President Obama Signs Stimulus under a Solar Rooftop
Chart: “Where Your Money Is Going.” via Recovery.org
In an opportunity he described as “unbelievable,” Blake Jones, president and CEO of Colorado-based Namaste Solar, gave President Obama, Vice President Biden, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and Governor Bill Ritter a walking tour of a solar installation in Denver. The tour marked the historic and somewhat controversial signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), President Obama’s much-labored stimulus package.
The signing came as momentous news to Namaste and many other solar companies. Namaste itself was considering laying off up to half of its 60 workers, after surging to that number (from three) in just three years.
The stimulus package may have undergone a wealth of criticism from many Republicans (even after many tax cuts were added), but the renewable energy industry seems to have little complaint. In Namaste Solar’s case, Jones noted that the bill will allow certain projects that had been on hold to move forward, allowing them to loosen their belts a bit and even hire new workers.
The bill was signed at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, which has solar panels on its roof installed by Namaste Solar. Obama, who has been campaigning for his stimulus bill for the last few weeks, was happy to sign legislation that would “set our economy on a firmer foundation.” The $787 billion bill is full of public spending and tax cuts, including $65 billion in funding and tax relief for energy.
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Posted on February 18th in Solar News by Dan.