Ed Mazria: Building Stimulus on Capitol Hill | Grist
Ed Mazria (on Grist):
Kristina Kershner and I presented the 2030 Challenge Stimulus Plan (pdf) to policymakers and industry leaders in the nation's capitol last week. It is gathering steam. The Plan takes a focused approach, strategically inserting scarce investment dollars into the economy to get the widest range of benefits.
David Sasson (on SolveClimate):
Here's how the plan works.
The federal government creates what's called "a mortgage buy-down program." If you are a homeowner, you can bring your mortgage rate down 2 or 3 or 4 points -- with Uncle Sam picking up the difference -- if you improve the energy efficiency of your home. It's an offer you can't refuse, because it means you can save hundreds of dollars on a typical monthly mortgage, plus hundreds more in reduced energy bills -- in perpetuity.
Those savings immediately go in to family coffers and can get spent, stimulating the economy. At the same time, all the demand for energy efficiency upgrades creates millions of jobs. The government recoups its investment in the mortgage buy-down from the income tax collected from the newly employed. And greenhouse gas emissions go down dramatically.
