by jboullion | Apr 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Samanta Marcus in the La Crosse Tribune:
The race for La Crosse mayor that comes to a head in just eight days is a study in contrasts.
La Crosse voters in the February primary set up a contest between an experienced woman backed by big Democrats and a young novice with conservative support.
Matt Harter and Dorothy Lenard rose to the top of a field of seven, ousting incumbent Mayor Mark Johnsrud, who came in fifth in the primary. . . .
Harter: Harter has been among the sustainability plan naysayers, though he objects to being labeled an opponent.
He said he thinks the plan will wind up costing the taxpayers, and leaders have to be sure to balance economic sustainability with environmental sustainability. Calling the plan overreaching, Harter said it’s in need of some editing, alluding often to a passage on discontinuing the annual Rotary Lights holiday display in Riverside Park.
“These things are things I think we should create an awareness of, but allow (people) to make their decisions on their own,” he said.
Lenard: A member of the city’s Joint Oversight Committee on Sustainability, Lenard helped author and introduced the ambitious 67-page plan calling for major reductions in energy consumption and shifts to renewable energy sources. She defended the document when opponents called it a threat to the free market and the American way of life.
At a recent forum hosted by a conservative watchdog group, Lenard said she was surprised they couldn’t get behind it.
“It is about conserving. It’s about being efficient. It’s about reducing fuel usage. Sustainability really is about savings,” said Lenard, who also penned the legislation designating La Crosse an eco-municipality. “It is about savings. I just have to prove it to you. And my job as mayor would be to bring you in and prove it to you.”
by jboullion | Apr 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
A news release from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation:
Any commuter in Wisconsin who would like to find someone to “share the ride” to work, may now access the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT’s) interactive ride matching service online. A program that was originated several years ago for residents of the heavily populated southeastern region of the state is now available statewide.
“We are pleased to offer this interactive service to commuters across the state,” said WisDOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi. “Ridesharing saves money for commuters, reduces the number of cars on the road during the busiest hours of the day and reduces pollution from car exhaust. Now, commuters in areas that are faced with some of the longest commutes will have an equal opportunity to find carpool matches.”
Karen Schmiechen, program manager for the Wisconsin Rideshare Program, said the program is easy to use, free and without obligation. Commuters enter their commute information and immediately receive matches for carpooling, vanpooling, park and ride lots and even biking. The computer shows matches with similar commutes and work hours. Bikers are also matched by level of expertise. Users make their own contacts with matches to set up ridesharing arrangements.
The program was computerized two years ago, and has become so popular WisDOT decided to make it available to all state residents.
Wisconsin is one of many states and municipalities across the country offering this service. As gasoline prices fluctuate, and the economy remains unstable, ridesharing is a viable alternative, saving dollars and the environment.
For more information go to the state’s Rideshare Web site.
by jboullion | Apr 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a guest editorial by Timothy Sheehy, Roger Caron and Todd Battle in the Racine Journal Times:
In southeastern Wisconsin, regional cooperation has been a long time coming.
The need for economic development and job creation in our cities has never been more critical. After many years of talking about the benefits of regional cooperation the cities in our region are united in a cause that will address those needs. That cause is regional transportation.
Our organizations are responsible for increasing the economic vitality of the surrounding community, and while each city faces unique challenges, we share a common goal of fostering business development, job creation and capital investment.
None of our cities is unique in its work to support the efficient and continued operation of transit systems at a time when state and federal funds for transit are stagnant. We all agree that frequent, reliable transit is critical to ensuring that all residents can access jobs. Conversely, reliable transit is critical in assuring businesses that they are accessible by employees. Businesses need people to operate, and people need to get to work. With more impending cuts to the bus system, we are at risk of jeopardizing that workflow.
In addition to solving the current financial crisis caused by funding bus transit with local property taxes, we are in agreement that our region will benefit significantly by strengthening its connection to the metropolitan Chicago area. Our neighbors to the south have developed a booming global marketplace, and we have yet to take full advantage of the opportunity to easily access and leverage the workforce, jobs, business expansion and commerce taking place there. For these reasons, we are also united in our belief that the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail system and our local train service need to move forward. We are asking the Governor and Legislature to give local leaders the ability to enact a dedicated sales tax of up to one-half percent to fund transit.
As advocates for a diverse business community, we believe that shifting the costs off of the property tax and onto a sales tax is not only a secure option for our businesses, but it’s a progressive step in ensuring the development of a strong, competitive region. We are not alone in this vision. We share support with labor groups, top regional business executives, and minority, civic and environmental organizations. . . .
Timothy Sheehy represents the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Roger Caron represents Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce and Todd Battle is with the Kenosha Area Business Alliance.
by jboullion | Apr 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nathaniel Shuda in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune:
A Wisconsin Rapids-based company will create at least 400 jobs with a manufacturing plant it will build “as soon as practicable,” the company’s top executive said Tuesday.
Energy Composites Corp., the parent company of Advanced Fiberglass Technologies, 4400Commerce Drive, will produce blades for wind turbines as part of its planned $15 million company expansion, Chief Executive Officer Sam Fairchild said.
“We have (the plant) almost designed now,” Fairchild said. “We want to be (as) streamlined as possible and employ as many people as possible.”
The announcement comes during a time when hundreds of local residents are struggling with job loss. More than 600 local jobs were eliminated since June after Montreal-based papermaker Domtar shut down its Port Edwards mill and Green Bay-based Schreiber Foods closed its plant in the Wisconsin Rapids West Side Industrial Park.
The 350,000-square-foot Advanced Fiberglass plant and related construction not only will add revenue to the city’s tax base but also boost other local businesses, said Connie Loden, president and CEO of the Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance.
“It’s going to have a positive impact across the entire business community, and on a municipal level … it has economic benefits as well,” Loden said. “Certainly, you’ll see the positive impact of the wages paid in our area and those wages spent in our area.”
by jboullion | Apr 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a post on the blog of the American Wind Energy Association:
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle provided the Keynote Address today to an over-flowing, standing-room audience at AWEA’s supply chain seminar in Appleton.
Noting that Wisconsin has seen unemployment rise from 4% to 8.8% since last fall, the highest levels since the Great Depression, he noted, “It is a time of enormous pressures and a time of enormous opportunities” for Wisconsin. He also sees it is a time of major transformation. We will emerge with a stronger economy when we recover and , he says, we don’t want to go back to the old way of doing business, built on fragile derivatives and other shaky financial instruments, but rather based on strong jobs and strong industries, focused on clean energy as a large sector.
“Wisconsin does not have gas, coal, or oil — every dollar is being sent out of state for our energy needs. Every dollar we send out of state does not help build our economy. That’s why we are so committed to renewable energy,” the Governor said. “We need to set very high state renewable electricity standards” while it is being pursued in Washington at a federal level. He said he intends to pursue a goal of 25% by 2025 for both electricity and transportation fuels from renewable sources in this state.
“Investment in wind energy is being driven by states that have an RES in place. As a matter of state policy and national policy, it is important that we move toward a (national) renewable energy standard…We need to make a long-term commitment to renewable energy in this country.”
He also stressed the need to foster a climate in the state that favors innovation and research, modeled after the state’s efforts in life sciences and health care. “We need to do the same for energy research as well.”
by jboullion | Apr 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a column by Dave Skoloda in the Coulee News:
We’ve been warming our house with the sun using passive solar design for 25 years. Now we’re ready to take the next step, either with solar panels for electricity or solar water heating. So the story in The New York Times about a surge of interest in a new payment system for solar electric was of great interest.
The Times reported that one of the reasons Germany and other European nations are much further ahead of the United States in adopting solar power is the financing technique. In Germany, for example, a homeowner with a rooftop solar system might receive a payment for excess electricity that is fed back into the grid four times that of electricity generated at a coal-fired power plant.
As the Times reported, this makes the electrical consumer rather than the taxpayer responsible for the subsidy for green energy.
Gainesville, Fla., has become the first U.S. city to adopt such a policy. California is considering it and bills to adopt it have been introduced in Washington and Oregon as well.
According to the Gainesville Regional Utilities Web site, the utility had received enough applications to meet the 4-megatwatt program caps for 2009 and 2010. The fixed rate for the 20-year life of the contract starts at 32 cents per kilowatt hour or 26 cents depending on size and application of the installation and decreases over time. For comparison, the average retail electric rate in Wisconsin was 11.69 cents per kilowatt hour, according to the February report of the Energy Information Agency.
A spokesperson for the Gainesville utility said in a telephone interview that the program had attracted mainly businesses (36 for ‘09 and 20 for ‘10) that benefit from the depreciation; residential properties are more likely to choose an upfront rebate on an installation, she said.
The solar program will generate less than 10 percent of the utility’s total needs, she added.
Xcel Energy, which supplies electric power here, gives its Colorado customers an incentive for installing solar panels, but the program called “Solar Rewards” is not available in Wisconsin.
David Donovan, regulatory policy manager for Xcel’s Wisconsin and Michigan district, said that the Colorado program was in response to state mandates. Xcel has an experimental feed-in-tariff program for renewable energy in Wisconsin but it was not sized appropriately for solar and it doesn’t have the subsidy of the Gainesville program. The company is reviewing the policy, he said.
Other solar incentives are offered in Wisconsin under the Focus on Energy program, but not the long-term incentive pricing contract offered in Gainesville.
Still, it’s a start on capturing the potential for solar power.
