Follow the Money: Track Stimulus Spending on Energy, Science, more

by Emily Gertz

Published February 16, 2009 @ 06:11PM PT

With the impending flood of economic stimulus spending on energy, science, transportation and more about to burst forth, it's time to turn our attention to tracking how the money gets spent.

A few resources:

• The White House has put the final text of the legislation online, in five parts.
• ShovelWatch, a joint project of three non-profit news outlets, is asking us to keep an eye on their site for new interactive features that will allow anyone to contribute to the project's investigative reporting on where the federal dollars will be going -- "from bills to buildings."
• And Read the Stimulus, sponsored by The Heritage Foundation, expects to get the bill online soon as well. While I imagine Heritage didn't put this site up intending to help those tracking spending on projects that will help curb global warming, it's been a useful resource during the bill's passage through Congress.

Here are the final spending figures, thanks to the efforts of ProPublica, one of the groups working on ShovelWatch (and check out ProPublica's detailed breakdown of the renewable energy tax credits included in the recovery package): 

Green jobs:

• Job training in the renewable energy field:  $500,000,000

Energy: $41,400,000,000

• Energy efficiency and conservation block grants: $3,200,000,000
• Weatherization Assistance Program (increases maximum income level and maximum assistance): $5,000,000,000
• State energy program: $3,100,000,000
• Advanced batteries manufacturing, including lithium ion batteries, hybrid electrical systems, component manufacturers and software designers: $2,000,000,000
• Modernize electricity grid: $4,400,000,000
• Electricity grid worker training: $100,000,000
• Fossil energy research and development: $3,400,000,000
• Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund: $390,000,000
• Department of Energy science programs: $1,600,000,000
• Advanced Research Projects Agency: $400,000,000
• Innovative technology loan guarantee program: $6,000,000,000
• Western Area Power Administration construction and maintenance: $10,000,000
• Bonneville Power Administration borrowing authority: $3,250,000,000
• Western Area Power Administration borrowing authority: $3,250,000,000
• Leading edge biofuel projects: $500,000,000
• Federal building conversion to "high-performance green buildings": $4,500,000,000
• Energy efficiency federal vehicle fleet procurement: $300,000,000

Science, technology, infrastructure and transportation figures after the jump...

Science and Technology: $13,142,000,000

• Farm Service Agency salaries and expenses to maintain and modernize the information technology system: $50,000,000
• Distance learning, telemedicine and broadband program: $2,500,000,000
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration - broadband technology opportunities program: $4,690,000,000
• National Institute of Standards and Technology scientific and technical research and services: $220,000,000
• National Institute of Standards and Technology construction of research facilities: $360,000,000
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operations, research and facilities: $230,000,000
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration procurement, acquisition and construction: $600,000,000
• NASA science: $400,000,000
• NASA aeronautics: $150,000,000
• NASA exploration: $400,000,000
• NASA cross agency support: $50,000,000
• National Science Foundation research and related activities: $2,500,000,000
• National Science Foundation education and human resources: $100,000,000
• National Science Foundation major research equipment and facilities construction: $400,000,000
• National Science Foundation - Office of Inspector General: $2,000,000
• Veterans Affairs for hiring and training of claims processors: $150,000,000
• Veterans Affairs information technology systems: $50,000,000
• State Department technology security upgrades: $252,000,000
• U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) technology: $38,000,000

Transportation and Enviro/Energy-related Infrastructure:

(This is a subset of the total transportation and infrastructure stimulus spending of $98,325,000,000.)

• Natural Resources Conservation Service watershed and flood prevention programs: $290,000,000
• Watershed rehabilitation program: $50,000,000
• Rural Utilities Service water and waste disposal program account: $1,380,000,000
• Defense Department medical facilities repair and modernization including energy efficiency: $400,000,000
• Corps of Engineers investigations: $25,000,000
• Corps of Engineers construction: $2,000,000,000
• Corps of Engineers - Mississippi River and tributaries: $375,000,000
• Corps of Engineers operations and maintenance: $2,075,000,000
• Corps of Engineers regulatory program: $25,000,000
• Corps of Engineers formerly utilized sites remedial action program: $100,000,000
• Bureau of Reclamation water and related resources, including inspection of canals in urbanized areas: $900,000,000
• Central Utah Project water programs: $50,000,000
• California Bay-Delta restoration: $50,000,000
• Non-Defense environmental cleanup: $483,000,000
• Defense environmental cleanup: $5,127,000,000
• Bureau of Land Management maintenance and restoration of facilities, trails, lands, abandoned mines and wells: $125,000,000
• Bureau of Land Management construction of roads, bridges, trails and facilities, including energy efficient retrofits: $180,000,000
• Wildland fire management and hazardous fuels reduction: $15,000,000
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintenance and construction on wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries and for habitat restoration: $165,000,000
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service roads, bridges and facilities, including energy efficient retrofits: $115,000,000
• National Park Service facilities and trails: $146,000,000
• National Park Service road construction, cleanup of abandoned mines on parkland and other infrastructure: $589,000,000
• U.S. Geological Survey facilities and equipment, including stream gages, seismic and volcano monitoring systems and national map activities: $140,000,000
• Superfund site cleanup: $600,000,000
• Leaking underground storage tank cleanup: $200,000,000
• Clean water state revolving fund grants: $4,000,000,000
• Safe drinking water capitalization grants: $2,000,000,000
• Brownfields projects: $100,000,000
• Diesel emission reduction grants and loans: $300,000,000
• Forest Service road, bridge and trail maintenance; watershed restoration; facilities improvement; remediation of abandoned mines; and support costs: $650,000,000
• Wildfire mitigation: $500,000,000
• Military hospital construction and energy conservation investments: $1,450,000,000
• International Boundary and Water Commission - Rio Grande levee repairs: $220,000,000
• Additional capital investments in surface transportation including highways, bridges, and road repairs: $1,298,500,000
• Administrative costs for additional capital investments in surface transportation: $200,000,000
• Capital investments in surface transportation grants to be awarded by other administration: $1,500,000
• Federal Aviation Administration infrastructure: $200,000,000
• Grants-in-aid for airports: $1,100,000,000
• Highway infrastructure investment: $26,725,000,000
• Highway infrastructure investment in Puerto Rico: $105,000,000
• Highway infrastructure funds distributed by states: $60,000,000
• Highway infrastructure funds for the Indian Reservation Roads program: $550,000,000
• Highway infrastructure funds for surface transportation technology training: $20,000,000
• Highway infrastructure to fund oversight and management of projects: $40,000,000
• High speed rail capital assistance: $8,000,000,000
• National Railroad passenger corporation capital grants: $850,000,000
• National Railroad passenger corporation capital grants for security: $450,000,000
• Federal Transit Administration capital assistance: $6,800,000,000
• Public transportation discretionary grants: $100,000,000
• Public housing renovations and energy conservation investments: $1,000,000,000
• Grants and loans for green investment in section 8 properties: $250,000,000

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