If you’re wondering where all the money in the stimulus package actually went, here’s an great example of an investment that will certainly have a positive return for the country.
$3.2 billion was just made available in block grants for energy efficiency projects to local and state governments, as announced by Vice President Biden and Energy Secretary Chu last week. Eligible projects include “energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings; the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections; and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements.”
Energy efficiency is probably the least flashy way to reduce the carbon emissions associated with energy usage, but also the most politically neutral. Using energy more efficiently saves money, prevents building new power plants, and creates jobs in retrofitting and weatherization. And it doesn’t require building new infrastructure or subsidizing new technology, just a change in behavior and focus. So it’s unsurprising that energy efficiency grants are among the first of the money to come out of Washington from the stimulus package that promised an energy revolution, and soon.
Perhaps the best news of all, however, is that grant recipients will be held accountable for the number of jobs actually created, renewable energy supported, and greenhouse gas emissions reduced. With the kind of cash floating around that the stimulus package has made available, it’s absolutely imperative that recipients realize that taxpayer money is not to be wasted. From our perspective, we can only hope that the efficiency projects that emerge from this grant influx will raise awareness that reducing your carbon footprint can be both easy and profitable.
Posted on April 1st, 2009
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