by jboullion | Jun 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Paul Ryan in The Daily Reporter:
Deadline pressure and 100 amendments are cracking the unity of the state‘s Wind Siting Council as it strives to agree on turbine placement standards.
Even the definition of agreement is a point of contention among the 15 members. The state law that formed the council requires only that the panel make recommendations that will go to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and, ultimately, the state Legislature.
But some council members insist they will testify against recommendations not based on a consensus vote.
“I told them they can come in with studies and articles and hearsay,” said Larry Wunsch, a Brownsville resident and council member. “I come in with experience. I live in a wind farm, and I can tell you what it looks like and how it sounds.”
“But if they’re going to go with majority rule, then, yeah, I would argue against it at future hearings.”
The council is designed to establish turbine placement standards for wind farms that generate less than 100 megawatts of electricity. The PSC already reviews wind farms that generate more than 100 megawatts.
The PSC intends to finalize rules based on the council’s recommendations by Sept. 1, PSC spokeswoman Teresa Weidemann-Smith said.
Public hearings on draft rules begin next week, and the public comment period for recommendations ends July 7.
That puts the council on a tight timeline to finish its work, said Michael Vickerman, a member of the council and executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization focused on clean energy. . . .
Vickerman said he doubts there will be consensus. But, he said, the council represents a wide array of experience and interest, and the PSC and Legislature must take that into account when approving rules for wind turbine placement.
“Those who oppose wind have already made their minds up,” Vickerman said. “We can have a dialogue with them, but I don’t think we can have a meeting of the minds.”
by jboullion | Jun 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a story on WXOW-TV, La Crosse:
LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (WXOW) — The Black River Neighborhood Center is complete.
To commemorate that milestone, La Crosse’s Park and Rec Department held a grand opening at the beach house.
Mike Novak and his son Nick visit family in La Crosse often and enjoy seeing the area while they’re at it.
“Oh yeah, beautiful. We were talking about, look at that view coming down the road. You wind down and there’s the bluffs and stuff,” Mike says.
They came to the North Side to see the Black River and happened to catch the grand opening of the new neighborhood center.
“We had to come check it out, definitely,” Mike says.
Around eight years ago, the city took a look at how to improve the North-South Corridor.
Citizens and business owners started a plan to renovate the old bath house that was there.
After talking to the community about what they wanted, the city decided a new building was worth the investment.
“Four years ago, I would have said, ‘The building will be about this size and will have running water, and it’ll be clean.’ I didn’t have this vision. I truly didn’t. But it’s marvelous,” says North side merchant Randy Eddy, Sr..
“From a $40,000 renovation of a bath house, it ended up being a $1.3 million community facility,” says Steve Carlyon, Park and Recreation Director.
The 8,000 square-foot facility is set up for different uses, like parties, wedding receptions or just relaxing.
It uses green technology, like geo-thermal and solar energy.
by jboullion | Jun 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nick Paulson in the Stevens Point Journal:
Mid-State Technical College will begin offering this fall certificate courses in renewable energy aimed at giving displaced workers additional skills to make them more marketable.
The programs are in five emerging renewable industries that not all journey workers have training in. Mid-State hasn’t begun officially accepting applications for the program, and only last week hired the case worker who will screen applicants and fill the classes. Though classes start in late August, likely at the Wisconsin Rapids campus, there should be plenty of demand for the 15 slots in each program.
“We’ve got a lot of dislocated workers, so I think a lot of people will look at this as a real opportunity,” said Ronald Zillmer, associate dean of Mid-State’s technical and industrial division. “The fastest impact on our economy is taking people who already have skills in those areas and tweaking them a little bit.”
The certificate programs, and the tuition for the first year’s students, is being paid for with a $428,000 Department of Labor grant. Mid-State recently began offering associate degrees in renewable energy programs, and the certificates are an extension of that focus.
Three of the certificates — photovoltaic systems, wind systems and solar thermal — require the student to be practicing journey workers who have completed their apprenticeship. The biorefinery certificate is for those with some previous industrial workplace experience. The energy efficiency certificate has no requirements.
by jboullion | Jun 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Ilissa Gilmore in the Sheboygan Press:
ASHWAUBENON — An advocacy group said Wednesday that the high-speed rail system that will connect several Midwest cities will benefit the environment and provide more than 9,000 jobs in Wisconsin.
Members of the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group student chapters came to the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon to promote the $823 million project that will connect Green Bay, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, among other cities.
WISPIRG — which works on economic, environmental, and social concerns — is conducting its second annual tour for the system. The group also has visited Eau Claire, La Crosse and Madison and will hit Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Racine.
States need to invest in railways instead of more roads and highways, said WISPIRG student leader Sarah Seibold.
“The Midwest is behind the East Coast and Europe and Asia in railway travel,” said Patricia Terry, a science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. “Rails are needed to maintain our economic competitiveness.”
An expanded rail system in Wisconsin would produce 9,000 new, permanent jobs, and it would reduce dependency on oil because railroads are 23 percent more fuel efficient than airplanes and 40 percent more efficient than single-passenger cars, Seibold said.
The rail system will use diesel gas before eventually moving to electricity, she said, but it would still be more efficient than standard modes of transportation. With oil dependency and gas prices on the rise, rail travel is a favorable alternative, Terry said.
by jboullion | Jun 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Ilissa Gilmore in the Sheboygan Press:
ASHWAUBENON — An advocacy group said Wednesday that the high-speed rail system that will connect several Midwest cities will benefit the environment and provide more than 9,000 jobs in Wisconsin.
Members of the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group student chapters came to the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon to promote the $823 million project that will connect Green Bay, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, among other cities.
WISPIRG — which works on economic, environmental, and social concerns — is conducting its second annual tour for the system. The group also has visited Eau Claire, La Crosse and Madison and will hit Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Racine.
States need to invest in railways instead of more roads and highways, said WISPIRG student leader Sarah Seibold.
“The Midwest is behind the East Coast and Europe and Asia in railway travel,” said Patricia Terry, a science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. “Rails are needed to maintain our economic competitiveness.”
An expanded rail system in Wisconsin would produce 9,000 new, permanent jobs, and it would reduce dependency on oil because railroads are 23 percent more fuel efficient than airplanes and 40 percent more efficient than single-passenger cars, Seibold said.
The rail system will use diesel gas before eventually moving to electricity, she said, but it would still be more efficient than standard modes of transportation. With oil dependency and gas prices on the rise, rail travel is a favorable alternative, Terry said.
by jboullion | Jun 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a story by Heather Sawaski on WAOW, Wausau:
It takes about 500 gallons of hot water to brew a batch of beer at Red Eye Brewery and Restaurant. Soon, that water will get its heat from the sky. Once installed, 10 solar collectors will soak up the sun’s rays, mix them with water down through 6 tanks, and come out piping hot and ready to use. Red Eye will be the first Wisconsin brew pub to heat water with solar energy.
“We use a large amount of water in the brewing process and we thought that was how we could utilize the sun the greatest and get the biggest and best payback,” said Brew Master Kevin Eichelberger.”
And he added, the payback is substantial. The project is funded through a combination of loans and federal green energy grants. Eichelberger said the solar power should pay for itself in about 5 years. That’s not to mention the environmental payback.
“We’ve calculated the equivalent carbon footprint to being equivalent of driving a car about 8,500 miles,” Eichelberger said. “So we’ll be reducing our carbon footprint by that amount.”
Going green is nothing new for the restaurant. Owners said they’ve always used recycled plastic for to-go containers and utensils. And they donate all used grain from the brewery to an area farmer.
