January 28th, 2009
How green is the stimulus?
The U.S. House of Representatives has just passed the Obama Admin’s requested economic stimulus plan. Now the hard part for Obama’s team, getting something through the Senate where the Democrats do not have the votes to block a filibuster. It’s crucial to note that not a single House republican voted for this bill, signalling how tough the battle will be in the Senate. And the Senate is now working on its own, more expensive version. That’s more expensive than the $819 billion the House just approved.How Green?
There’ll be some money for mass transit–$12 billion nationally. The money would be funnelled through the states. That’s slightly less than many large banks have already been given. Less than what we taxpayers have already provided to General Motors. About a month’s worth of Iraq occupation costs. Shows how important daily commuters are.
There’ll be some money for alternative energy and energy conservation. That would be tax credits for weatherization of homes. Some of the capital expenditure money would go to fix aged plumbing in the country’s water systems where we leak away enormous amounts of water every year.
Next week the U.S. Geological Survey is coming out with a comprehensive report on how to manage America’s fresh water in the face of climate change. Their release says, “Water managers can use this report to support their efforts to provide water to communities and farms, generate power for cities, sustain ecological systems, or protect lives and homes from floods – all critical to the public’s health, safety, and quality of life.”
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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