Amendment to Save Weatherization's 2012 Funding on House Floor Soon. CALL Your Representative!

The Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill for 2012, HR 2354, will be voted on by the full House early next week. At that time, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) will offer an amendment that restores funding for W.A.P. and other efficiency programs to the current level - a modest $174 million for Weatherization. (The debate could start as early as Friday, but the vote is next week.) The amendment makes offsetting cuts in non-efficiency, non-science programs at DOE to conform to the House spending Rules. However, it faces other procedural challenges.

Please call your House Member's office at 202-225-3121 and ask to reach the staff handling the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill (very likely by voice mail). Explain your role with W.A.P. and your concern about the impact of the drastic cuts in the program next spring.  

Tell them that there will be an amendment offered by Mr. Tonko which funds the program at less than 80% of the 2008 level, but saves a core program for later rebuilding. Ask the Representative  to do two things:

1) Sign on to the Tonko "Dear Colleague" by contacting Clinton Britt at 225-5076, and

2) Vote in favor of the Tonko Amendment.  

Make these key points:

- The Committee Report includes incorrect assumptions that do not apply to your Weatherization Program: it claims there is enough ARRA funding to keep the program running in Program Year 2012. The $30 million appropriated is intended to provide funding for the [presumed few] states that may have run out of ARRA funding.

- These three points about your own program will provide the needed correction: 

1. The success of your ARRA work, and how that record isn't reflected in the Committee report "facts" about unspent funds totaling 30% of all ARRA.

2. How fast you have rebounded from early delays

3. How many jobs will be lost as ARRA ends

IN ADDITION

- Tell your Member if your state,  or even just your service area but not the whole state, will spend out ARRA by the end of the 2011 program year.

· Explain: even if your program had money, you couldn't spend it on more homes after 3/31/2012, because 4/1/2012 is the day when this Bill's funds are available to WAP.

AND 

Thank your Member if he/she voted for the February Tonko amendment to the FY 2011 CR which didn't add funding but did strike language unfavorable to W.A.P.; it failed by only 8 votes.  

ALL Democrats voted with Tonko Feb. 2011 Weatherization Amendment to HR 1 except the 5 listed at the bottom plus these Republicans (listed by state)  :

MI

Camp, David [R]  

Huizenga, Bill [R]

David Bradley

Executive Director

National Community Action Foundation