Stimulus Package-Here's where your 787 Billion went.

[Curtis]

This link will give you a breakdown on where the $ is being spent, and other things going on in the Senate and Capital Hill.
http://ieeeusa.org/policy/eyeonwashi...09/09eow03.asp

[Curtis]

Re: Stimulus Package - NGVs Eligible for $15 Billion

US Congress Passes Stimulus Package - NGVs Eligible for $15 Billion Written by NGV Global Friday, 20 February 2009 13:15 USA, Washington DC
"Once in a lifetime opportunity" says NGVAmerica.
The US Congress has passed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (HR 1) -- the economic stimulus package at a total cost of $790 billion. The bill includes numerous provisions to try to jumpstart the economy. NGVs are eligible for programs that total more than $15 billion. They include:

• $2.5 billion to DOE’s EERE program for Demonstration, Development and Deployment activities.
• $300 million for the federal government to acquire new alternative fueled vehicles
• $300 million for the DERA program, which includes the Green School Bus Program and a program to replace or repower diesel engines (natural gas engines and vehicles eligible for both programs).
• $300 million for an alternative fuel vehicle pilot grant program that is to be administered through the Clean Cities program.
• $8.4 billion for investments in public transportation to purchase buses (including CNG ones) and to build new infrastructure.
• $3.2 Billion for Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grants

The bill in total contains $311 billion in appropriations, includes: Infrastructure and Science - $120 billion; Health - $14.2 billion; and Education and Training - $105.9 billion. Investments in Energy include:

• $4.5 billion for repair of federal buildings to increase their energy efficiency.
• $6.3 billion for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Grants.
• $5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program.
• $2.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy research (see below).
• $2 billion in grant funding for the manufacturing of advanced batteries.
The tax portion of the stimulus package included an increase in the tax credit for NGV fueling stations. It increased the credit from 30 percent to 50 percent with a $50,000 cap instead of a $30,000 one. However, the bill does not extend the credit expiration date, so the credit is scheduled to expire on 12/31/2010. The bill also provides AMT relief for personal AFVs. Specifically it allows the AFV tax credit for individuals to count against AMT.

In a statement to members, NGVAmerica said this level of funding is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "We can expect that the agencies distributing the money will be eager to hear from you about your projects. We urge you to work with your customers as soon as possible to identify eligible projects. NGVAmerica will be working with the agencies responsible for distributing these funds, and providing you with the required government notices as soon as they become available."
The EPA has already issued an announcement regarding the availability of the DERA funds.
NGVAmerica has prepared a one-page handout that lists the pro-NGV-related provisions in this bill. For a copy of this handout or for more information, contact Paul Kerkhoven This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
IANGV Executive Director, Brett Jarman, congratulated NGVAmerica for their persistent work in keeping NGVs on the agenda of US decision makers, "These are well considered initiatives, partly brought about through the tireless efforts of NGVAmerica in Washington DC and initiatives such as the Pickens Plan, which are making natural gas vehicles front page news in the US."

[OhMyGas]

Re: Stimulous Package-Here's where your 787 Billion went.

NGVAmerica has prepared a one-page handout that lists the pro-NGV-related provisions in this bill. For a copy of this handout or for more information, contact ....

Could you post the handout in this forum please?

[Curtis]

Re: Stimulous Package-Here's where your 787 Billion went.

For those of you that missed this: Watch the video.

View Live Webcast of Forum and
Download "Wired for Progress" Report

Monday, February 23, 2009
Program: 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EST
Click here on the date and time above to watch the live event
Download the whitepaper here:
Wired for Progress: Building a National Clean-Energy Smart Grid

The Center for American Progress Action Fund and John Podesta are hosting a forum entitled “National Clean Energy Project: Building the New Economy" on Monday, February 23, 2009 in Washington, DC. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is Honorary Chair.
The half-day event will bring together a select group of high-level government, business, labor and advocacy group leaders with a focus on developing a plan and key guiding principles to lead the transformation of U.S. energy policy and to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Confirmed attendees include President William Jefferson Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and energy executive T. Boone Pickens among other esteemed participants.
This forum will focus on modernizing and expanding the electricity grid, integrating energy efficiency and distributed generation into operation and regulation, rapidly increasing transmission capacity for renewable energy, and reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil by examining short- and long-term solutions to replace foreign oil with domestic resources to fuel vehicles and trucks, including natural gas.

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[Curtis]

President Obama Calls for Carbon Cap, More Clean Energy Investment

A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The EERE Network News is also available on the Web at: www.eere.energy.gov/news/enn.cfm
February 25, 2009

News and Events

• President Obama Calls for Carbon Cap, More Clean Energy Investment
• DOE to Expedite Disbursement of Funds Received via Stimulus Act
• Northwest Food Processors Aim to Reduce Energy Intensity by 25%
• Interior Department to Develop Plan for Offshore Renewable Energy
• Federal Regulators Allow Transmission Lines Funded by Wind Developers

Energy Connections

• Report Highights Need for Rapid Action to Minimize Climate Change

News and Events

President Obama Calls for Carbon Cap, More Clean Energy Investment

Naming energy as one of the three areas of investment "that are absolutely critical to our economic future," President Barack Obama called last night for a greater investment in clean energy technologies and a cap on carbon emissions. "We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy, yet we import more oil today than ever before," noted the president in his address to Congress. The president noted that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides a key investment that will save or create 3.5 million jobs, including jobs "constructing wind turbines and solar panels ... and expanding mass transit." He also noted that the ARRA will double the U.S. supply of renewable energy in the next three years. Claiming that "the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century," President Obama declared that "it is time for America to lead again."
"We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country," said the president, "and we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient, so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills. But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy. So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. And to support that innovation, we will invest $15 billion a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America."
President Obama also pointed out the example of Greensburg, Kansas, "a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado, but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community—how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay." DOE, by the way, was heavily involved in the effort to rebuild Greensburg using renewable energy and green building principles. See the text of President Obama's address to Congress and the article on DOE's efforts in Greensburg from the May 2, 2008, edition of this newsletter.
DOE to Expedite Disbursement of Funds Received via Stimulus Act

President Barack Obama discussed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with Energy Secretary Steven Chu during a recent visit to DOE.
Credit: DOE
Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced a sweeping restructuring of DOE's processes for issuing direct loans, loan guarantees, and other funds to expedite the disbursement of the DOE funds received via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). DOE will streamline and simplify loan application forms and other paperwork and will begin reviewing applications as they are received, rather than waiting until an application deadline. DOE will also add additional staff and resources to process the applications, allowing the agency to begin offering loan guarantees under the existing DOE Loan Guarantee Program by late April or early May. DOE will begin offering loan guarantees established by the ARRA by early summer and plans to disburse 70% of the ARRA funds by the end of 2010.
DOE is also taking several actions to make the direct loans and loan guarantees more inviting. To reduce the up-front costs of the loans, DOE will offer applicants the opportunity to pay the fees at closing and will also restructure credit subsidies so that they are paid over the life of the loan. DOE will also draw on outside partners to accelerate loan underwriting. To make the whole process work well, the agency will work with industry to attract good projects into the loan guarantee program and will help applicants navigate the application process. While most of the changes are within the Secretary Chu's authority, some will require the approval of Congress, and DOE will work quickly to obtain the necessary statutory changes. DOE will also establish a Web site to increase transparency in both the process and the results. The Obama administration has also established the Recovery.gov Web site to track the overall spending of the ARRA funds. See the DOE press release.

Northwest Food Processors Aim to Reduce Energy Intensity by 25%

DOE and the Northwest Food Processors Association (NWFPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last week that set an industry-wide target of reducing energy intensity by 25% over the next decade. The MOU outlines opportunities for energy efficiency within the food processing industry and at all manufacturing plants in the region. DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory, along with the Northwest Energy Alliance and other regional organizations, will work with the NWFPA to meet the energy intensity goal.

[Curtis]

Re: Stimulous Package-Here's where your 787 Billion went.

DOE expedites recovery funding

In preparation for implementing Recovery Act funding, DOE Secretary Steven Chu has announced a sweeping reorganization of the Department's process of dispersing direct loans, loan guarantees and funding.
“These changes will bring a new urgency to investments that will put Americans back to work, reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, and improve the environment,” Secretary Chu said. “We need to start this work in a matter of months, not years – while insisting on the highest standard of accountability.”
By cutting paperwork, processing applications on a rolling basis and drawing on lessons from the private sector and other agencies, DOE will be in a position to:

• Begin offering loan guarantees under the Department’s loan guarantee program by late April or early May. These offers may still require recipients to secure their own share of the financing – similar to earnest money in a home mortgage – or meet other conditions prior to closing, but DOE will have completed its review.
• Begin offering loan guarantees under the new Recovery Act by early summer. Again, these offers may still require recipients to secure their own share of the financing or meet other conditions prior to closing.
• Disperse 70 percent of the investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by the end of next year.

[Curtis]

Federal stimulus: Pork or real energy policy?

Federal stimulus: Pork or real energy policy?
By Elisa Wood
Courtesy of Real Energy Writers
Originally published Feb. 2009
Two recent gestures by President Obama indicate that he is serious about clean energy and will pursue it differently than any of his predecessors. First, he made history in using his inaugural speech to promote renewable energy – something never done before by a US President, according to Department of Energy’s EERE News Network. Second, on February 5 Obama drilled down to the nitty-gritty of energy efficiency policy. In a presidential memorandum, he called for the DOE to establish higher standards for common household appliances.

“We’ll save through these simple steps over the next thirty years the amount of energy produced over a two-year period by all the coal-fired power plants in America,” he said in remarks at the DOE.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy says the memorandum marks the first time Obama has made efficiency standards a top priority in his domestic energy policy. Obama seeks legal deadlines to set standards, “an important break from his predecessors who fell behind on updates for some 22 standards,” according to ACEEE.

Both of these gestures were important, and indicate he will fulfill – or at least try – his energy campaign promises. But the true test of his ability to revamp US energy policy comes as he tries to sell the $50 billion for energy in the federal stimulus package. Critics are slamming some of the provisions, such as plans to upgrade federal buildings and improve the federal transportation fleet.

“They call it pork,” Obama said. “You know the truth. It will not only save the government significant money over time, it will not only create jobs manufacturing those vehicles, it will set a standard for private industry to match. And so when you hear these attacks deriding something of such obvious importance as this, you have to ask yourself – is it any wonder we haven’t had a real energy policy in this country?”

Obama – and the clean energy industry – clearly have an education effort ahead in a world where pork and fuel efficient vehicles are seen as one in the same.

[Curtis]

Re: This is great

The best way to support these initiatives, and become involved is to join your local Clean Cities Coalition. Help when and where you can. Volunteer to assist with events and activities that they're involved in. You can find a list of coalitions in the Clean Cities forum... a link actually.

Clean Cities is one of the primary funding conduits for alternative fuels projects around the country. The stronger they become, the stronger we become.

[cngacrossusa]

Re: Stimulus Package-Here's where your 787 Billion went.

FYI about Greensburg, KS - - - Honda dealer in Wichita, KS (ie Scholfield Honda) helped town get a Fuelmaker fmq8-36 donated by gas company, and the Honda dealer (Scholfield) donated a Civic GX. No public access to pump, but in a pinch they might be able to help. Also, the Scholfield Honda dealership has a fmq2-36 that they could help in a pinch as well.

Now, just need to add public cng refueling for these 2 cities, and replicate the process (even on a small scale), all across the country at other cities, towns and Honda dealerships.