Congress Takes First Step on the Road to a New Clean Energy Economy
House-passed economic recovery bill includes
$80 billion in clean energy and green transportation projects
Chicago, IL – The U.S. House of Representatives seized an
opportunity to repower America and rebuild the economy by making bold
investments in clean energy and energy efficiency through the economic
recovery bill, which passed 244 to 188 this evening, according to
Environment Illinois.
“With this economic recovery package, Congress took the first step down
the road to a new clean energy economy for America,” said Environment
Illinois Program Director Max Muller. “This bill will deliver more
secure energy in the long term; less global warming pollution; fewer
asthma attacks from air pollution; more clean lakes and rivers for
drinking water, swimming and fishing, and more good jobs right here at
home.”
The “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” includes at least $37.9
billion for energy efficiency, $27.8 billion for renewable energy and
$14.6 billion for public transit and clean transportation, for a total
of $80 billion in clean energy funding. Environment Illinois applauded
members of Congress who voted for the package and for capturing an
enormous opportunity to prevent pollution, save oil, and create more
jobs by adopting an amendment by Representative Nadler (D-NY) to
increase public transit funding by $3 billion.
America’s transportation sector is responsible for one third of the
nation’s global warming pollution and 60 percent of oil consumption.
Funding for public transit, which creates one third less pollution than
comparable passenger car travel, yields 19 percent more jobs per dollar
than building new highways. With the Nadler amendment, the bill
includes $13 billion for transit capital funds, more efficient buses,
and pressing transit improvements that would save more than 12 million
barrels of oil per year and generate at least 521,000 jobs.
The bill dramatically expands federal funding for state- and
city-directed weatherization programs. According to Environment
Illinois’s analysis of the bill’s provisions on energy efficiency, the
$6.2 billion investment in the Weatherization Assistance Program will
reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 12 million tons, create 465,000 new
jobs over two years and meet President Obama’s goal of weatherizing two
million homes.
In addition to extending clean energy tax credits for three years, the
bill makes an adjustment to the renewable energy production tax credits
that Environment Illinois estimates will create or sustain 254,000
quality jobs such as in engineering, installation, construction and
maintenance. The bill allows new or struggling renewable energy
companies with no profit or tax liability to apply to the Department of
Energy for grants in place of the tax credits they can not use. “By
extending the clean energy tax credits and making them recession proof,
Congress is helping keep an industry that prevented 79 million tons of
global warming pollution in 2007 on track,” said Muller.
“Through the clean energy and green infrastructure investments in this
economic recovery package, we can make a down payment on solving global
warming while delivering the economic boost we need,” said Muller. “We
applaud Congress for passing a green recovery package and urge the
Senate to keep it clean for a greener, safer, stronger America.”
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Environment Illinois is a
citizen-based, non-profit, non-partisan environmental advocacy
organization with over 20,000 members statewide. For more information
visit www.EnvironmentIllinois.org.
