總金額達7,870億美元的美國復甦與再投資法案在2月17日已由美國總統歐巴馬(Barack Obama)正式簽署生效。該法案不只能創造工作機會，更將創造環保工作，新任美國環保署長說。
「透過總統的經濟刺激法案，環保行動將在經濟復甦動力中，扮演重要作用。」環保署長潔克森(Lisa Jackson)說。
該法案特別包括72.2億美元由環保署管理的工程和計畫。這些計畫將保障並且提倡環保工作，以及更健康的環境。
白宮經濟顧問委員會主席羅默(Christina Romer)已預估，復甦計畫將在今明兩年創造或挽救350萬個工作機會，潔克森說許多工作將屬於保護和提升公共衛生及環境的工作。
在計畫中，環保署將創造好的、永續的工作機會。這些工作將幫助生產潔淨飲用水、清新空氣、環保都市和鄉村再發展，並且降低溫室氣體排放，潔克森說，「這是一個經濟成長和環境保護攜手為全美國人謀福利的的完美例子。」
潔淨水周轉基金和飲用水周轉基金將獲得共60億美元──其中40億美元將用於幫助有水質問題的社區和廢水基礎設施，另外20億美元將用在飲用水基礎設施；其中12 億美元一定會用於環保基礎設施建設。
該振興方案包含1億美元競爭性補貼，用以評估和清理以前的工業費地(brownfield)。 另外，降低柴油排放物的計畫將接受3億美元的補助款或貸款，這筆款項將撥放給區域、州、地方政府、部落和非營利組織。
潔克森說明新法案將以績效和空前的透明度來控管，環保署將著重在能推動並迅速完成的工程，並將指定的資金移到各州。環保署首席監察官將監督全部撥款，該部門也將收到2,000萬美元作相關用途。
此外，由勞工、商業、環保，和社區領導人組成的聯合團體「阿波羅聯盟」也表示，新法律包括了860億美元在潔淨能源和綠領工作計畫。另外，聯盟指出有275億美元用於道路和高速公路建設，國家運輸部門主任則聲稱，許多是用於基礎設施的維修，而非建造新公路。
振興方案也包含國家海洋暨大氣總署可動用的8.3億美元，一部分將用於河川恢復工程。
美國漁業暨野生動物管理局(USFWS)將得到1.15億美元，用於優先建設、修理設施和棲息地恢復，和任何由該部門掌管在公共土地上的其他活動。該部門也將獲得1.65億美元，優先用於延宕嚴重的維護計畫，以及改良性資本支出、棲地恢復，和其他服務性活動。自然資源保護局(Natural Resources Conservation Service)將得到2.9億美元，用於架構和非架構的流域基礎設施改良，包括洪泛區地役權的購買和恢復。
另外，美國林務局將得到6.5億美元，用於優先道路、橋和軌道維修，並包括相關流域恢復和生態系統提升工程。
大部分能源效能與再生能源(EERE)的資金，將直接導入補助金，有25 億美元將支援相關的應用研究、發展和部署行動，其中包括8億美元的生物量計畫，4億美元地熱技術計畫，和5,000萬美元訊息和通信技術的能量效率增長計畫。
法案也要求能源部進行全國電網分析，以確定是否可再生能源的重要來源將因缺乏足夠的輸送能力，而遭電力市場排除。該部必須提供如何取得足夠輸送能力的建議。
經濟振興方案也規定50億美元將用來耐候化計畫(Weatherization Assistance Program)，且該法案也提高合格收入的水準，並增加資金提供水準至每戶6,500美元。
法案中有一個補充措施，提供40億美元給美國住宅及都市發展部，使公共建築復原並加以改裝，包括增加每單位能源效率，並附加5.1億美元原住民住屋建築計畫
法案也提供20億美元在EERE資金，允許為進階電池系統和零件在美國境內生產，以及支援軟體的發展。
津貼將用來國家, 地方政府和部落，支援能源效率發展和保育策略和計畫, 包括能源稽核計畫，在政府大樓工程安裝燃料電池和太陽,風,和生物量電力工程等。
新法律包括60億美元支援再生能源和電力的輸送技術的貸款擔保。資金預計保證超過600億美元融資，但只限於將於2011年9月30日開始的建設工程，以及包含可再生能源、電力輸送，或者先進的生質燃料技術。
另外，法案提供45億美元給能源部電力配送與能源可靠性辦公室，用以更新國家電網，整合需求反饋設備，並分析、發展，並實行最新電網技術。
法案的稅款部分提供一個3年期生產稅額減免展延，適用於大多數可再生能源設備，同時針對再生能源系統擴大稅額減免和提供稅額減免替代方案。
這次展延維持風力發電生產稅額減免至2012年，並保持市區固態廢物、合格水力發電、生物量、地熱能、海上和hydrokinetic可再生能源設備等的生產稅額減免到2013年。
不過，現今業界的不景氣代表更少業者會尋求稅額減免，這表示否些再生能源業者無力利用此方案所提供的優惠。 因此，法案也允許非太陽能的再生能源設備擁有人，選擇30%的融資優惠方案，而非免稅方案。
$787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law Tuesday by President Barack Obama will not only create jobs, it will create green jobs, the new U.S. EPA administrator said today.
"Through the President's stimulus package, green initiatives will play a significant role in powering economic recovery," said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
The act specifically includes $7.22 billion for projects and programs administered by the EPA. These programs will protect and promote both green jobs and a healthier environment.
Christina Romer, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, has estimated that the recovery package will save or create 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. Jackson says many of those will be jobs that protect and enhance public health and the environment.
"EPA's portion of the plan will create good, sustainable jobs that help produce cleaner drinking water, purer air, environmentally friendly urban and rural re-development, and reduced greenhouse gases," saidJackson. "This is a perfect example of economic growth and environmental protection working hand in hand to the benefit of all Americans."
The Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund will receive a total of $6 billion - of that total $4 billion will be used help communities with water quality and wastewater infrastructure needs and $2 billion will be spent on drinking water infrastructure needs. Of the total, $1.2 billion, or 20 percent, must be used for green infrastructure.
The stimulus package contains $100 million for competitive grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial and commercial sites called brownfields.
Diesel emissions reduction projects will be funded with $300 million for grants and loans that will be disbursed to regional, state and local governments, tribal agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
The new law is geared for performance and unprecedented transparency, said Jackson. Preference will be given to projects that can be started and completed expeditiously, and EPA intends to quickly move designated funds to states, she said. All funding will be monitored by EPA's Inspector General, which will receive $20 million for oversight and review.
The Apollo Alliance, a coalition of labor, business, environmental, and community leaders, says the new law contains $86 billion in clean energy and green-collar job programs.
In addition, the Alliance points to $27.5 billion in road and highway construction funds, much of which state transportation department directors say will be used to repair infrastructure and not on building new highways.
The stimulus measure also contains $830 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a portion of which will be used for river restoration projects.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to receive $115 million for priority construction, repair, habitat restoration and other activities on public lands the agency governs.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also receive $165 million for priority critical deferred maintenance, capital improvements, habitat restoration and other activities on Service properties.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service will get $290 million for structural and nonstructural watershed infrastructure improvements, including purchase and restoration of floodplain easements.
And the U.S. Forest Service will receive $650 million for priority road, bridge and trail maintenance, including related watershed restoration and ecosystem enhancements projects.
While the bulk of the new EERE funding will go into direct grants and rebates, $2.5 billion will support EERE's applied research, development and deployment activities, including $800 million for the Biomass Program, $400 million for the Geothermal Technologies Program, and $50 million to increase the energy efficiency of information and communications technologies.
The act also directs the Department of Energy, DOE, to analyze the nation's electrical grid to determine if significant potential sources of renewable energy are locked out of the electrical market by a lack of adequate transmission capacity. DOE must then provide recommendations for achieving adequate transmission capacity.
The economic stimulus act also stipulates that $5 billion will go towards the Weatherization Assistance Program, and the act increases the eligible income level under the program, increases the funding assistance level to $6,500 per home.
A complementary measure in the act provides $4 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to rehabilitate and retrofit public housing, including increasing the energy efficiency of units, plus an additional $510 million to do the same for homes maintained by Native American housing programs.
The act also directs $2 billion in EERE funds toward grants for the manufacturing of advanced battery systems and components within the United States, as well as the development of supporting software.
The grants will go toward states, local governments and tribal governments to support the development of energy efficiency and conservation strategies and programs, including energy audit programs and projects to install fuel cells and solar, wind, and biomass power projects at government buildings.
The new law includes $6 billion to support loan guarantees for renewable energy and electric transmission technologies. The funds are expected to guarantee more than $60 billion in loans but only for projects that will start construction by September 30, 2011, and that involve renewable energy, electric transmission, or leading-edge biofuel technologies.
In addition, the act provides $4.5 billion for the DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability for activities to modernize the nation's electrical grid, integrate demand-response equipment and analyze, develop and implement smart grid technologies.
The tax section of the act provides a three-year extension of the production tax credit for most renewable energy facilities, while offering expansions on and alternatives for tax credits on renewable energy systems.
The extension keeps the wind energy production tax credit in effect through 2012, while keeping the production tax credit alive for municipal solid waste, qualified hydropower, biomass, geothermal energy, marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy facilities through 2013.
"Unfortunately," says Eber, "the current slump in business activity means that fewer businesses are seeking tax credits, which means that renewable energy producers are having trouble taking advantage of the PTC. With that in mind, the act also allows owners of non-solar renewable energy facilities to make an irrevocable election to earn a 30 percent investment credit rather than the PTC.”
For residential renewable energy systems, the act removes all caps on the tax credits, which equal 30 percent of the cost of qualified solar energy systems, geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines and fuel cell systems.
