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Well, Biden's legislative climate agenda has collapsed. They have to scrape together whatever money they can from existing budgets. Also, the idea is really to

Well, Biden's legislative climate agenda has collapsed. They have to scrape together whatever money they can from existing budgets. Also, the idea is really to give private actors just enough money and support to get them going: "Funding should not just support technology field testing but also allow developers to better understand the critical commercial side, “helping formulate the market mechanisms that are going to enable long-duration storage to survive and prosper on the grid.”" Whether it's true or not, economists like to claim that there's a multiplier effect in cases like this, where every $1 if public investment creates >$10 of private investment.

taurath 4y ago
I don’t know if it ever existed really, but in my head it seems like at one point there were national level projects that were taken on by people who might’ve been dedicated to an ideal or a real like commitment to solving problems, and they got stuff done. Like the Hoover dam, interstate highway system, transcontinental railroad, the internet even. Nowadays it feels like the country is entirely filled to the brim with middlemen ready to make those with yachts able to afford bigger yachts. But a generation of people have lost the basic housing security their parents enjoyed, and basics like food transportation and healthcare that are required are now so unaffordable it traps people in a cycle of poverty. Maybe it’s always been this way - anyone have any thoughts?
- ant6n 4y ago
  Well Hoover had that dam named after him, but there were also Hoover flags, Hoovervilles, Hoover blankets etc..
  - ncmncm 4y ago
    Dams are named after whoever opposed them most vigorously, but finally caved.
belorn 4y ago
What makes this funding different from regular subsidies, so that we get this "[for] every $1 if public investment creates >$10 of private investment"?
throwaway894345 4y ago
Did Biden ever have a serious climate agenda? It seemed like a bunch of fluff to help sell a progressive social spending wishlist. The climate provisions I recall were investments in EVs, a citizen’s climate corps, and public transit investment. Apart from accelerating the EV transition, I doubt these things would amount to even a drop in the bucket (investing in public transit is mostly for people who already use public transit—very few people would switch to public transit if it were available because it’s hard to beat the convenience of driving outside of congested big cities). What other climate initiatives did I forget? I would expect serious climate policy to look like carbon pricing or at least more considerable EV and renewables investments.
- ncmncm 4y ago
  Yes, Biden is owned by incumbent corporate interest. Any change will have to be despite them.

taurath 4y ago

I don’t know if it ever existed really, but in my head it seems like at one point there were national level projects that were taken on by people who might’ve been dedicated to an ideal or a real like commitment to solving problems, and they got stuff done. Like the Hoover dam, interstate highway system, transcontinental railroad, the internet even. Nowadays it feels like the country is entirely filled to the brim with middlemen ready to make those with yachts able to afford bigger yachts. But a generation of people have lost the basic housing security their parents enjoyed, and basics like food transportation and healthcare that are required are now so unaffordable it traps people in a cycle of poverty. Maybe it’s always been this way - anyone have any thoughts?

ant6n 4y ago
Well Hoover had that dam named after him, but there were also Hoover flags, Hoovervilles, Hoover blankets etc..
- ncmncm 4y ago
  Dams are named after whoever opposed them most vigorously, but finally caved.

belorn 4y ago

What makes this funding different from regular subsidies, so that we get this "[for] every $1 if public investment creates >$10 of private investment"?

throwaway894345 4y ago

Did Biden ever have a serious climate agenda? It seemed like a bunch of fluff to help sell a progressive social spending wishlist. The climate provisions I recall were investments in EVs, a citizen’s climate corps, and public transit investment. Apart from accelerating the EV transition, I doubt these things would amount to even a drop in the bucket (investing in public transit is mostly for people who already use public transit—very few people would switch to public transit if it were available because it’s hard to beat the convenience of driving outside of congested big cities). What other climate initiatives did I forget? I would expect serious climate policy to look like carbon pricing or at least more considerable EV and renewables investments.

ncmncm 4y ago
Yes, Biden is owned by incumbent corporate interest. Any change will have to be despite them.