A huge infusion of money for the Energy Dept. is being proposed to help modernize the U.S. electricity grid and develop electric vehicles and other cutting-edge energy technologies. Power contractors are enthusiastic about the effects on the industry and states are getting in line for their share.
The House bill would pump billions of dollars into DOE programs, including $11 billion to develop a “smart grid.” It also would provide $8 billion for loans for renewable energy and transmission lines linking wind farms in the rural heartland to urban areas.