Washington, D.C.-  Today, Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA-03) announced the Department of Energy has released $2.8 million for weatherization projects in Southwest Washington.  The money comes as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  With the release of this money, roughly half of the weatherization funds allocated for Washington State have now arrived. The remaining money will be released when the state meets the tough reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones required by the Recovery Act.

"Weatherizing a home is a great way to save both energy and money," said Congressman Baird.  "Over the past few weeks, I have seen firsthand how these projects are putting people back to work, and helping homeowners transform their homes at the same time.  This money will allow local organizations to expand their programs, help even more families, and create jobs in the process."

Statewide, Washington will use its Recovery Act funds to weatherize 5,000 homes across the state. 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. CTED will also utilize Recovery Act funds to implement training and technical assistance programs for these local non-profit and government agencies.

The funding coming to Southwest Washington breaks down as follows:

Click here to see photos of Congressman Baird touring weatherization projects in Kelso.

Click here to see photos of Congressman Baird touring weatherization projects in Olympia.