by jboullion | Dec 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article in BizTimes Daily:
State of Illinois announced today it will use some of the federal funds rejected by Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker to create a public-private partnership that will develop high-speed rail from Chicago to St. Louis, Mo., by 20114.
Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the signing of the historic cooperative agreement by the federal government, state government, Union Pacific Railroad, and Amtrak as a crucial advance in the development of a planned high-speed passenger rail network that will serve Illinois and the Midwest region.
“ Clearly, the leadership, perseverance and commitment of Governor Quinn, Senator Durbin, and our private sector partners, has vaulted Illinois into the lead on the development of high-speed rail,” Hannig said. “This announcement is about more than just an historic achievement for Illinois and the Midwest. It is a celebration of the kind of partnership and vision that is creating jobs now and providing needed access to a crucial regional transportation alternative.”
In September 2010, Quinn announced that Illinois had become the first state in the nation to begin high-speed rail construction through an initial agreement to upgrade 90 miles of track between Alton and Lincoln. With the full Cooperative Agreement now in place, construction will continue in early spring from just south of Lincoln to Dwight. That phase of work is expected to conclude next fall.
“It’s a wonderful day for Illinoisans as we celebrate a milestone achievement towards becoming the first state in the nation to bring high-speed rail to fruition,” Quinn said. “We applaud the cooperation and hard work of all participating agencies to bring high-speed rail service, thousands of jobs, and economic growth to communities across the state.”
by jboullion | Dec 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a guest column by State Representative Jennider Shilling in the La Crosse Tribune:
I read Gov.-elect Scott Walker’s column (Monday’s Tribune) and continue to be amazed at his insistence that killing the high-speed rail project and shipping thousands of jobs to California, Florida and Illinois is a victory.
He has said that turning away $810 million in funding and the thousands of construction and manufacturing jobs will somehow save taxpayers money. But what Walker fails to mention is that Wisconsin taxpayers will now be on the hook for up to $61.3 million in freight and passenger rail upgrades that need to be made and would have been paid for by the federal grants. Because he turned away that money, 100 percent of these costs will now fall on Wisconsin taxpayers.
Because his numbers don’t add up, Walker also tried to paint this project as a high-speed rail line to nowhere. In reality, the Chicago-Milwaukee upgrade and Milwaukee-Madison line would have been the first leg of a major project between Chicago and the Twin Cities. I’ve always said that this infrastructure investment would be like our investment in the interstate projects of the 1950s, and it’s hard to imagine what our state would look like today if we had turned down federal money to construct these highway projects.
While I could argue the merits of this project at length, the most unbelievable statement of his was that he couldn’t imagine people in western Wisconsin supporting the high-speed rail project. Had he been listening to the residents in La Crosse and throughout our region, I am sure he would have reached a very different conclusion.
by jboullion | Dec 20, 2010 | Uncategorized
A news release for the Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence:
First-of-its-kind pilot size study to turn organic waste and
biobased plastics into a clean energy resource
MADISON, WI – In an effort to turn an organic waste stream and biobased plastics into an energy resource, the Office of Energy Independence, University of Wisconsin – Platteville (UW-Platteville), and UL – EnvironmentSM (UL-E) an Underwriters Laboratories Company, have joined forces to conduct the first pilot study in the nation to test anaerobic digestion of bioplastics as a co-feedstock.
“When perishable foods, such as meat or dairy items, reach the end of their shelf-life, the store must remove the product for proper disposal to a landfill,” said Judy Ziewacz, Director for the Office of Energy Independence. “If successful, the food packaging and plastic industry would be able to turn a waste expense into a profitable energy generator.”
Annually, more than 830,000 tons of organic waste is sent to Wisconsin landfills. If this waste was diverted to a digester, it could potentially generate 5 megawatts of renewable energy to power 5,000 homes.
UW–Platteville, with scientific partner UL-E, will use an existing 4-stage digester built by Hanusa Renewable Energy to run the pilot study.
“The pilot scale digester is the only one of its kind in the nation that we are aware of,” said Tim Zauche, Chemistry and Engineering Physics Chair at UW-Platteville. “If we can determine bioplastic can be processed through the system, then the question becomes will it contribute to renewable gas production and a quicker return on investment.”
“Business owners are seeking innovation to lower their environmental footprint,” said Joe Mecca, Business Development Manage for UL-E. “This has great potential to reduce waste-to-landfill while producing renewable energy. We look forward to working with UW-Platteville to test the feasibility of this concept and setting guidelines for the marketplace.”
The study will be conducted at Pioneer Farm, located about 5 miles southeast of the city of Platteville. Pioneer Farm is a key component of the Wisconsin Agricultural Stewardship Initiative, a statewide
collaboration between producers, state government and the University of Wisconsin System to evaluate best management practices in Wisconsin and form policies based on practices that will enhance the environment and produce a profit for business.
For more information, visit the Office of Energy Independence www.energyindependence.wi.gov, UW–Platteville www.uwp.edu or UL-E www.ul.com.
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by jboullion | Dec 14, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the La Crosse Tribune:
Scott Walker isn’t even governor yet, and he has lost an $810 million game of chicken with our money. He has undoubtedly lost jobs and certainly will lose the company that moved to Wisconsin to help build trains for high-speed rail.
And, he’s declaring victory.
He’s off the rails before the train even left the station.
He told us that he didn’t want to contribute to runaway federal spending. He didn’t want to invest in high-speed rail. Instead, he wanted to use the federal money to improve Wisconsin’s roads.
That was a wonderful theory — but the federal government repeatedly told him that the money would go for high-speed rail projects.
And, the feds told Walker that if Wisconsin wasn’t interested, other states would get our money.
California, here it comes. Yes, you’re the big winner of $624 million, courtesy of your friends in Wisconsin. Florida, you’re getting $342.2 million of our money. Washington, here’s to you — $161.5 million from the Badger State. Even you, Illinois, our cursed neighbors to the south: You’re getting $42.3 million from Wisconsin.
Scott Walker is thoroughly pleased to hand you this money, courtesy of the taxpayers of Wisconsin.
by jboullion | Dec 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2010
MORE INFORMATION
RENEW Wisconsin
Michael Vickerman
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
Final Wind Siting Rule Improves Clean Energy Outlook
With the changes made at the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) open meeting today, wind developers in Wisconsin can look forward to a set of workable statewide permitting standards that will facilitate the development of well-designed wind projects.
At the meeting, the Commission adjusted the requirements on two issues of critical importance to the wind industry: set back distances and compensation to neighboring residents.
“Today’s decisions culminate a four-year effort to set Wisconsin’s permitting house in order,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide renewable energy advocacy organization.
“The final rules strike a reasonable balance between protecting public health and safety and advancing wind energy generation, a proven pathway for creating well-paying jobs and increasing revenues to local governments,” Vickerman said.
Initially, the rule did not specify a definite setback distance between turbines and residences and community buildings neighboring the host property.
“By setting a maximum setback distance of 1,250 feet, the rule would not impose economic burdens on wind developers seeking to install newer and larger wind turbines now available in the market, such as the 2.5 megawatt turbines being erected at the Shirley Wind Farm in Brown County,” according to Vickerman.
Regarding compensation to non-participating residences, the commission decided to uncouple the annual compensation level instead of linking the size of the payments to the payment received by the host landowner. The commission’s move resolved the most problematic feature that had been in the rule.
“We thank the Commissioners for their hard work and their willingness to work through a number of very complicated and thorny issues that do not lend themselves to easy resolution,” Vickerman added.
The rules promulgated by the PSC are a product of landmark legislation adopted in 2009 to establish statewide siting standards for wind energy siting. Legislative committees will have 10 days to review the rules after formally receiving them. If they take no action, the rules take effect on January 1, 2011.
