Is the recently-passed economic stimulus bill a down payment on a greener economy, or does it reaffirm the carbon-centric status quo? The answer, as could be expected from a $787 billion omnibus bill, is "both."

The New York Times, BusinessWeek, and ProPublica have posted surveys of the stimulus, whose potential impact could be felt for generations to come. It could also take a generation to determine the bill's ultimate winners and losers, but some trends are apparent. The table below compares ProPublica's House, Senate and final numbers for initiatives that could have a significant environmental impact.

Positive signs include:

• Support for battery and "smart grid" research and development.
• A commitment to energy efficiency, both in the private sector and in government-owned facilities.
• Increased funding for freight railroads, which move goods more efficiently than trucks.

Other commitments in the bill seem likely to ensure that carbon-heavy fossil fuels will retain their importance to the US economy. The final bill includes billions for fossil fuel energy research, which could include clean coal initiatives such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). While these programs could reduce the atmospheric impact of coal-burning, they also reinforce a long-term commitment to this "dirtiest" fossil fuel.

Also, funding for mass transit, clean water initiatives, and renewable energy research and loans all declined in the final compromise. For more details, please see the ProPublica site and Kate Sheppard in Grist.

Data Source: http://www.propublica.org/special/the-stimulus-deal