As the job creation goal of the Obama team's stimulus package escalates from 2.5 million to 3 million new jobs, and the price tag escalates from $600 billion towards $850 billion or even $1.3 trillion, the first unofficial outline of a breakdown of all that spending, had the daggers and derringers coming out among various interest groups lobbying for a bigger slice of the pie. The informal breakdown released last week gives $200 million for middle class tax cuts, another $200 billion for Medicaid relief and public education costs, and a tentative $350 billion for infrastructure improvements, energy tax credits, food stamps, and Obama's pet project, computerized medical records nationwide. Congressional leaders and the Obama transition team hope to have draft legislation ready when Congress convenes January 6, 2009, with plans to pass legislation for Obama's signature a day or two after his inauguration January 20.
Minnesota Representative James Oberstar breaks out the $350 billion pie slice as including only about $85 billion in hard construction dollars. This piece of the puzzle has produced heated debate over whether "shovel ready" projects, or "clean, green" projects should get funding priority. Oberstar's proposal includes $30.2 billion for highway and bridge construction, $12 billion for local mass transit projects, and $14.3 billion for "environmental infrastructure," which is largely to be devoted to clean water projects. This allocation of the money has the smart power grid lobby fuming, as it leaves nothing for them to use in building transmission facilities to bring wind and solar power from the rural areas where it is generated to urban areas where it will be used.
So it looks like the great depression all over again - funding the TVA or funding the Interstate Highway System. If your company works on power transmission projects, highway and bridge construction, water purification facilities, or local light rail, push out your rain barrel and catch the deluge of falling dollars. If not, send your lobbyist to Washington and see how much cash you can shift over to projects more suited for your area of expertise. Watch this space for more interpretation of the smoke signals as the debate heats up in Washington after the Christmas break.
Minnesota Representative James Oberstar breaks out the $350 billion pie slice as including only about $85 billion in hard construction dollars. This piece of the puzzle has produced heated debate over whether "shovel ready" projects, or "clean, green" projects should get funding priority. Oberstar's proposal includes $30.2 billion for highway and bridge construction, $12 billion for local mass transit projects, and $14.3 billion for "environmental infrastructure," which is largely to be devoted to clean water projects. This allocation of the money has the smart power grid lobby fuming, as it leaves nothing for them to use in building transmission facilities to bring wind and solar power from the rural areas where it is generated to urban areas where it will be used.
So it looks like the great depression all over again - funding the TVA or funding the Interstate Highway System. If your company works on power transmission projects, highway and bridge construction, water purification facilities, or local light rail, push out your rain barrel and catch the deluge of falling dollars. If not, send your lobbyist to Washington and see how much cash you can shift over to projects more suited for your area of expertise. Watch this space for more interpretation of the smoke signals as the debate heats up in Washington after the Christmas break.
0 comments:
Post a Comment