by jboullion | Feb 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Governor Doyle:
MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today awarded $500,000 in Recovery Act funds to communities moving toward a clean energy future. The Governor announced 11 grants totaling $500,000 to help 24 communities develop plans to reach his “25 by 25” energy independence goals.
“These grants will help Wisconsin communities across the state seize the opportunity to save money through energy efficiency and grow a strong new part of our economy in clean energy,” Governor Doyle said. “Through the Recovery Act, our communities will lead as the world moves rapidly in the direction of clean energy and energy efficiency. We spend $16 billion on fossil fuel energy every year in Wisconsin, and all those dollars are lost to our economy. By working toward these ambitious renewable energy goals, we will create good jobs and continue our state’s clean energy leadership.”
The grant program is funded through the Recovery Act’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program. The 24 communities will create “25×25” plans to meet the Governor’s goal of generating 25 percent of the state’s electricity and transportation fuels from renewable resources by the year 2025.
The 2010 Wisconsin Energy Independent Community Partnership Pilots are: City of Altoona, Crawford County, City of Eau Claire, Eau Claire County, City of Fennimore, Village of Ferryville, Green Lake County, City of Gays Mills, City of Jefferson, City of Kaukauna, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Village of La Farge, City of Monona, Polk County, City of Prairie du Chien, Shawano County, Village of Soldiers Grove, Vernon County, Village of Viola, City of Viroqua, Waukesha County, and City of Whitewater.
The 25×25 plan process begins this month and will be completed by December 2010. During the process, opportunities will be available for other communities to learn from the experiences of the pilot communities. Open meetings on the topic will be held by the Office of Energy Independence during the months of April, August and December.
The program builds on Governor Doyle’s work to make Wisconsin a clean energy leader. Last month, Governor Doyle launched the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a landmark legislative package to accelerate the state’s green economy and create jobs.
by jboullion | Feb 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kevin Murphy in the Marshfield News Herald:
MADISON — WE Energies will host a Feb. 20 open house to update residents about its planned $250 million biomass power plant at the Domtar paper mill in Rothschild.
Since announcing the plant in September, WE Energies has been going “door-to-door” and meeting with community leaders to gather local questions and concerns about the plant that would burn mill residue and trucked-in waste wood. The facility would produce enough power supply 40,000 homes, said WE Energies spokesman Brian Manthey.
“We’re still finding the answers to questions about emissions, construction schedules and early phases of operations but we can let people know what we know,” said Manthey of the open house, planned for noon to 4 p.m. at the Rothschild Holiday Inn & Suites.
by jboullion | Feb 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Wisconsin Farmers Union and posted on the Web site of WQOW-TV (Eau Claire):
Chippewa Falls, Wis. (Press Release) — The Wisconsin Farmers Union joined renewable energy producers at a senate hearing held in the Capitol today to ask elected leaders to support the Low Carbon Fuel Standard as a part of the Clean Energy Jobs Act.
“The Low Carbon Fuel Standard will support Wisconsin farmers by creating new markets to sell crops to power our homes, schools, and businesses,” said Mike Stranz, Government Relations Specialist at the Wisconsin Farmer’s Union.
Under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), fuel providers in the state must gradually reduce the average carbon content of the mix of fuels sold in the state. An LCFS benefits the agricultural community by increasing demand for crops capable of producing low-carbon fuels such as switchgrass, woody biomass and crop residue.
“By growing our own low-carbon fuels, we can become more energy independent and put money into the pockets of hard-working Wisconsin farmers,” said Jamie Derr, Owner and Operator of Derr Solarmass LLC. “Why spend billions buying foreign fossil fuels when Wisconsin farmers can grow much of our fuel right here at home?”
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 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Govenor Doyle:
MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle announced today that the City of Madison, Kenosha County and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) have joined the Wisconsin Energy Independent Community Partnership. They have pledged to work toward Governor Doyle’s “25×25” goal of generating 25 percent of the state’s electricity and transportation fuels from renewable resources by the year 2025. . . .
“I welcome Madison, Kenosha County and MMSD as new partners in working toward energy independence that keeps energy dollars in our state, creates good jobs and cleans our air and water,” Governor Doyle said. “Every year, we send $16 billion out of state to power our homes and businesses and fuel our cars. Building a clean energy economy is not only an enormous opportunity to capture those dollars, but also create good jobs here in Wisconsin.”
Last month, Governor Doyle launched the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a landmark legislative package to accelerate the state’s green economy and create jobs. The package calls for updating renewable portfolio standards to generate 25 percent of Wisconsin’s fuel from renewable sources by 2025 and sets a realistic goal of a 2 percent annual reduction in energy consumption by 2015. A comprehensive economic assessment of the package found that it would directly create at least 15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025.
