The group of lawmakers includes Senators Maria Cantwell, Debbie Stabenow, Dianne Feinstein, Jeff Merkley and Ben Nelson. According to an announcement from Senator Cantwell, extending the Clean Energy Treasury Grant Program would create at least 65,000 jobs in the solar energy sector alone.
"Extending this program for another two years will create tens of thousands of jobs and enable enough renewable power to come online to power millions of homes. This bipartisan amendment is fully paid for, and along with a predictable price on carbon, will jumpstart America's urgently needed transition to a cleaner, more diverse 21st century energy economy," said Cantwell.
The Treasury Grant Program was created under the economic stimulus bill and is set to expire at the end of this year.
Under the program, cash grants are provided in place of tax credits for renewable energy projects, which have had a harder time attracting financing in recent months because of the credit crunch and economic downturn.
