Katie Allen
Ms. Cook
Writing 122
3 March, 2009
Green Economics and the Stimulus Plan

The American Recovery and Reinvestment act that President Obama signed into law last month was designed to increase employment, ensure the sustainability of the country’s infrastructure and energy sources, and put money back into America’s economy following the crushing impact of the recession. Barack Obama has pledged a total of $787 billion towards reaching these goals, $7.22 billion of which will be put towards projects and programs overseen by the EPA (environmental protection agency).
The Stimulus Plan is expected to generate 3.5 million jobs overall, with $500 million going to help train workers for environmentally friendly, or “green collar” jobs (Greenblatt, A). These employment opportunities will help train new workers to make renovations to our buildings (weatherization to help cut energy costs); renovations to the automobile industry (research into hybrid and electric cars); and renovations to the public transit system (improving it so that more people will utilize it instead of driving). Taking these steps will increase the likelihood of future generations of Americans adopting and sticking to more sustainable forms of energy production and transport, and will result in fresher air and a cleaner water supply. All in all, it is expected that making green choices now will mean a healthier and more prosperous future for the country, a future in which we are a great deal more energy and economically independent than we are today.
One of the areas hit hardest by the recession has been the construction industry. Construction virtually halted in December of 2007, resulting in a devastating loss of jobs. As of right now, an estimated 10.8% of our country’s construction workers are unemployed. My own mother and stepfather have been negatively affected by the lack of building going on: They had to relocate to Wisconsin in September because my stepfather (who is a general contractor) could not find work, resulting in the family not being able to afford to stay in their Oregon home.
One of the first things that this package aims to do is create construction jobs. The Clean Energy Corps, along with more than 80 labor, environmental, and civic national organizations are supporting a proposal that would apply energy efficient improvements to over 15 million buildings (Morley, J). This would mean that there would immediately be an increase employment in the construction sector, which is an obvious benefit to the nation’s economy (seeing as how people generally can only put money back into the economy when they are earning money themselves). This move would also help address the energy crisis: by adding insulation and replacing inefficient appliances, the owners of the improved buildings would see a marked decrease in energy costs. The best thing about this proposal is that it can be instated immediately.
Much of the “green” section of Obama’s Stimulus plan is driven by a sense of urgency. Obama says that there will be a division of funds that supports giving the most money to plans and programs that can go into effect soonest, and will allow states to have a say in how the funds are invested. The EPA’s inspector general is responsible for the oversight and review of the money, but a basic breakdown of the funds proposed looks something like this: $5 billion will go towards the weatherization of homes and buildings; $300 million will support rebates for buying energy efficient cars and appliances, thus encouraging people to buy green, $6 billion will be invested in improving water quality; $100 million will be spent on grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial and commercial sites called “brownfields”; $300 million will pay for a diesel reduction plan; $200 million will clean up petroleum leaks; and $600 million will go towards finding a solution for the hazardous waste management problem.
These fundings are of course intended to be beneficial. By pouring money into programs that support the creation of jobs which in turn support a healthy environment, future generations are being set up to inherit a greener world, which most will agree is an excellent prospect. There has, however, been much debate as to weather we are wise to invest so much money in programs that we have not previously tested. Analysts say that government spending only diverts money from the private sector through taxation, and argue that as a nation already in so much debt, we have no business investing in things such as green job creation. Still others will say that Obama’s plan is not green enough, citing accusations that many of the jobs created by the plan are not, in fact, as environmentally friendly as they seem. These jobs have been termed “gray” jobs, and include such projects as the $8.5 million reconstruction of a bridge in rural Missouri. These critics allege that construction like this will only encourage more driving, which is not very green at all.
The long and short of it is that there is a massive amount of oversight and accounting for the way funds are being spent that must be taken into consideration. If Obama can appoint someone who is well qualified and who will take seriously this country’s need for a move towards green economics and sustainable jobs, then the stimulus package’s chances of success will be better. Hopefully the higher ups who are in charge would like to achieve this. Conversely, if the oversight is poor, the potential for misspent funds is great.
If Americans want to improve the future, we must act as a whole, and that has been proven a difficult task, since it is true that key decisions will always be made by a powerful few. Hopefully, these powerful few have the right ideas in mind. In the meantime, the best thing the individual can do is keep his or herself in check with regards to the ways in which we live our lives. Cut back on frivolous spending. Try to carpool or use mass transit more often. Recycle. Hopefully the government will follow suit.