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Assessing the Federal Stimulus Package

Posted: February 16, 2009 at 09:28 AM CST

Last Friday the much-discussed federal stimulus package passed through Congress. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs this weekend said that the bill will be signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday in Denver.

The $787 billion bill, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, has been the source of much debate over the past weeks and months. Its assessment and impact will likely take much longer.

While I haven’t been able to sift through the bill’s 1,000-plus pages, I do expect EthanolProducer.com to have some updates on the ethanol industry related items soon. The energy related items are available in the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy portion of the bill at this link: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi bin/query/F?c111:16:./temp/~c11185hZGN:e121103:

It includes money for the Weatherization Assistance Program, modernizing the electricity grid, fossil energy research and development, an innovative technology loan guarantee program, leading edge biofuels projects and renewable energy tax credits. The energy section also provides funding for a long-term expansion and modification of renewable energy production tax credit, clean renewable energy bonds, qualified energy conservation bonds, tax credits for alternative refueling property and a plug-in electric drive vehicle credit.

The sheer volume of information is staggering, making one wonder if any Representative or Senator had time to read much of the bill past the table of contents. The impact of the bill on the economy, much less the ethanol industry, will only be seen over time. Here’s to hoping for the best.

-Dave Nilles