WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone, and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md) announced $2,000,000 for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (MD DHCD) to expand the workforce available to help low-income households make energy efficiency upgrades to their homes to lower their energy costs. The federal funding, made possible by the lawmakers’ work to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will support MD DHCD’s Growing Residential Energy and Trades program. The program’s goal is to enhance workforce training and empower recruits from underrepresented communities to enter and progress in the field of energy conservation.
“The transition to cleaner energy isn’t just about improving our environment – it’s also an opportunity to create jobs and invest in our workforce. We fought for this funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to expand the workforce available to make energy efficient upgrades to homes across the state. Ultimately, these federal dollars will not only support Maryland workers, but will also enable more Maryland families to make critical updates to their homes that can help lower their cooling and heating costs,” said the lawmakers.
The grant is provided through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), the nation’s longest-standing energy efficiency program, which has helped millions of low-income residences weatherize their homes and reduce their energy bills by an average of $372 annually. With these funds, MD DHCD’s Growing Residential Energy and Trades program will:
- Reach out to and engage with candidates from disadvantaged communities;
- Partner with subgrantees and contractors to provide on-the-job training to new technicians and auditors; and
- Provide minority energy business owners with tools to build long-term, successful organizations and continue workforce development efforts.
