Originally at my blog, BobGiloth.com
"'In baseball terms, I think there's going to be real pace on the ball here,' Mr. Biden said..."
Michael Cooper,"Sliver of Cash From Stimulus in State Hands," New York Times, May 13, 2009
What Biden is saying is that the pace of ARRA money hitting the streets will pick up speed in no time. We all hope so. The question, of course, is how do we spend the money quick and smart.
For example, state weatherization plans were due to the feds on May 12 about how states and their partners will spend the $5B-plus to make homes more energy efficient.
"...[W]hy would we want to weaken the experience of the current weatherization program?"
Alternatively, "Some states don't have any idea how they are going to do this. It hasn't been well thought out."
Christina Vestal, "States rethink weatherization program," Stateline.org, May 14, 2009.
I went out with a weatherization crew this week in an unamed northeast city. They see their work doubling when the pace picks up, leading to maybe 50-60 new jobs. A new training class is already in process, mostly men with some construction-related experience.
Moving about their warehouse made me realize that a lot of this is about materials -- windows, insulation, weatherstripping -- and logistics -- auditors, crews, trucks, inspections. We visited two homes that crew members said were atypical. The first had asbestos and wiring problems so they couldn't do a blower door test or pump in insulation. At the second stop, the older owner had second thoughts about getting the insulation. Both houses could have used some other work -- including a "healthy homes" assessment.
Some states are thinking about "neighborhood sweeps," that weatherize sections of a city at one time. There's something to be said for that. We spent a lot of time driving. But that approach would have it's own logistical problems.
The crews were terrific, knowledgeable, engaged, proud of their work. But I suspect there will be fewer new jobs than we think.