Good news for the environment as the American House of Representatives passed an $819 billion economic stimulus plan. Much of the investment is targeted at increased energy efficiency, investing in green jobs and moving the US toward a low-carbon economy.
Obama wanted it to be a bi-partisan vote but no Republican voted yes in the 244 to 188 result. Now it goes to the Senate where at least two Republicans and all the Democrats have to vote yes for it to pass.
President Obama said, "I hope that we can continue to strengthen this plan before it gets to my desk," and "We must move swiftly and boldly to put Americans back to work, and that is exactly what this plan begins to do."
Not only will it do that, but it should also do wonders for the environment. The plan includes a $32 billion investment in the energy sector to modernize the US electrical grid, making it more efficient and adaptable to using renewable energy sources. This should enable further rapid growth in the solar, wind, ocean and energy storage industries, potentially displacing fossil-fuel greenhouse intensive energy generation.
A $16billion investment in public housing, targeted at repairs and increasing energy efficiency, which is a very effective way to reduce the need for electrical energy generation. In fact, every Megawatt of energy saved actually means that 1.3 Megawatts of energy does not have to be generated, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The $6billion to weatherize low-income homes will also go toward reducing energy demand and saving money for citizens.
The $31billion federal buildings and public infrastructure development will also lead to improved efficiency and lower demand for energy and fossil fuels.
Cleaning up the environment and providing clean water, flood control, and other environmental investments has a $19billion appropriation. The $10billion investment in transportation infrastructure, for public transit and rail will lead to significant savings in greenhouse gas emissions, provided people learn to leave their gas-guzzlers at home and take public transport.
This is an investment plan that goes a long way to fulfilling President Obama’s pre-election promises. It is a highly commendable and profoundly visionary proposal that will undo much of the Bush administration’s mismanagement of the environment and put America back in the forefront of leading edge green technology.
With the prospect of improved vehicle consumption standards, investment in the electrification of transportation, smart grids and renewable energy, the US could see its greenhouse gas emissions actually falling over the next few years. As the benefits of this green investment become evident in the economy, with a rapid growth in green jobs, an expanding green technology sector and a reduction in pollution levels, hopefully we will have reason to continue to praise President Obama for fulfilling his promises and for his commitment to the environment.
Trevor Williams is a University of Victoria Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate specialising in renewable energy, power grid modelling and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. He has a bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering, a Masters in Management Science and over 23 years international experience in the space industry, having worked on Earth observation and telecommunications satellites. He is the author of the blog EcoGeek.
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