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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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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.

Expert: Energy Efficiency Key to Keeping Ohio Weatherization Jobs

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Monday, December 6, 2010   

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Weatherization dollars from the federal stimulus have not just warmed homes; they've also put nearly 1,500 people to work in Ohio during tough times. The funding will run out in early 2012, but the executive director of Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy, Dave Rinebolt, says those jobs can be preserved.

That's because Ohio's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard and Energy Efficiency Resource Standard now drive the market for additional energy-efficiency improvements, Rinebolt notes.

"As long as those standards remain the law of Ohio, we're confident we'll be able to keep people employed in the weatherization field, earning good salaries and supporting their families."

The standards were implemented two years ago. By 2025, they are expected to reduce the use of conventional energy resources by half.

Critics have said the requirements will hurt consumers through increased utility rates, but Rinebolt and other supporters say standards will result in lower bills.

In addition to generating jobs, Rinebolt points out that the standards have helped boost energy-efficiency programs, which now have room to grow.

"As these programs expand, we hope they will provide additional opportunities for the highly skilled workforce we've created to weatherize the homes of many more people, not just low-income customers."

Rinebolt says the Ohio weatherization network has completed the second largest number of homes of any state in the country.



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