The Recovery Act Blog

  • Recovery in Action: 100 Days In

    Posted by Jesse Lee on May 27, 2009 at 4:51 PM EDT

    It’s been 100 days since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed, and even as much of its benefit will be felt through projects and ripple effects yet to come, the impact is already real. This morning, the White House released "100 Days, 100 Projects," a report showing a snapshot of some of the projects funded by the Recovery Act, including new jobs in emerging sectors like renewable energy, and holding on to jobs in critical areas like law enforcement and education.
    While the report this morning highlighted some of the best from the past 100 days, even looking at the past week gives an idea of what is happening all over the country.
    Alabama, The Decatur Daily, 5/27/09:
    "One of Hartselle's busiest roadways should have a smoother driving surface by year's end.  A unanimous City Council approved contracts that will allow the Alabama Department of Transportation to engineer and construct the Sparkman Street resurfacing project.  ‘It's always good when we can pave streets,’ Council President Kenny Thompson said at Tuesday's meeting.  The contracts will allow the state to resurface Sparkman Street from the north end at U.S. 31 to Hayes Street and then to the south end at U.S. 31… The council is using federal stimulus money to fund the project."
    California, The Appeal-Democrat, 5/20/09:
    "Stimulus funds will pay for 200 jobs for young people in Yuba County, California. Mid-Valley shops, restaurants, nonprofits and government agencies will employ hun­dreds of young people this summer – and pay them with federal stimulus dollars. The funding is part of a $1.2 billion program approved by Congress in February to provide short-term work training and employment for disadvantaged 14- to 24-year-olds. Sheila Moore, a Yuba County One Stop training and employment counselor, said the $465,000 share allocated for Yuba County will pay minimum wage salaries for up to 200 youth jobs, as well as transportation vouchers and other work-related expenses. ‘They really got the dollars down to us fast,’ Yuba County One Stop Director Patti Clary said of the $465,000."
    Illinois, The Southern, 5/26/09:
    "Southern Illinois University Carbondale has received $16,694 in funding for student and/or teacher training from the National Institutes of Health. The grant, announced Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will create research experiences over the next two summers for high school and college students and science teachers at NIH-funded laboratories across the country. ‘This is an example of Recovery Act funds creating jobs,’ Costello said. He noted that by supporting jobs in the fields of education and science, the funding also provides additional benefits that will result from the training."
    Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio, 5/26/09:
    "Federal stimulus money will help upgrade the lock and dam on the Mississippi River near Red Wing, creating about 500 jobs for two years, according to officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps has received $70 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and plans to use the funds to renovate the 70-year-old facility, according to Tom Crump, Chief of Project Management at the Corps' St. Paul District office."
    Tennessee, The Tennessean, 5/27/09:
    "Tennessee's plan to spend $635 million in stimulus money to plug holes in higher education and grade-school budgets has been approved by federal officials, a formality that will likely save hundreds of jobs. The pressure of potential job losses lessened once President Barack Obama announced details about stimulus money, but Tennessee's plans on how to spend the cash influx had to be approved before the deal was finalized. The state also will be eligible for an additional $313 million in funds this fall.  ‘These funds will help Tennessee tremendously in a time of very difficult and challenging budgets,’ Gov. Phil Bredesen said in a statement last week."

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  • Green Jobs and a New Foundation; Empleos Verdes y Una Nueva Base Económica

    Posted by Secretary Hilda Solis on May 27, 2009 at 3:27 PM EDT

    With the President in Nevada talking about clean energy, Green Jobs, and the Recovery Act, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis talks about all of that from her perspective -- in English and Spanish:
    [Update - Also read it in Chinese (pdf)!]
    As the Secretary of Labor, I believe investing in our nation’s clean energy future will not only secure America’s energy supply and promote economic stability, but also advance all of our communities.
    Investments in the green economy can revitalize old industries, create new industries and generate new jobs for our workforce. These are jobs that will stay in the United States and cannot be outsourced. They will help pave a pathway out of poverty; strengthen urban and rural communities. Through these jobs we can export products - not paychecks. And these jobs will help rebuild a strong middle class and protect the health of our citizens and planet.
    In the past several months, I had the opportunity to visit workers who are receiving training and acquiring new skills for green jobs. In places like the Community College of Allegheny County in Pennsylvania and the East Los Angeles Skill Center, underserved adults are being trained for green jobs like the ones the Recovery Act is creating. These jobs range from the manufacturing of advanced batteries and wind turbines to the installation of solar panels and skills to conduct energy audits.
    The Labor Department officially announced plans to release $500 million from the Recovery Act for grants to prepare workers for careers like these. These funds will help both dislocated and incumbent workers, at-risk youth and underserved communities. $50 million of that money will assist communities affected by auto industry restructuring. The competition for grant money is anticipated to begin in June 2009.
    Through these grants and the partnerships I have entered into with the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Energy and Education, we are working to rebuild our economy in a more equitable manner, one that is inclusive of all Americans regardless of socio-economic background or gender. Together we can help individuals enter career pathways leading to economic self-sufficiency. The new foundation green jobs can provide long-term security for the economy as a whole, and bring security to a family to help pay their mortgage, get their children health care, and put food on their table.
    In these tough economic times, there are those that argue that we can’t afford to focus on the environment. But if we work to create a new clean energy economy, we can both make our planet cleaner, and provide good stable work for all Americans.
     
    ******
    Como la Secretaria de Trabajo, creo que al invertir en una economía basada en la energía limpia no solamente aseguramos nuestro futuro en materia de energía, sino nuestro progreso económico y, al mismo tiempo, creamos oportunidades para todas nuestras comunidades.
    Inversiones en una economía verde pueden crear nuevas industrias y nuevos trabajos. Estos trabajos no pueden ser exportados. Estos trabajos pueden ayudar a revitalizar nuestras comunidades y a crear oportunidades para personas pobres. Mediante estos trabajos podemos exportar productos y no los salarios de nuestros trabajadores. Estos trabajos pueden crear una clase media más grande y proteger la salud de nuestros ciudadanos y nuestro planeta.
    En los últimos meses, he tenido la oportunidad de visitar trabajadores que están recibiendo entrenamiento y se están preparando para aprovechar estos nuevos empleos verdes. Ejemplos son el Community College del condado de Allegheny en Pensilvania y el centro de capacitación (Skill Center) en el este de Los Ángeles, donde adultos están siendo entrenados para los trabajos verdes que serán creados por la Ley de Recuperación y Reinversión. Estos trabajos incluyen la manufactura de baterías y turbinas de viento, instalaciones de paneles solares, y la auditoria del uso de energía.
    El Departamento de Labor anunció oficialmente sus planes de hacer públicos $500 millones de la Ley de Recuperación y Reinversión en forma de becas para preparar a los trabajadores en carreras como estas. Estos fondos ayudarán a trabajadores que han perdido sus empleos, trabajadores nuevos y trabajadores jóvenes. $50 millones serán otorgados a trabajadores afectados por la reestructuración de la industria automotriz. El proceso de licitación para recibir este dinero comenzará en Junio del 2009.
    Mediante estas becas y los acuerdos establecidos con los Departamentos de Energía, Educación, y Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano, estamos trabajado para crear una economía mas equitativa que incluya a todas las personas sin importar su antecedente económico y social o su sexo. Juntos podemos asistir a los trabajadores y ponerlos en camino hacia un futuro más prospero. Los empleos verdes pueden sentar una nueva base para nuestra economía y darles la seguridad económica a las familias para pagar sus hipotecas, pagar el seguro médico de sus hijos y alimentar a sus familias.
    En estos tiempos de crisis hay individuos que dicen que no podemos invertir en el medio ambiente. Pero si creamos una economía basada en la energía limpia, podemos limpiar nuestro medioambiente y al mismo tiempo crear nuevos y buenos trabajos para todos.

    (DOL Photo/Shawn Moore)

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  • 100 Days, 100 Projects

    Posted by Ed DeSeve on May 27, 2009 at 12:10 PM EDT

    Ed DeSeve, Coordinator of Recovery Implementation, tells us about a new report:
    It seems like a long time since President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on February 17. In fact, it’s only been 100 days. In that time, we’ve obligated over 100 billion dollars, created more than 150,000 jobs and started important projects in every state and territory of America. Today, President Obama released a snapshot of these projects called "100 Days, 100 Projects."
    As we worked to compile the Report, all of us were struck by the very personal stories that we came across. We learned that Recovery is about more than just projects. It’s about helping people who have been hit hard by the worst recession of our lifetimes. It’s about people like Joe Jamiel who was able to keep his family’s shoe store open in Rhode Island with an SBA loan; or Chang Suhn Lee and his wife Soon Oak who will be expanding their small farm in Virginia; or the more than 54 million Americans who got an extra $250 in their Social Security checks this month to help make ends meet.
    Recovery means that a health care clinic in Pearl, Mississippi can serve an additional 9,000 patients over the next two years and the Housing Authority of Laredo Texas will install $1,500,000 of green improvements to lower costs and improve people’s homes. In Allen Parish Louisiana, there will be four new fire trucks and in the State of Maine a new ferry to serve the people on islands in Penobscot Bay.
    As we move forward during the next 100 days and beyond, we are creating a road map that we will present soon to highlight the commitments and milestones ahead. Starting in October, the Recovery.Gov website will provide detailed information on how monies were spent, an estimate of how many jobs were created, and where these jobs are. 
    As Vice President Joe Biden said, "We’ve done a lot in 100 days. But we know there is still much to do... You know, as we do, that the road to full recovery will be long and not always smooth. But we also know that, working together, there is no doubt that we will reach the end of that road. When we do, America will be better and stronger than ever."

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  • Blogging to the Middle

    Posted by Jared Bernstein on May 27, 2009 at 9:49 AM EDT

    Jared Bernstein, the Executive Director of the Middle Class Task Force and the Vice President's Chief Economist, puts recent events on clean energy and the economy into perspective:
    Hey, taskforce fans. We’re just back from Denver where we hosted our fourth meeting. It was on the green economy and the opportunities therein for middle-class folks. VP Biden was joined by all kinds of interesting partners from our world, including Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis; Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan; Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack; Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Poneman; United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk; and Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Van Jones.
    Once again, the Vice-President hosted a town-hall style meeting because that’s the best way for him and the rest of this crew to learn what middle-class families are going through right now, and how these issues resonate with them (read the Vice President’s opening remarks).
    Vice President Biden at a meeting of the Middle Class Task Force
    (Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a middle class task force even at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature in Denver, Colorado, Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
    Those who’ve been with us from the beginning will notice that this is our second taskforce meeting on this topic of green jobs. This is no accident: our emphasis on green energy occurs at the intersection of two of the Obama Administration’s most important policy initiatives: protecting the environment and creating good jobs.
    On the first point—fighting back against global warming—this past week has been a good one. On Tuesday the President hosted an historic event where stakeholders who have been at odds for years on this stuff came together to support a much higher mileage standard for vehicles. (BTW, IMHO one of President Obama’s more important skills is the ability to take folks who traditionally line up on opposite sides and bring them together—you see it in health care too.) 
    The administration’s plan to promote clean energy use also made some headway in Congress last week.
    Then there’s green jobs, which we define broadly (and loosely—there is no official definition) as jobs that help to improve the environment in some way. That includes blue collar workers building out the smart grid to efficiently move the wind power (green, renewable energy) across the land. It includes "weatherizers" who can diagnose and repair the energy inefficiencies in your house or business. And it includes the green manufacturers who made those wind turbines or the scientists and lab technicians who developed those renewable energy sources and weatherization materials.
    It’s important to see the connection between these various initiatives: our clean energy agenda, mileage standards, and green jobs. By setting higher mileage standards and by promoting incentives to use clean energy (while reducing our dependence on foreign oil), we create new demand for the science, techniques, products, and tools to meet the standards. We help to grow the market for more efficient engines and new production techniques that reduce carbon emissions. And a growing market means more jobs for middle-class families.
    Now, with new markets come new labor demands, and new demand requires new supply. In this case, we’ll need more workers with the skills to meet the demands, and that’s a big focus of our Denver meeting. We’re announcing a great, new green jobs training program funded by $500 million from the Recovery Act.
    So, go green, and go taskforce!
    Vice President Biden at a meeting of the Middle Class Task Force(Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a middle class task force even at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature in Denver, Colorado, Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

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  • White House Enviro Council Accepts Biden Challenge: Help Retrofit America

    Posted by Van Jones on May 26, 2009 at 5:49 PM EDT

    We asked Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, to explain the significance of today’s meeting of the Middle Class Task Force.
    To rebuild and strengthen the middle class, Vice President Joe Biden wants Americans earning more money in enterprises that upgrade America’s buildings, increase their efficiency, save money, and at the same time, help to improve our environment.
    A smart plan will ultimately save Americans billions of dollars in energy costs, while creating jobs and reducing the strain on our nation’s power grid. Reducing the load on our coal-fired power plants would, in turn, cut air pollution - letting our kids and seniors breathe a little easier.
    At the same time, retrofitting American homes will also enhance their value - since energy efficient homes are more valuable than drafty ones. In other words, an aggressive program to retrofit America will create more work, more wealth, and better health for middle class Americans.
    That is why today Vice President Biden asked the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to help the administration develop long-term, innovative proposals to begin weatherizing and retrofitting our nation’s building stock.
    Fortunately, the Obama-Biden administration is already off to a great start! Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the administration made a significant investment in making America’s homes more energy efficient, dramatically increasing previous funding levels for weatherization and retrofit of buildings. 
    For example, the Weatherization Assistance Program was funded at only around $250 million in 2008. The Recovery Act boosted funding to $5 billion. That translates to jobs for professionally trained crews using computerized energy audits and advanced equipment to determine the most cost-effective measures. To meet this demand for workers, there will have to be a huge ramp-up in training workers. That's why the Recovery Act also includes $500 million for green job training through the Department of Labor.
    Moving beyond those who are presently benefiting, the Obama-Biden administration wants to find ways to extend energy efficiency to the entire middle class. On average, a complete weatherization reduces a household’s annual gas heating consumption by 32 percent; that translates to an average of $350/ year, at current prices. Retrofitting and upgrading buildings so they waste less energy benefits the middle class in numerous ways: job creation; entrepreneurial and business opportunities; a healthier environment; and reduced home energy costs.
    We don’t want the national drive to cut America’s home energy bills to come to an end when the Recovery Act funding is spent. So, over the next 90 days, we will review proposals that build on the foundation laid in ARRA to expand green opportunity and energy savings for the middle class. We at CEQ are happy to accept the challenge!

  • Middle Class Task Force: Returning to the Scene of the Green

    Posted by Jesse Lee on May 22, 2009 at 2:44 PM EDT

    Next week on May 26th the Middle Class Task Force will hold its fourth official meeting entitled "Building a Strong Middle Class through a Green Economy." The town hall style meeting will be held at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science where the President signed the Recovery Act and kicked off a new wave of green jobs across the country.
    The first meeting of the Task Force was also on this topic -- held in Philadelphia it explored the vision and possibilities of green jobs.  This meeting will start looking at how those possibilities are becoming reality, and how the full potential of that vision be reached. The impressive roster of attendees will include Vice President Biden (Chair of Task Force), Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, and Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

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