by jboullion | Feb 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Liz Welter in the Marshfield News-Herald:
Marshfield city government and infrastructure could reduce its non-renewable energy consumption by 25 percent using a plan the Sustainable Marshfield Committee devised.
The proposed plan to achieve the 25 percent reduction isn’t unanimously supported by Common Council members.
The council debated the plan last month prior to approving it 8-2 with Alderpersons Alanna Feddick and Ed Wagner voting no. The plan calculates the costs and savings to the city if projects are implemented from 2011 to 2025. . . .
The committee has identified potential cost-saving measures, but what to implement is the council’s decision, Earll said.
The cost of some of the items would burden the city with long-term debt, Feddick said.
“My concern is that the price tag put on these blue sky or pie-in-the sky ideas will be paid for by our future generations.
“I’m all for recycling and protecting the environment, it’s something my family has done for years, but we need to protect the taxpayers too,” Feddick said.
The Marshfield 25×25 Plan for Energy Independence was the product of a grant initiated by Gov. Jim Doyle to demonstrate that communities throughout Wisconsin could reduce their dependence on fossil fuels 25 percent by 2025.
The committee has applied for another grant that would provide about $225,000 to implement some of the identified energy-saving measures, said Amy Peterson, a municipal planner who was contracted to assist the committee regarding the grants.
“If the city gets the (grant) and uses it along with the projects for the fire station (construction), they will be well on their way to meeting the 25 by 25 goal,” she said.
by jboullion | Feb 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an announcement of community roundtables by the University of Wisconsin System:
Six regional Sustainable Communities Roundtables — in Central Wisconsin, De Pere, Waukesha, Chequamegon Bay, Rhinelander, and Chippewa Valley — begin in late February and lead up to the March 25-26 Sustainable Communities Public Policy Forum. The two- to three-hour sessions will open with an overview of sustainability efforts in the state and conclude with a facilitated process to identify sustainability policy issues, barriers, strengths, and possibilities.
Central Wisconsin Roundtable
Date: Feb. 26, 9 a.m.-noon
Location: Travel Guard, 3300 Business Park Drive, Stevens Point
Contact: Center for Land Use Education, 715-346-3783
Rhinelander Roundtable
Date: March 5, 9-11 a.m.
Location: University Transfer Center, Room 200, Nicolet College, 5364 College Drive, Rhinelander
Contact: Daniel Kuzlik, dan.kuzlik@ces.uwex.edu, 715-365-2750
The Sustainable Communities Public Policy Forum is the third in a series of forums designed to focus University of Wisconsin System resources on Wisconsin’s most vexing social, environmental, and economic challenges. These forums inform the debate around selected current issues confronting Wisconsin residents by bringing objective, research-based information to the dialogue. Forums utilize experts to cover issues impacting the state of Wisconsin.
Sustainable Communities Policy Forum
March 25-26, 2010
University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley
Communication Arts Center
1478 Midway Road, Menasha
by jboullion | Feb 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Govenor Doyle:
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Governor Jim Doyle today signed into law Senate Bill 440, which allows the state to maximize federal bonds to help fund projects that will create hundreds of jobs in Wisconsin. The Governor signed the bill at Energy Composites, a wind blade manufacturing plant in Wisconsin Rapids that could benefit from the measure.
The federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allows certain local units of government to issue Recovery Zone Facility bonds for private sector economic development projects. Wisconsin received $238 million in bonding authority to be divided among 63 counties, plus the cities of Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay. Under the Recovery Act, most counties did not receive a large enough share of the funding to effectively provide assistance to businesses that need it. These bonds must be issued by January 1, 2011.
Under SB 440, any county or city that does not use its original bond allocation in a timely manner has its share re-entered into a statewide pool. The Department of Commerce will then administer that pool to provide needed financing to help companies like Energy Composites move forward projects to expand and create jobs.
“Thanks to President Obama and Congressman Obey, the Recovery Act has given us this powerful tool to create new jobs here in Wisconsin, especially in the emerging clean energy economy,” Governor Doyle said. “By pooling these resources together, we will make sure we take full advantage of this opportunity and move forward job-creating projects across the state.”
Energy Composites is looking to break ground on a 535,000 square foot wind blade manufacturing plant next month, a project that will create more than 600 good-paying clean energy jobs for the Wisconsin Rapids area. The signing of SB 440 will allow the company to request bonds from Commerce to help move the project forward.
by jboullion | Feb 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a story on WSAW-TV (Wausau):
Governor Jim Doyle is pushing for a clean energy bill to pass, and making his case in North Central Wisconsin.
He spoke at the Wausau business incubator today.
“This is where Wisconsin is going — and when you invest in green energy – this is the kind of new energy you should be investing in,” says Governor Jim Doyle.
Governor Doyle supports the ‘Clean Energy Jobs Act,” to make sure local clean energy businesses will be first in line to succeed.
“China is currently making greater investments in green energy than all of the United States and all of Europe. The world is moving rapidly in this direction and Wisconsin can’t just sit back watch it happen,” says the Governor.
The Governor says the energy bill would require the state to use renewable sources for 20 percent of its energy by 2020 and 25 percent by 2025.
He says this will reduce our need to rely on other states for things like coal and oil.
And he hopes it will add about 15,000 jobs to the Badger State.
by jboullion | Feb 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a question-and-answer summary of the Low Carbon Fuels Standard included in the Clean Energy Jobs Act bill written by Peter Taglia, Staff Scientist, for Clean Wisconsin:
The Clean Energy Jobs Act (SB 450 and AB 649), announced recently by Governor Doyle, has been introduced by both houses of the Wisconsin legislature. The bill incorporates many of the recommendations made by the governor’s Climate Change Task Force. The Clean Energy Jobs Act, if adopted, will increase Wisconsin’s use of renewable energy, energy efficiency, cleaner fuels and cleaner cars. The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) in the bill would be established based on recommendations currently under development by a broad stakeholder group of the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA).
Below are a series of answers to frequently asked question about how an LCFS will impact biofuels and oil sands (compiled by Pete Taglia of Clean Wisconsin and member of the Midwestern Governors Association’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Advisory Group). If you have questions about the LCFS you can contact Pete Taglia at ptaglia@cleanwisconsin.org.
Question: What is a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)?
A LCFS is a fuel policy that will help break our dependence on foreign sources of oil and promote energy independence by gradually moving Wisconsin toward the cleanest and most efficient sources of transportation fuels. A LCFS rates different types of transportation fuels by their efficiency and carbon footprint and allows fuel providers to choose what mix of fuels will be used to meet the requirement.
Question: What types of fuels qualify for an LCFS?
An LCFS policy is unique in that all transportation fuels are able to compete in the fuel market, including the following resources:
• Ethanol: Alcohol fuel made from corn or cellulose (wood, plant stalks, harvest residues, etc.). Wisconsin has 8 corn ethanol plants producing almost 500 million gallons per year.
• Biodiesel: A diesel substitute (mono alkl ester) made from vegetable and animal oils that is then mixed with petroleum diesel (e.g., B20 is 20% biodiesel). Wisconsin has 8 biodiesel plants that use soybean oil, waste animal fats, and waste grease feedstocks.
• Renewable diesel: A fuel chemically similar to petroleum diesel (a hydrocarbon fuel) but made with renewable resources such as wood waste. Flambeau River Biofuels in Park Falls and New Page in Wisconsin Rapids both received Department of Energy grants to produce renewable diesel from wood waste.
• Compressed Natural Gas (CNG): Wisconsin has approximately 20 CNG fueling stations and two school district bus systems that use natural gas. ANGI Energy Systems of Milton is a leading manufacturer of CNG fueling systems and Wisconsin leads the nation in the production of biogas from dairy manure and food wastes.
• Electricity: Wisconsin has numerous electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles as part of state, utility and private car fleets. Wisconsin’s largest corporation, Johnson Controls, is a leading battery manufacturer that won a recent contract to supply batteries to Ford’s new electric van and Columbia Parcar of Reedsburg manufacturers a line of electric utility vehicles in WI.
