As Stimulus Funding Ends,

Experts Weigh Law's Impact on 'Green Economy'

June 2, 2011 - The debate over whether the stimulus created jobs is heated and endless, with lawmakers continuously arguing the merits of economic projections and clean energy investments.

But one thing is clear: As federal agencies run out of stimulus funds, temporary workers are seeing their jobs come to an end.

"As soon as the money stops, one imagines jobs stop being supported," said Josh Bivens, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. "My guess is we've passed the peak effect of the Recovery Act on jobs."

In recent months, many of the layoffs have been in education, as school districts announce reductions in the number of teachers they can afford without stimulus support. But green jobs are affected as well: Contractors at the Savannah River Site recently announced impending layoffs as they complete the stimulus-funded part of the nuclear facility cleanup. The Department of Energy also is expected to cut by two-thirds the cleanup team for a uranium-waste pile in Moab, Utah.

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund -- which received $4 billion in stimulus funds -- is also winding down. The Government Accountability Office recently reported that "the Recovery Act SRF programs funded an increasing amount of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions from the quarter ending December 2009 through the quarter ending June 2010, from 6,000 FTEs to 15,000 FTEs, declining to 6,000 FTEs for the quarter ending in March 2011 as projects were completed."

The overall effect of such cuts on the economy is minimal, Bivens said. It is also hard to gauge. The Office of Management and Budget estimates the Recovery Act funded more than 573,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2011, but no one keeps track of how many of those jobs are temporary. {continued}

And why, because the private capital of the so called 'free market' capitalism is just collected and hoarded not reinvested and it won't be even to help the pols and others, those who have bought, regain power by creating within and expanding the economy. That power is now in the hands of the few who want more of both power and extreme wealth Now, not long term growth with innovation and expansion of shared labor and rewards from.