Senate Stimulus-Green Recovery, Part 3: Mass Transit & Science

Seriously fighting global warming involves transforming so many different aspects of how we live -- from taking care of infrastructure (so we don't have to use new energy and materials to rebuild it), to improving the nation's capacity to do basic scientific research.

So in reading through the appropriations in the Senate version of the Obama administration's economic stimulus package, many items jumped out at me in the broad context of stopping climate change -- and I'm posting them here.

Part 1: Infrastructure

Part 2: Energy

Part 3: Mass Transit:

• $8.4 billion for mass transit projects, including $200 million for grants to public transit agencies for capital investments that will reduce the energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions of their public transportation systems
• $5.5 billion for competitive grants to state and local governments for transportation investments.
• $3.1 billion for railroads, including:
• $2 billion for grants for investments in high speed rail corridors;
• $250 million for grants to states for investments in intercity passenger rail;
• $850 million for capital grants to Amtrak (no more than 50% to be used on the Northeast Corridor)

• $60 million for grants to states for the construction of ferry transportation systems

Science:

• National Science Foundation: $1.2 billion total. Major cuts here in the Senate compromise bill, including:
  • $1 billion to "help America compete globally"
  • $150 million [$400 million] for scientific infrastructure
  • $50 million [$100 million] for competitive grants to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): $1.3 billion total funding:
• $450 million for Earth science missions to provide critical data about the Earth’s resources and climate;
• $200 million to enable research and testing of environmentally responsible aircraft and for verification and validation methods for complex aerospace systems and software;
• $450 million to reduce the gap in time that the U.S. does not have a vehicle to access the International Space Station; and

• $1 billion total for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including:
• $645 million to construct and repair NOAA facilities, equipment and vessels to reduce the coastal charting backlog, upgrade supercomputer infrastructure for climate research, and restore critical habitat around the country.
• $475 million total for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), including:
• $307 million for renovation of NIST facilities and new laboratories using green technologies;
• $168 million for scientific and technical research at NIST to strengthen the agency’s IT infrastructure; provide additional NIST research fellowships; provide substantial funding for advanced research and measurement equipment and supplies; increase external grants for NIST-related research.

• $330 million for laboratory infrastructure and construction at the Department of Energy’s Science program