Last Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate approved the conference report for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, otherwise known as the 2009 Stimulus Package. At $789 billion, the package is what the New York Times calls the “most expansive unleashing of the government’s fiscal firepower in the face of a recession since World War II.” Next week, this Newsletter will include a summary of the Act’s sustainability and environmental impacts, including the approximately $150 billion earmarked for public works projects for transportation, energy and technology. The final text of the legislation is available at The White House website.