skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

New Jobs and Warm Homes: Ohio Leads in Weatherization

play audio
Play

Tuesday, January 25, 2011   

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Buckeye State leads the nation with more than 23,000 homes weatherized through stimulus funding, according to the Department of Energy.

Tom Baer, field activities director of Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy, says the program is doing more than just warming homes.

"It benefits job creation, skills development for folks to get jobs. It helps low-income people, it benefits the environment, it decreases our dependence on foreign oil. It's really a win-win situation."

Nationally, more than 300,000 homes have been weatherized and 15,000 jobs created through the program - including 1,000 new jobs in Ohio. States are now more than halfway toward meeting President Obama's goal of weatherizing approximately 600,000 homes under the Recovery Act. Ohio is two-thirds of the way to its goal.

Ohio's weatherization program has been around for more than three decades, and Baer says his organization was ready to hit the ground running when stimulus funding became available. He says Ohioans can be proud of the success of the program.

"It saves an average customer in Ohio $400 a year on their energy bills, so it's very beneficial to those folks that really are having the hardest time dealing with the cold weather."

A Republican group in Congress, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio's 4th District, recently unveiled a bill that would eliminate weatherization grants and cut other environmental programs. Opponents of that action say weatherization is helping the economy and is one of the most cost-effective government-run programs.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021