weatherization program

weatherization program Sec. 413. (a) The Administrator shall develop and conduct, in accordance with the purpose and provisions of this part, a weatherization program. In developing and conducting such program, the Administrator may, in accordance with this part and regulations promulgated under this part, make grants (1) to States, and (2) in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d), 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, in which the head of the household is a low-income person. (b) (1) The Administrator, after consultation with the Director, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Secretary of Labor, the Director 90 STAT. 1153of the ACTION Agency, and the heads of such other Federal departments and agencies as the Administrator deems appropriate, shall develop and publish in the Federal Register for public comment, not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this part, proposed regulations to carry out the provisions of this part. The Administrator 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 the date of such enactment. 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, Education, and Welfare, and the Director of the National Bureau of Standards in the Department of Commerce, for use in various climatic, structural, and human need settings, standards for weatherization materials, energy conservation techniques, and balanced combinations thereof, which are designed to achieve a balance of a healthful dwelling environment and maximum practicable energy conservation; and (B) designed to ensure that (i) the benefits of weatherization assistance in connection with leased dwelling units will accrue primarily to low-income tenants; (ii) the rents on such dwelling units will not be raised because of any increase in the value thereof due solely to weatherization assistance provided under this part; and (iii) no undue or excessive enhancement will occur to the value of such dwelling units. (c) 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 Administrator which meets the requirements set forth in section 414, any unit of general purpose local government of sufficient size (as determined by the Administrator), or a community action agency carrying out programs under title II of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, 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. If any such application submitted by a unit of general purpose local government proposes that the allocation requirement and the priority for an applicable community action agency, as set forth under section 415(b)(2)(B), be determined to be no longer applicable, the Administrator, as part of the notice and public hearing procedure carried out under section 418 with respect to such application, shall be responsible for making the necessary determination under the proviso in section 415(b)(2) (B). A State may, in accordance with regulations promulgated under this part, submit an amended application. (d) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, in any State in which the Administrator 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 90 STAT. 1154allocated 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 us 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 Administrator 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 Administrator an application meeting the requirements set forth in section 414. (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator may transfer to the Director sums appropriated under this part to be utilized in order to carry out programs, under section 222(a) (12) of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which further the purpose of this part.