by jboullion | Mar 16, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Richard Mial in the La Crosse Tribune:
Should local communities have the right to charge an additional half-percent sales tax to operate mass transit systems?
That’s an issue being considered in the Legislature in the last month before it ends its session for the year.
State Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, said she is in favor of “empowering” local communities to take steps to shore up transit funding.
She has introduced a bill authorizing La Crosse County to have a regional transit authority – an additional level of government that could impose taxes for mass transit.
Already, the Chippewa Valley, Dane County and Chequamegon Bay communities along Lake Superior have such an authority, although none have enacted it yet.
If passed by the state, it wouldn’t happen automatically. The county board first must pass a law and then voters must approve a referendum.
Shilling and other local representatives spoke at a public hearing Thursday on several provisions to allow specific communities to enact RTAs.
While Shilling’s Assembly Bill 791 would give such authority to La Crosse County, legislators have suggested it makes more sense to enact a law that would allow any county to create a transit authority if its citizens vote to do so.
Shilling told the committee that, “An RTA would reduce costs for users, provide residents and visitors with additional transit options, reduce road congestion for drivers, ease parking needs and decrease energy consumption and air pollution.”
Dick Granchalek, president of the Greater La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, said mass transit can be good for business.
by jboullion | Mar 16, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Joe Taschler in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Germantown — The gas given off by rotting garbage is suddenly chic.
As interest in renewable fuels grows in the United States, old banana peels, rotten meat and moldy fruit are decomposing in landfills in a process that creates combustible gas used to generate electricity, heat buildings and power vehicles.
To be sure, there isn’t enough landfill gas to satisfy the nation’s or even the state’s energy demands, but its use is increasing as the fuel solidifies its place in the growing kaleidoscope of alternative energy sources.
In metro Milwaukee, Waste Management Inc. is expanding electricity-generating capacity, adding a fourth landfill gas-powered turbine to its power plant in Germantown. The newest turbine is scheduled to begin producing electricity in early June.
The gas is collected from the company’s landfill sites in Germantown and Menomonee Falls. Once all four turbines are operating, they will provide enough electricity to power about 10,000 households, Waste Management says.
“People don’t realize that you can power 10,000 homes with what we’re doing here,” said Dale Stark, Waste Management’s power plant manager at the Germantown site.
Nationwide, the number of landfill gas projects has grown to 510, up from 136 in 1995, the first year for which the Environmental Protection Agency began compiling such data. The projects generate more than 12 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and deliver about 100 billion cubic feet of landfill gas to end users or pipelines per year.
by jboullion | Mar 15, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a letter to the Wisconsin legislature from Public Service Commission (PSC) Chair Eric Callisto:
Yesterday [March 12, 2010], several interest groups wrote legislators urging opposition to the Clean Energy Jobs Act. The groups warned that the cost of renewable energy standards and enhanced energy efficiency programs would be “enonnous” and the benefits only “nominal.” Once again, the clean energy naysayers have it wrong. Enhanced renewable portfolio standards and increasing our efforts in energy efficiency reduce our dependence on imported energy, keep more of our energy dollars here at home, and help to ensure that Wisconsin and our country is competitive in the global energy economy.
You should know that the memo from clean energy opponents includes some key factual errors.
In particular, it claims that enhanced energy efficiency programs will add $700 million in new costs for consumers, citing a report by the Energy Center of Wisconsin (ECW). In reality, we will save money on our energy bills the IOOre we do on energy efficiency. It is common sense — the less energy we consume, the less we pay on our utility bills.
As for the ECW report, what it actually concludes is that Wisconsin consumers will save $900 million per year in energy costs if we invest between $350 and $400 million in energy efficiency programs; and if we invest roughly $700 million in energy efficiency. Wisconsin consumers will save $2 billion per year in energy costs. . . . Incidentally, ECW also found that enhancing our energy efficiency programs would support between 7000 and 9000 new jobs. The
bottom line is that if we don’t invest in energy efficiency, we will be spending significantly more on new generation.
The memo also claims that meeting a 25 percent renewable portfolio standard will add more than $15 billion in extra costs for consumers. Increasing our renewable energy portfolio can reduce Wisconsin energy costs in the long run, particularly when implemented alongside enhanced energy efficiency programs – as the Clean Energy Jobs Act envisions. The enclosed, recent Public Service Commission analysis, confirms that.
by jboullion | Mar 15, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a letter to the Wisconsin legislature from Public Service Commission (PSC) Chair Eric Callisto:
Yesterday [March 12, 2010], several interest groups wrote legislators urging opposition to the Clean Energy Jobs Act. The groups warned that the cost of renewable energy standards and enhanced energy efficiency programs would be “enonnous” and the benefits only “nominal.” Once again, the clean energy naysayers have it wrong. Enhanced renewable portfolio standards and increasing our efforts in energy efficiency reduce our dependence on imported energy, keep more of our energy dollars here at home, and help to ensure that Wisconsin and our country is competitive in the global energy economy.
You should know that the memo from clean energy opponents includes some key factual errors.
In particular, it claims that enhanced energy efficiency programs will add $700 million in new costs for consumers, citing a report by the Energy Center of Wisconsin (ECW). In reality, we will save money on our energy bills the IOOre we do on energy efficiency. It is common sense — the less energy we consume, the less we pay on our utility bills.
As for the ECW report, what it actually concludes is that Wisconsin consumers will save $900 million per year in energy costs if we invest between $350 and $400 million in energy efficiency programs; and if we invest roughly $700 million in energy efficiency. Wisconsin consumers will save $2 billion per year in energy costs. . . . Incidentally, ECW also found that enhancing our energy efficiency programs would support between 7000 and 9000 new jobs. The bottom line is that if we don’t invest in energy efficiency, we will be spending significantly more on new generation.
The memo also claims that meeting a 25 percent renewable portfolio standard will add more than $15 billion in extra costs for consumers. Increasing our renewable energy portfolio can reduce Wisconsin energy costs in the long run, particularly when implemented alongside enhanced energy efficiency programs – as the Clean Energy Jobs Act envisions. The enclosed, recent Public Service Commission analysis, confirms that.
by jboullion | Mar 15, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a letter to the Wisconsin legislature from Public Service Commission (PSC) Chair Eric Callisto:
Yesterday [March 12, 2010], several interest groups wrote legislators urging opposition to the Clean Energy Jobs Act. The groups warned that the cost of renewable energy standards and enhanced energy efficiency programs would be “enonnous” and the benefits only “nominal.” Once again, the clean energy naysayers have it wrong. Enhanced renewable portfolio standards and increasing our efforts in energy efficiency reduce our dependence on imported energy, keep more of our energy dollars here at home, and help to ensure that Wisconsin and our country is competitive in the global energy economy.
You should know that the memo from clean energy opponents includes some key factual errors.
In particular, it claims that enhanced energy efficiency programs will add $700 million in new costs for consumers, citing a report by the Energy Center of Wisconsin (ECW). In reality, we will save money on our energy bills the IOOre we do on energy efficiency. It is common sense — the less energy we consume, the less we pay on our utility bills.
As for the ECW report, what it actually concludes is that Wisconsin consumers will save $900 million per year in energy costs if we invest between $350 and $400 million in energy efficiency programs; and if we invest roughly $700 million in energy efficiency. Wisconsin consumers will save $2 billion per year in energy costs. . . . Incidentally, ECW also found that enhancing our energy efficiency programs would support between 7000 and 9000 new jobs. The
bottom line is that if we don’t invest in energy efficiency, we will be spending significantly more on new generation.
The memo also claims that meeting a 25 percent renewable portfolio standard will add more than $15 billion in extra costs for consumers. Increasing our renewable energy portfolio can reduce Wisconsin energy costs in the long run, particularly when implemented alongside enhanced energy efficiency programs – as the Clean Energy Jobs Act envisions. The enclosed, recent Public Service Commission analysis, confirms that.
by jboullion | Mar 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Wisconsin Environment:
West Allis –The Clean Energy Jobs Act will benefit West Allis and the greater Milwaukee area by creating new jobs, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and helping to protect the environment for future generations. That was the message at a town hall meeting last night at the West Allis public library to discuss the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a bill being considered by the legislature targeted at developing the state’s clean energy economy.
At the meeting, business and labor leaders stressed the importance of the legislature passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act to drive the creation of new jobs in the Milwaukee area through manufacturing and installation of clean energy technologies such and wind turbines and solar panels, along with energy efficiency and home retrofit programs.
“Helios USA will be the first solar manufacturer in Wisconsin,” said Steve Ostrenga, CEO of Helios USA, a company preparing to open a new plant in Milwaukee that will employ 54 workers. “We are optimistic about the future of Helios USA given the combination of ready workers, available resources and movement of clean energy policy in the state Legislature.”
In February, Spanish firm Ingeteam cited similar reasons for choosing the Menomonee Valley to open their first North American factory to build wind turbine generators, a plant that will employ 270 workers. The company said the area’s manufacturing base and proximity to the I‐94 corridor were major draws giving Wisconsin a competitive advantage.
