GAO: 25% of All Renewable-Energy Initiatives in FY 2010 Tied to 2009 Economic Stimulus

President Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, impacted nearly one quarter (25 percent) of all renewable energy initiatives across the government, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says. According to GAO, 157 of the nearly 700 renewable energy initiatives in fiscal year 2010 were either created by the stimulus law, received expanded funding or were modified under it and the futures of some programs are uncertain because of a draw-down in funding -- or because they were already set to expire.. The programs were implemented by 23 agencies and their 130 sub-agencies. “Agencies’ renewable energy efforts increased in recent years as a result of the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and other factors,” the GAO report said. “[B]ut the level of future efforts is less certain with the expiration of these provisions and budget constraints,” it added...more