Stimulus funding has been put on hold.
KINGSFORD -- Earlier this year, President Obama set a goal to weatherize two million homes over the next two years with money from the stimulus package. Now, however, those funds have been frozen due to a disagreement between the Department of Labor and the Department of Energy.
Only a few projects are taking place right now in Dickinson and Iron Counties due to a disagreement concerning the prevailing wage for weatherization workers.
"The problem is there's no worker classification for weatherization workers, so they're in the process of developing that at this point," said Dickinson-Iron Community Services Agency executive director Jeff Heino.
The prevailing wage is the amount of money that contractors pay their employees, and it's an issue that the Department of Labor and the Department of Energy are trying to work out on a federal level.
It's not just a local problem, either.
"We're not alone in this," Heino said. "The entire state and much of the nation is on hold with respect to weatherization stimulus funding."
With money from the stimulus package, an estimated 450 more homes could receive weatherization. However, until an agreement is reached, the funds cannot be utilized.
Once the prevailing wage is determined, Dickinson and Iron Counties stand to receive 2.9 million dollars. However, the funds must be spent within two years, which has agencies worried about the current freeze.
Officials at the Dickinson-Iron Community Services Agency hope to know more within a month.
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