Environmental Prominence in an Economic Act

The Stimulus Plan passed last week, named The American Resource and Recovery Act, has both positive and negative aspects when viewed through an environmental filter. The Act takes an unprecedented level of action on the environmental front, but then again, much about the ARRA is unprecedented. The total allocation of funds for the environment is different depending on the source you look at, but the general consensus is that a great deal of funding has been appropriated. Reinforcing the Act's environmental credentials is the fact that several of the core tenants and stated intents for the Act are labeled as development of clean energy, environmental protection, etc. The funding labeled as Environment and Energy is often not as environmentally friendly as one might assume. For instance, a greater amount of the provisions for transportation are going to expanding and fixing the Nation's highway and road system than to development of much more environmentally conscious mass-transit systems.
That said, the prominent standing the environmental issues have in this Act bodes extremely well for the future of environmental policy. This is fundamentally an economic recovery act. In past administrations, economic interests have come at the expense of environmental imperatives. The prominent standing of the environment in this bill signals a great departure from policies of past administrations.
If this administration gets its way, I think environmental interests will come to play a huge role in determining the future of our nation. I hope that Obama hasn't bled away all of his political and financial capital with this Act. The fate of his first term rests on the success or failure of this bill in turning around the economy.