Washington,
DC - Both the U.S.
House of Representatives and Senate passed an economic recovery package
containing $78.6 billion in clean energy, energy efficiency, and green
transportation funding.
“The
American public overwhelmingly supports a clean energy future. By passing this bill, Congress is
delivering on President Obama’s promise to make clean energy a cornerstone of
our economic recovery,” said Environment Virginia Advocate J.R. Tolbert.
The final
bill invests $32.80 billion in clean energy, $26.86 billion in energy
efficiency, and $18.95 billion in green transportation. Environment Virginia highlighted the
following provisions:
- Extending and “recession proofing”
the renewable energy incentives, which will prevent 55.8 million tons of
global warming pollution per year by the end of the three year extension
and create or protect 254,000 jobs in the near term;
- Creating a renewable energy
manufacturing tax credit;
- Fully funding the Green Jobs Act
at $500 million over 2 years which will train 70,000 workers in renewable
energy and energy efficiency jobs;
- Investing $4.5 billion to upgrade
our electricity transmission system to better take advantage of renewable
energy and improve efficiency;
- Providing $5 billion for the
Weatherization Assistance Program, enough to prevent 9.7 million tons of
global warming pollution and create 375,000 jobs;
- Providing $4.5 billion in green
building funding to improve energy efficiency of the federal government,
the nation’s biggest energy user;
- Funding the State Energy Program
at $3.1 billion to help citizens and businesses save energy;
- Providing $3.2 billion in block
grants for local government energy efficiency and renewable energy
projects;
- Providing $8.4 billion in public
transit, which will save 10.3 million barrels of oil and create or
preserve 252,000 jobs, with $1.5 billion set aside for expanding capacity
and upgrades to existing transit systems;
- Investing $8 billion for new high
speed rail projects.
Environment Virginia commended the House and Senate leaders
who removed billions of dollars in loan guarantees from the final bill that
could have been used for nuclear power and liquid coal.
“The clean
energy investments we need to protect our environment and start solving global
warming will create more jobs and stimulate the economy more than the dirty
technologies of the past. We applaud President Obama and Congress for their
work on a recovery package that will put America on a path to a clean energy
economy,” concluded Tolbert.
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Environment
Virginia is a statewide citizen-based environmental advocacy organization
protecting clean air, clean water, and open spaces.
