By Susan Seliger
After the banks, the mortgage lenders and the auto industry grab their share of the $845 billion stimulus package, you might be wondering what’s left for saving our environment and making the world a safer, greener place for us all.
Good news: there’s some green in the stimulus plan for greening today ($150 billion) – and even more ambitious plans for raising revenues to spend on greening down the road ($646 billion). Here’s a rundown, so you can see through the political fog: Who wins, who loses – and the big question – who pays?
ENERGY: The Big Picture
THE BUCKS: $150 billion in the plan, plus $646 billion to be raised over 10 years – NOT a handout from the stimulus package
THE PLAN: Heard about the cap-and-trade plan? Here’s what it means: Obama’s energy plan hinges on a call for legislation to put a cap on carbon emissions and require companies to pay for permits to pollute (emit greenhouse gases) and trade those allowances. That money – a projected $646 billion over the next decade — would go toward finding clean energy technologies and another $65 billion a year to pay for middle-class tax credits. Those tax credits (Obama’s “Make Pay Work” plan) would be worth as much as $800 a year to low-and-middle-income workers, according to the Washington Post.
ENERGY DEPARTMENT
THE BUCKS: $33.9 in 2009, down to 26.3 billion in 2010 (up from $24.1 billion in 2008)
THE PLAN: The increased spending – plus another $38.7 billion in the stimulus package — will cover new money for weatherization programs, modernization of the electric grid and renewable energy projects.
THE EPA (ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY)
THE BUCKS: $10 billion — a 34% budget increase.
THE PLAN: The increased spending goes to clean water projects, research, a Great Lakes restoration program as well as expanded efforts to improve regulation and enforcement of pollution standards. There’s also an extra $19 million to establish a national carbon control plan. (More on the EPA from the New York Times.)
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT
THE BUCKS: $12 billion
THE PLAN: Raise $31 billion money over the next decade with fees on oil and gas companies (for example, for drilling on federal land) to be spent on conservation plans including park maintenance, endangered species protection.
GREEN JOBS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
THE BUCKS: Totals not tallied yet – but projections are to double the production of renewable energy in three years, via tax breaks and loan guarantees for the industry, according to CNN/Money.com, and thereby create more green jobs.
THE PLAN: Here’s a sampling of some specific programs, from a summary on the House Appropriations Committee Web site:
Energy Efficiency Housing Retrofits: $2.5 billion for energy efficiency, including new insulation, windows, and furnaces.
Reliable, Efficient Electricity Grid: $11 billion
Renewable Energy Loan Guarantees: $8 billion for loans for renewable energy power generation and transmission projects.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Research: $2 billion to universities, companies, and national laboratories.
Advanced Battery Loans and Grants: $2 billion for manufacturers of advanced vehicle batteries and battery systems
Home Weatherization: $6.2 billion to help low-income families reduce their energy costs.
Smart Appliances: $300 million to provide consumers with rebates for buying energy efficient Energy Star products to replace old appliances.
GSA Federal Fleet: $600 million to replace older vehicles
Electric Transportation: $200 million for a new grant program to encourage electric vehicle technologies.
Cleaning Fossil Energy: $2.4 billion for carbon capture and sequestration technology demonstration projects to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere from industrial facilities and fossil fuel power plants.
Alternative Buses and Trucks: $400 million to help state and local governments purchase efficient alternative fuel vehicles
Diesel Emissions Reduction: $300 million to state and local governments — includes technologies to retrofit emission exhaust systems on school buses, replace engines and vehicles, and establish anti-idling programs.
Photo credit: EarthFirst.com
