New legislation agreed upon by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate on Dec. 22 – which focuses on payroll tax extension, unemployment insurance benefits and Medicare – does not include extension of the U.S. Department of Treasury's Section 1603 cash-grant program, which is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.
Renewable energy stakeholders had vigorously lobbied for the continuation of this program in recent months.
The final agreement, which was signed into law by President Obama on Dec. 23, includes future work by senators and representatives on reconciling the differences between the chambers.
