GOP kills effort to add energy items to economic stimulus legislation

摘要

Democrats in the Senate came within one vote last week of attaching tax credits for wind, solar, biomass, and energy efficiency to a major economic stimulus package. But Republicans blocked the effort, forcing Democrats to pass a stripped-down stimulus package that includes no energy provisions.rnThe tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year, and a stimulus package that the Senate Finance Committee approved two weeks ago would have extended them through 2009 (IE, 4 February, 1). The committee-passed package would also have authorized $100 million owed to coal companies for the levy of export taxes deemed by a federal court to be unconstitutional, and $1 billion for low-income home heating assistance. The Senate bill would have cost in excess of $158 billion for 2008 alone.