This post is by Kyle McEvilly, Intern for the Sierra Club's Energy & Global Warming Team.
With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act officially signed into law last week, the appropriated money will now begin its long-awaited journey to the states. With $40 billion of the funds being directed toward energy, this bill contains high potential for transforming the relationship between communities and their energy usage. The stimulus package affirms that money is to be allocated to weatherization efforts, federal building updates, and other energy efficiency measures.
I recently read an article that discussed a particular case study pertaining to this topic. Tennessee
is one state that has already begun to explore the ways in which it can spend the stimulus money most appropriately. Nashville has formulated plans to invest their share of the cash in updating energy aspects of fire stations, libraries, and several city buildings. Other parts of Tennessee are going to arrange for insulation improvement and light bulb replacement in order to produce more energy efficient buildings. I commend Knoxville for taking the critical initial steps in devising a plan to spend the funding from the federal government.
But what about other states? How have they been preparing for this massive influx of money?
The dollars now rest in the powerful palms of state government officials. But these governmental bodies have a duty to spend that money correctly, in terms of producing green jobs and fostering a clean energy economy. Under economic constraints, it is tempting to pour the funds into the system immediately, but this would ultimately be a "loosey-goosey" application of resources.
In order to gain public trust, state governments across the nation must ensure that the money is spent in the most effective manner possible. Who knows--by ensuring tangible results, the citizens of the United States just may begin to rethink their attitude toward the federal government.
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