§ 6863. Weatherization program
(a)
Development and conduct of program by Secretary; grants to States and Indian tribal organizations
The Secretary shall develop and conduct, in accordance with the purpose and provisions of this part, a weatherization program. In developing and conducting such program, the Secretary may, in accordance with this part and regulations promulgated under this part, make grants
(2)
in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, to Indian tribal organizations to serve Native Americans. Such grants shall be made for the purpose of providing financial assistance with regard to projects designed to provide for the weatherization of dwelling units, particularly those where elderly or handicapped low-income persons reside, occupied by low-income families.
(b)
Consultation by Secretary with other Federal departments and agencies on development and publication in Federal Register of proposed regulations; required regulatory provisions; standards and procedures; rental units
(1)
The Secretary, after consultation with the Director, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor, and the heads of such other Federal departments and agencies as the Secretary deems appropriate, shall develop and publish in the Federal Register for public comment, not later than 60 days after August 14, 1976, proposed regulations to carry out the provisions of this part. The Secretary shall take into consideration comments submitted regarding such proposed regulations and shall promulgate and publish final regulations for such purpose not later than 90 days after August 14, 1976. The development of regulations under this part shall be fully coordinated with the Director.
(2)
The regulations promulgated pursuant to this section shall include provisions—
(A)
prescribing, in coordination with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the Department of Commerce, for use in various climatic, structural, and human need settings, standards for weatherization materials, energy conservation techniques, and balance combinations thereof, which are designed to achieve a balance of a healthful dwelling environment and maximum practicable energy conservation;
(3)
The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretaries and Director described in paragraph (2)(A) and with the Director of the Community Services Administration and the Secretary of Agriculture, shall develop and publish in the Federal Register for public comment, not later than 60 days after November 9, 1978, proposed amendments to the regulations prescribed under paragraph (1). Such amendments shall provide that the standards described in paragraph (2)(A) shall include a set of procedures to be applied to each dwelling unit to determine the optimum set of cost-effective measures, within the cost guidelines set for the program, to be installed in such dwelling unit. Such standards shall, in order to achieve such optimum savings of energy, take into consideration the following factors—
Such standards shall be utilized by the Secretary in carrying out this part, the Secretary of Agriculture in carrying out the weatherization program under section
1474
(c) of this title, and the Director of the Community Services Administration in carrying out weatherization programs under section 222(a)(12) of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2809
(a)(12)]. The Secretary shall take into consideration comments submitted regarding such proposed amendment and shall promulgate and publish final amended regulations not later than 120 days after November 9, 1978.
(4)
In carrying out paragraphs (2)(A) and (3), the Secretary shall establish the standards and procedures described in such paragraphs so that weatherization efforts being carried out under this part and under programs described in the fourth sentence of paragraph (3) will accomplish uniform results among the States in any area with a similar climatic condition.
(5)
In any case in which a dwelling consists of a rental unit or rental units, the State, in the implementation of this part, shall ensure that—
(A)
the benefits of weatherization assistance in connection with such rental units, including units where the tenants pay for their energy through their rent, will accrue primarily to the low-income tenants residing in such units;
(B)
for a reasonable period of time after weatherization work has been completed on a dwelling containing a unit occupied by an eligible household, the tenants in that unit (including households paying for their energy through their rent) will not be subjected to rent increases unless those increases are demonstrably related to matters other than the weatherization work performed;
(c)
Failure of State to submit application; alternate application by any unit of general purpose local government or community action agency; submission of amended application by State
If a State does not, within 90 days after the date on which final regulations are promulgated under this section, submit an application to the Secretary which meets the requirements set forth in section
6864 of this title, any unit of general purpose local government of sufficient size (as determined by the Secretary), or a community action agency carrying out programs under title II of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2781 et seq.], may, in lieu of such State, submit an application (meeting such requirements and subject to all other provisions of this part) for carrying out projects under this part within the geographical area which is subject to the jurisdiction of such government or is served by such agency. A State may, in accordance with regulations promulgated under this part, submit an amended application.
(d)
Direct grants to low-income members of Indian tribal organizations or alternate service organizations; application for funds
(1)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, in any State in which the Secretary determines (after having taken into account the amount of funds made available to the State to carry out the purposes of this part) that the low-income members of an Indian tribe are not receiving benefits under this part that are equivalent to the assistance provided to other low-income persons in such State under this part, and if he further determines that the members of such tribe would be better served by means of a grant made directly to provide such assistance, he shall reserve from sums that would otherwise be allocated to such State under this part not less than 100 percent, nor more than 150 percent, of an amount which bears the same ratio to the State’s allocation for the fiscal year involved as the population of all low-income Indians for whom a determination under this subsection has been made bears to the population of all low-income persons in such State.
(2)
The sums reserved by the Secretary on the basis of his determination under this subsection shall be granted to the tribal organization serving the individuals for whom such a determination has been made, or, where there is no tribal organization, to such other entity as he determines has the capacity to provide services pursuant to this part.
(3)
In order for a tribal organization or other entity to be eligible for a grant for a fiscal year under this subsection, it shall submit to the Secretary an application meeting the requirements set forth in section
6864 of this title.