A big green cheer for the stimulus bill

[babylonsister]

A big green cheer for the stimulus bill

Billions to boost energy efficiency and clean up toxins? After eight dark years of Bush, environmentalists can hardly believe their eyes.

By Katharine Mieszkowski


Feb. 14, 2009 | As the economic stimulus bill fights its way out of the Senate to President Barack Obama's desk, it's tough to find a leading environmentalist with a discouraging word to say about the plan. Sure, some had a few quibbles about, for instance, the amount of money designated for public transit versus highways, but overall, the greens see blue skies ahead.

The folks at the Natural Resources Defense Council were positively ebullient about the bill. "Congress really got it right with this economic recovery package that will deliver jobs and green infrastructure to America," crowed Wesley Warren, director of programs for NRDC, in a statement. "We need to put America on a path to a clean-energy economy, and Congress has taken a big step forward in heeding this call."

The stimulus package will invest $37.5 billion in energy. That includes $4.5 billion to boost the energy efficiency of federal buildings; $6.3 billion for energy efficiency and conservation grants; $5 billion to weatherize old buildings, which promises to put idle construction workers back on the job; $2.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable-energy research; $6 billion for new loan guarantees for wind and solar, and the list goes on.

Over at the Sierra Club, the lead lobbyist on the stimulus package, Melinda Pierce, enthused, "It's amazing that so much of the plan for economic recovery is predicated on these green technologies, green energy and green jobs. We are talking about literally billions of dollars that are going to be invested in programs that have suffered for years, including clean-energy programs that were waiting to be launched."

Other key green investments include $6 billion for cleaning up toxins on former military sites and $1.2 billion to fund the Environmental Protection Agency's environmental cleanup programs, including the much neglected Superfund.

more...

http://www.salon.com/env/feature/2009/02/14/economic_stimulus_bill/

[Taverner]

1. I'm with ya there!

This stimulus is the first real Democratic Party Worthy bill I've seen in my lifetime

Looking back in history, nothing this great has been passed since Great Society legislation

[dkf]

2. I'm glad the groups are happy.

Personally, I would have made this the centerpiece of the bill so I'm a little bummed.