Stimulus Package Includes $54 Billion in Energy Incentives

Yesterday, House Democrats revealed their proposed stimulus package totaling $825 billion. As hoped, money for renewable energy and efficiency make up 54 billion of those dollars.

The biggest proportion, $11 billion, would go towards creating a smart grid, which is dramatically shy of the $400 billion Al Gore thinks should be set aside. Here's a list of some of the larger energy incentives.

$11 billion for investment in smart-grid technologies
$8 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy and transmission
$6.9 billion for energy efficiency help to state and local governments
$6.7 billion for retrofits to federal buildings
$6.2 billion for home weatherization, targeted at low-income families
$2.4 billion for carbon sequestration
$2 billion for loans guarantees and grants to automobile battery-makers

There are many other energy-related items in the bill, including incentives for electric and alternative-fuel vehicles. The Appropriations Committee has both a summary (PDF) and the full text (PDF) of the bill on their website.

I'm glad that these issues are getting top billing in this package, but we'll have to wait and see what actually gets passed and if it's enough to make a real impact.

via Green Inc.

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More Public Transit
written by Jim, January 17, 2009

They need to give more money to public transit and less to highways. Transit-oriented development is one of the "greenest" ways to grow a town or city. Getting more people off the roads and onto the bus/train/streetcar/subway will be a huge boost for the environment.

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written by J.C., January 17, 2009

What category does mass transit come in?

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written by Lex, January 17, 2009

$54B out of $850B...we're supposed to be impressed by that? The whole stimulus is less than the Pentagon spends in a single year. The "green" portion of the stimulus is roughly a third of what the Pentagon pays in interest every year.

It's called greenwashing, and unfortunately, Obama doesn't appear to care any more than anyone else in Washington. They got the votes, they might throw a bone for the votes...beyond that it's business as usual.

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written by Loosely_coupled, January 18, 2009

@Lex

I agree with you to an extent that this "green" package is a pittance compared to the defense budget, but lets give this guy a break. It will be his first month in office that this gets passed. Give Obama four years and then tally his accomplishments.. We all know how this guy works, he has to build consensus and orchestrate a massive and very complex plan to turn things around in this country. This "stimulus" is just the tip of the iceberg.

People close to Obama's transition team have talked about a "manhattan project" of energy development. Lets reserve judgement for at least a year or two and see what happens..

efficiency
written by ska, January 19, 2009

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/...our-waste/

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written by Tom, January 19, 2009

I agree with Jim, although I think this is at least a good start, public transit does need more attention. It is important to get people out of their cars and into public transportation. Making it accessible and affordable is crucial.