Senate Cuts Stimulus Funds for Energy-Efficient Federal Buildings

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen so many people lined up and watching Congressional action as closely as they are right now. This is no surprise, of course, since the economic recovery package that’s presently making its way through Congress is far bigger than any other government spending program in history, which means the pool of potential stakeholders includes, well, everyone.

For those of us who have a personal and/or professional interest in the status of energy efficiency, green buildings, etc., what occurred at the close of last week is particularly noteworthy. On Friday, February 7, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate finally reached a compromise on the recovery package. The net result was to trim $110 billion from the total amount; when the Senate started debating the package was $890 billion, while coming out of the Senate the amount was (depending on which reports you read) about $780 billion.

Among the areas affected by the Senate’s cuts is the planned retrofitting of federal buildings for greater energy efficiency, including the installation of new energy efficient heating systems. The Senate version of the recovery bill cuts the amount designated for this project in half, from $7 billion to $3.5 billion.

Obviously, this is a small part of the whole package. But it may be an indication of what we can expect from the federal government in the coming years when it comes to the issue of green buildings and energy efficiency. The commitment to a green energy revolution that Obama articulated in his inaugural speech is still fresh. It remains to be seen how this will translate into concrete action on the part of the federal government as a whole.

For more on what got cut from the recovery package during the Senate debate, see “Stimulus: What got cut” at CNNMoney. Also see Business Week‘s “Deal Struck on Stimulus Bill.”

For a detailed comparison of the way the House and Senate versions of the recovery bill line up, see “Comparison of economic stimulus plans.” Of particular interest is this portion:

ENERGY

• Senate — About $40 billion for energy programs, focused chiefly on efficiency and renewable energy, including $2.9 billion to weatherize modest-income homes; $4.6 billion for fossil fuel research and development; $6.4 billion to clean up nuclear weapons production sites; $11 billion toward a so-called “smart electricity grid” to reduce waste; $8.5 billion to subsidize loans for renewable energy projects; and $2 billion for advanced battery systems.
• House — $28.4 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, including $6.2 billion to weatherize homes; $11 billion to fund a so-called “smart electricity grid” to reduce waste.