Committeewoman Cara Jensen

A program that provides weatherization assistance to low-income St. Louis residents has created 39 new green jobs and could add more.

Last year, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, led by President and Chief Executive Jim Buford, received nearly $7.4 million in federal stimulus money to provide free home weatherizing for low-income families and to expand the program to residents with income at the 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

The program reduces utility costs for residents by $260 to $700 a year by sealing leaks and boosting the efficiency of furnaces and hot water tanks.

Every $1 million invested in weatherization creates at least 16 direct, full-time jobs, as well as additional jobs in the clean energy, said the Apollo Alliance, citing data from the Political Economy Research Institute.

In Missouri, the weatherization program currently supports 450 jobs.

The Apollo Alliance, along with Legacy Building Group, led by CEO Todd Weaver, and the Green Building Council-Greater St. Louis Area Chapter, led by Executive Director Emily Andrews, plan to recognize the Urban League’s weatherization program Tuesday as an example of the potential for green job creation nationally.

The Apollo Alliance, based in San Francisco, is a coalition of labor, business, environmental and community leaders pushing for green jobs and clean energy.