renewable energy), Long Island Green Homes, and the New America Foundation, in addition to speakers from DOE and development experts from skilled local agencies.
See materials from the presentations posted on NCAF’s website after December 1.
DOE Final T&TA Spending Plan Coming Soon!
 The Department of Energy Office of Weatherization Assistance and Intergovernmental Programs released a draft plan in late October for investing approximately $150 M in Weatherization Training and Technical Assistance funding that is retained at the federal level. OWIP asked for reactions by November 12. On Nov 5, at the NCAF Energy Programs Conference in Florida, Peter Roehrig, Special Assistant to DOE Assistant Secretary Kathy Zoi and Christy Cooper presented the key purposes of the innovative and unprecedented plan along with the major investments DOE intends to make. They are:
Goals:
- Build a better, stronger WAP
- Support state WAP Recovery Act program implementation
- Build on WAP grantee best practices to create national resources that raise the (performance) bar across the weatherization network
- Leverage WAP expertise and training infrastructure to lay the foundation for a national retrofit industry (for all sectors) with ready access to a well-trained workforce and opportunities for worker mobility and career pathways
Major projects to be funded:
- Develop and promulgate national technical curricula
- Develop national training accreditation for the curricula
- Create a national training software "platform" (or: program that can be modified and expanded)
- Develop and test a national worker certification
- Develop and test trainer certification
- Fund new, technology-capable training centers
- Fund train-the-trainer and peer mentoring
- Develop a new, online advanced auditing tool
- Develop a new, online WAP management information system
- Provide targeted technical assistance
A final plan will be published shortly.
Recipients of ExxonMobil-NCAF Weatherization Training Partnership Grants Announced
The following organizations will share grants totaling approximately $3.5 million to advance weatherization jobs and training along a true career path:
- Action Housing, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.
- Energy Coordinating Agency, Philadelphia, Pa.
- Indiana Community Action Association, Indianapolis, Ind.
- Community Services Agency, Reno, Nev.
- Association for Energy Affordability, Inc., New York, N.Y.
- Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, Athens, Ohio
- Community Housing Partners Corporation, Christianburg, Va.
- Community Action Team Inc., St. Helens, Or.
- Montana Weatherization Training Center at MSU, Bozeman, Mont.
For more information, visit ncaf.org.
The Newsletter of Economic Opportunity Studies’ Weatherization PLUS Leveraging Partnership Project brings timely information about developments that expand the Weatherization Assistance Program to help your organization take advantage of emerging opportunities. Visit the Weatherization PLUS portal for more information.
Why You Are Receiving This Email
Your name is on a list of federal and state Weatherization Program contacts from WAP conference attendance records. Of course, you may unsubscribe (see below). However, we hope you will help us add the names and addresses of all who may be interested. Our promise: 1) We do not share our list, and, 2) The newsletter will be sent only when there is useful material for weatherizers.
Specific questions? Opinions? Subjects we should cover in the future? Email us at:
energy_leveraging_news@opportunitystudies.org
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In This Issue:
» ARRA Data and Politics
» Opportunity: Wear Your ARRA Logo
» NCAF-CIF Conference
» $150 M in Federal T&TA Plan
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Remembering Bob Coard
Robert M. Coard, one of Community Action’s greatest leaders for over 40 years, passed away on November 3. Under Mr. Coard’s leadership, Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) grew into one of the nation’s most successful Community Action Agencies.
He also was a founder of the National Community Action Foundation and CAPLAW. His influence on the national evolution of Community Action is beyond measure.
"We all owe Bob a debt of gratitiude. He has made Boston a better city and challenged all of us to be better people."
– Sen. John Kerry
"Bob Coard brought so many of us into Community Action; he loved teaching, and he taught us how to look at challenges strategically; he showed us how a creative leader makes opportunities open that were never there before, and he demonstrated over and over how to speak truth to power without anger but without retreat."
–Meg Power, President, Economic Opportunity Studies, Inc.
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Our Project Staff:
Meg Power - Project Manager
Eli Nesson - Information Manager
Akanimo Udo - Research Assistant
Katie Southworth - Research Assistant
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Disclaimer: "This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof."
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