The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) State Energy Office (SEO) will hold a public hearing on April 8 to accept comments on the proposed adoption of a regional service provider in eastern North Carolina for the NC Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Members of the public are invited to attend in person or online.
The weatherization program saves North Carolinians energy, reduces utility bills and increases home comfort and safety by providing free weatherization services for income-eligible households. WAP is federally funded on an annual basis.
Under the 2021 IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), NC’s WAP was appropriated an additional $89 million for the purpose of enhancing energy efficiency in income-eligible households statewide.
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) requires each state to submit an IIJA WAP State Plan. DEQ previously accepted public comments and on March 27, 2023, held a hearing on the proposed plan. DOE approved this plan in August 2023.
The focus of this hearing is the proposed adoption of the following service provider and associated service territories under the IIJA WAP program:
- New North Carolina Project (NNCP): Region 2 service territory, which includes Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender and Wayne counties.
NNCP was conditionally approved by DEQ to be the service provider for Region 2 following a competitive Request for Proposal process, which opened on Dec. 5, 2025, and closed on Jan. 23, 2026. NNCP will be awarded approximately $5 million to be the regional service provider until 2029 or depletion of funds. To view the full RFP, visit Request for Proposals: North Carolina Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Weatherization Assistance Program - Regions 2, 3, and 4 | NC DEQ.
Public comment can also be provided by mail to the DEQ Weatherization Assistance Program, 1613 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1613, or via email to seo.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov, with “2026 NNCP Comment” in the subject line.
The public comment period is open beginning March 16, 2026, through April 10, 2026. To be included in the hearing record, all comments must be postmarked, emailed or received by SEO (if delivered in person) no later than April 10, 2026.
Event: Public hearing on proposed adoption of Weatherization Assistance Program service provider
When: Wednesday, April 8, 4 p.m.
Where: DEQ Green Square Office Building, Training Room #1210, 217 West Jones St., Raleigh, NC 27603
Join via Webex: https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m21fb07102030a6f681df2f99a5537f0c
Meeting Number/Access Code: 2438 254 6635
Meeting Password: ncwap (62927 when dialing from a phone)
Join by telephone: +1-415-655-0003 US Toll
Please note the hearing officer may limit the length of oral presentations to accommodate the total number of speakers.
To learn more about IIJA WAP and view the statewide service territory map, visit Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Weatherization Assistance Program | NC DEQ. For additional hearing documentation, visit www.deq.nc.gov/wap-hearings.