American Recovery and Investment Act Supports Research and Facilities

The American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Barrack Obama on February 17, 2009. The $787 billion stimulus package includes $2 billion for the Department of Energy Office of Science, including National Laboratories. This award will promote research in energy independence, materials science, climate science, carbon sequestration, biofuels, advanced computing, fusion energy, high-energy physics, and nuclear physics. The investments will include much-needed lab and instrumentation upgrades to support world-class research. Other funding will support STEM education programs including facility construction and equipment purchase. Research funding allocated in the bill includes:•    $8.7 billion to the National Institutes of Health•    $3 billion to the National Science Foundation•    $2 billion to the United States Department of Energy•    $1.3 billion for university research facilities•    $1 billion to NASA•    $600 million to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)•    $230 million for NOAA operations and facilities•    $140 million to the United States Geological Survey•    $580 million to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)•    $40.75 billion for energy research Other projects include:•    $24 million to improve security systems at the Department of Agriculture headquarters•    $19 billion for health information technology•    $2 billion for Community Health Centers•     $11 billion in funding for an electric smart grid•    $6.3 billion for state and local governments to make investments in energy efficiency•    $4.5 billion for state and local governments to increase energy efficiency in federal buildings•    $3.4 billion for carbon capture experiments•    $4.2 billion to repair and modernize Department of Defense facilities