Sen. Udall: Some Dems see renewables grants as ‘quid pro quo’ for backing tax package

Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) said Wednesday that a “broad swath” of Democratic lawmakers want federal grants for renewable electricity projects extended as part of the tax package that President Obama negotiated with GOP leaders.

“I think there is a broad swath in the caucus that thinks it is a quid pro quo,” Udall said in the Capitol after a Democratic Caucus meeting on the tax package. “Those extensions will have to be in the tax package for people to support it.”

Udall, for his part, does not support the tax deal, objecting to the extension of tax cuts for the wealthy. But he said he does want to see the grants extended “in some way.”

The renewables grant program — which was included in the stimulus law and expires at year's end — was among the topics touched on at the Senate Democrats’ Wednesday meeting.

Extending the availability of Treasury Department grants for new projects is a top priority for some environmentalists, wind developers and other sectors of the green energy industry. They are dismayed that the initial package Obama negotiated with the GOP appears to omit them, although some details of the plan remain in flux.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said the renewables grants are “not really a big item, but it seems to have a lot of support in the caucus.”


Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said aspects of the overall bill could change.

“There is potential for the package to be open to amendment and change,” he said.

—Andrew Restuccia contributed.

This post was updated at 4:27 p.m.