NEWS ARTICLE
March 9, 2009
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During both the election campaign and his pre-inauguration days, President Obama has promoted the creation of green jobs, renewable energy and energy efficiency as a prominent part of his platform. While Mr. Obama has been inaugurated as the President of the United States, the details of his stimulus package have only recently become available to the extent that they are reflected in the House of Representatives bill, entitled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The primary goals of the $825 billion stimulus are creating jobs and providing stability to our financial markets. To do so, the bill provides funding for dozens of programs, from grants to expand broadband wireless services to capital funding for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, significant portions of the funding will be allocated to local governments and to states, with the intention that the states will allocate it to localities or toward local projects. Despite the broad range of programs funded in the stimulus, one theme is seen again and again – sustainability. This article will provide an overview of the funding proposed in the House stimulus package that will promote local sustainability initiatives in New Jersey.
The effort to create and save jobs is, in part, being done in cooperation with the effort to “green” the existing buildings in this country. This is important for two reasons: first, the construction industry has the Nation’s highest unemployment rate by sector and two, existing buildings are critical to reducing the nation’s carbon footprint since they account for nearly 40% of the nation’s energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
The following five programs will address the issue of greening existing buildings and will create or save jobs in the construction industry:
• $1 billion in grants to institutions of public education, local governments, municipal utilities and higher education to identify, design and implement sustainable energy infrastructure projects and energy efficiency projects;
• $3.5 billion in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants to assist states and local governments. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, building energy audits, developing/implementing programs to conserve energy used in transportation and developing, implementing and installing onsite renewable energy technology on or in government buildings;
• $500 million to institutions of public education, local governments, municipal utilities and higher education for grants for energy efficiency innovative technologies projects and loans to institutions of public education, local governments, municipal utilities and higher education for designing and implementing sustainable energy infrastructure projects;
• $14 billion to states for school modernization, renovation and repair. Allowable projects include those to improve energy efficiency, among others; and
• $6.2 billion to the states’ Weatherization Assistance Program to assist low income families weatherize homes and therefore reduce energy costs.
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