Senators approved the stimulus bill late last night.(AP)
The Senate's compromise version of President Obama's economic stimulus package, approved Friday night, includes $11 billion for public transit . But as the House and Senate negotiate on the compromise bill that Obama will sign, the automobile continues to come out on top.
According to the Associated Press, both the House and the Senate versions dedicate more than twice as much funding to automobile infrastructure as they do to mass transit.
The Senate version includes:
• $46 billion for transportation projects, of which
• $11.5 billion goes to buses and trains, while
• $27 billion will fund highway and bridge construction and repair projects.
The House version:
• $47 billion for transportation,
• $12 billion for buses and trains,
• $27 billion for highway construction and repair.
Senators added $11 billion in the form of aid for interest payments on most auto loans and a sales tax deduction on cars. The House version includes no such provision.
Senators also adopted an amendment offered by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to enhance the Investment Tax Credit for battery-operated vehicles to encourage manufacturing investment in the technology, according to the Senatus blog.
The two chambers have to work out their differences on incentives for the energy sector as well, but both have answered Obama's call, at least in part, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. According to the Associated Press:
Senate: About $40 billion for energy programs, focused chiefly on efficiency and renewable energy, including $2.9 billion to weatherize modest-income homes; $6.4 billion to clean up nuclear weapons production sites; $11 billion toward a "smart electricity grid" to reduce waste; $8.5 billion to subsidize loans for renewable energy projects; and $2 billion for advanced battery systems.
The Senate also included $4.6 billion for fossil fuel research and development.
House: $28.4 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, including $6.2 billion to weatherize homes; $11 billion to fund the "smart electricity grid."
Both the House and Senate approved $13 billion to extend tax credits for renewable energy production and both approved a home energy credit. It authorizes $4.3 billion to provide an expanded credit to homeowners who make their homes more energy-efficient in 2009 and 2010. Homeowners could recoup 30 percent of the cost up to $1,500 of numerous projects, such as installing energy-efficient windows, doors, furnaces and air conditioners.
Before the House and Senate began editing it, Obama's original stimulus package was estimated to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 61 million tons per year, the equivalent of the emissions from 7.9 million American homes or 13 million cars, according to an analysis commissioned by Greenpeace.
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Comments
I want to be infrastructure instead of the sap who pays for for someone's commute that he/she chose freely in the first place. I you decide to live 120 miles from your workplace, why should I, who decided on a closer-to-work location (at lower pay) subsidize your commute. I honestly don't get it.
That's a good point, John. The aim of the stimulus package is to put people back to work, whether they work on roads, bridges, trains or buses, but the president wants the money to be spent so that it also, simultaneously, frees us from dependence on foreign oil.
We need to utilize everything in out power to reduce our dependence on foreign oil including using our own natural resources.OPEC will continue to cut production until they achieve their desired 80-100. per barrel. The high cost of fuel this past year seriously damaged our economy and society. Oil is finite. We are using oil globally at the rate of 2X faster than new oil is being discovered. We need to take some of these billions in bail out bucks and bail ourselves out of our dependence on foreign oil. Jeff Wilson has an eye opening new book out called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now. He explores our uses of oil besides gasoline, our depletion, out reserves and stores as well as viable options to replace oil and the pros and cons of each. Oil is finite, it will run out in the not too distant future. WE need to take some of these billions in bail out bucks and bail America out of it's dependence on foreign oil. The historic high price of gas this past year did serious damage to our economy and society. WE should never allow others to have that much power over our economy again. I wish every member of congress would read this book too. www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com There could be no better investment in America than to invest in America becoming energy independent. Create cheap clean energy, millions of badly needed new green collar jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil all in one fell swoop! America needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Energy Independence is a huge investment in America, it's people, and all future generations. It is not just a quick bandaid fix. We need to look at the big picture here.
Thank you for that impassioned post, Sherry.
The answer is Nukes! -- build Now, build even better ones later -- Let's get energy independent the intelligent way!
We have dozens of "shovel ready" sites for new nukes -- i.e. the sites that were already permitted for 2nd 3rd or even 4th units that were canceled when Jimmy chickened-out on 3 Mile Island
Westy
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