Douglas: OEO probe a 'serious' matter
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By Louis Porter Vermont Press Bureau - Published: November 25, 2009
MONTPELIER – Gov. James Douglas said Tuesday he is taking seriously allegations about the state's Office of Economic Opportunity that have resulted in an internal state investigation.
State officials would not discuss the details of those allegations, saying they involved personnel matters. But Douglas said he takes seriously any possibility that public money may have been mishandled.
"I take very seriously any breach of that trust," he said.
There are no allegations of criminal wrongdoing, although two state workers have been suspended with pay until the matter can be resolved. Douglas said the inquiry is an internal administrative review "for now."
There is little he can say about the details of the inquiry, which is expected to be under investigation for another week or two, Douglas said.
"I have to respect that obligation contractually and legally," Douglas said.
The portion of OEO being examined oversees the insulation and efficiency efforts of the state's five regional weatherization programs. Normally the state spends about $8 million to $9 million a year, about $2.5 million of which comes from the federal Department of Energy, to make the homes of low-income Vermonters more efficient. The rest comes from a surcharge on heating fuel bills in Vermont.
The weatherization program saves those residents money and saves state and federal residents – who pay for fuel for many of the same families through heating fuel assistance programs – as well, said Steve Dale, head of the Department for Children and Families.
"It helps make sure the taxpayers dollars are stretched as well," he said.
This year, however, the program has been dramatically increased in size thanks to federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act or ARRA money. About $17 million in extra federal funding, to be used over three state fiscal years, has come to Vermont's weatherization program.
"Those programs are being geared up to do a substantial expansion," Dale said.
Those federal funds have come with additional accounting and reporting requirements as well as other standards that must be met.
"There were some legitimate concerns about tracking all of those dollars" in the federal ARRA program, Douglas said.
Douglas added that the weatherization program is needed.
"It is a very worthwhile effort," he said. Vermont has a very old housing stock, after all, he said.
In 2007, before the expansion, the weatherization program went to nearly 1,500 homes, saving an average of 169 gallons of heating oil at each, Dale said.
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