Jan. 19

House Democrats unveiled an $825 billion economic stimulus bill Jan. 15 that includes more than $50 billion for clean energy and energy conservation projects and $6 billion to fund water and wastewater infrastructure improvements.

Democrats said the bill would create and save between 3 million and 4 million jobs, while jumpstarting the economy.

Republicans derided the bill as excessively costly, potentially creating budget deficits for generations.

Democrats want to spend $32 billion transforming the nation´s energy transmission, distribution and production systems by improving the power grid and investing in renewable energy technology.

Their plan would make $16 billion available to repair public housing, including making key energy efficiency retrofits.

House Democrats also want to make $6 billion available to modest-income families to help pay costs for weatherizing their homes.

The plans call for making $2 billion available in loans and grants to companies manufacturing advanced vehicle batteries and battery systems.

Schools, local governments and municipal utilities would be eligible for another $1.5 billion for energy efficiency grants and loans.

And the government wants to encourage consumers to buy new Energy Star appliances by making $300 million available in rebates.

Democrats want to dedicate $2.4 billion for carbon capture and sequestration technology demonstration projects.

Their package also calls for a $6 billion investment in the nation´s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which makes funds available to local communities for upgrading their water and wastewater infrastructure.

Funding would also be dedicated to: replacing older government owned vehicles with alternative fuel automobiles; industrial energy efficiency demonstration projects; diesel emissions reduction projects, and development of electric transportation vehicle technologies.

The full text of the 258-page bill is available online at http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/RecoveryBill01-15-09.pdf.

Contact Waste & Recycling News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at 330-865-6172 or bgeiselman@crain.com