by jboullion | Mar 24, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Alliant Energy:
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Alliant Energy Corp. (NYSE: LNT) will host the 3rd annual Supplier Diversity Symposium in Dubuque, Iowa on Friday, April 24. This event is designed to give minority and women business owners the opportunity to network with purchasing professionals, learn about supplier diversity efforts in the Midwest, and gain insight into the issues affecting Alliant Energy’s current business and regulatory environment.
Alliant Energy implemented the program to encourage diverse suppliers to compete for Alliant Energy’s business. The company’s spending totaled more than $100 million in 2007 and 2008 with minority and woman-owned businesses.
“We anticipate spending over $60 million with diverse vendors again this year and are looking to further increase our diverse vendor base,” said Chris Lindell, Vice President – Shared Services for Alliant Energy. “We feel the company benefits from the creativity and new perspectives diverse suppliers have to offer.”
More than 100 minority and women business owners from Iowa and Wisconsin have pre-registered for the free event at the Grand River Center, 500 Bell St., Dubuque, IA. A short program will be held, beginning at 8:00 a.m.
by jboullion | Mar 23, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jim Massey in The Country Today:
RICHLAND CENTER – While low commodity prices are a challenge for farmers, they could provide an opportunity for the biomass industry to grow in Wisconsin, farmers and landowners were told March 6 at a biomass briefing.
Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council officials shared the results of three biomass studies at the briefing, held to coincide with a quarterly council meeting.
Council Coordinator Steve Bertjens said southern Wisconsin has become a prime target for biomass production and the studies were conducted to determine the economic feasibility of growing and harvesting the material.
Gov. Jim Doyle recently announced that the UW-Madison Charter Street Power Plant would burn 250,000 tons of biomass per year by 2012 and power plants in Cassville and Jo Daviess County, Ill., will use a combined 800,000 tons of biomass per year. Officials said the challenge will be coming up with that much biomass to burn.
Three Southwest Badger RCandD projects – a biomass inventory and analysis project, switchgrass establishment and harvesting demonstrations, and the true costs of harvesting woody biomass in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area – are in the works. . . .
Brett Hulsey, president of Better Environmental Solutions, said if all of Wisconsin’s biomass reserves were used for energy production it could displace about half of the coal burned in the state.
“We are a biomass Saudi Arabia,” Hulsey said. “We could use wood waste, corn stover, prairie grasses and even dairy manure as energy sources.”
by jboullion | Mar 20, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Chris Hubbuch in the La Crosse Tribune:
The inclusion of money for commuter rail development in the federal stimulus package has boosted the spirits of train advocates and increased the likelihood of high-speed rail service between Chicago and the Twin Cities.
But it likely will be years before any additional trains roll through La Crosse or Winona, Minn.
Included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law last month was $8 billion to develop high-speed passenger train systems. Obama’s budget proposal includes $1 billion a year in grants to states for high-speed rail over the next five years.
“That was an important acceleration of this whole years-long quest,” said Jim Hill, executive director of the La Crosse Area Development Corporation.
The rail funding comes at a time when ridership — driven largely by Amtrak’s popular Chicago-Milwaukee service — is surging. Wisconsin rail use rose more than 23 percent in 2008. The number of passengers getting on and off the Empire Builder in La Crosse was up 13 percent.
Commuter rail advocates long have lobbied to bolster train service between Chicago and the Twin Cities via La Crosse, and a long-standing multi-state plan calls for developing such a corridor that would carry six additional daily trains. The route also is among the U.S. Department of Transportation’s designated high-speed rail corridors.
The first step is extending service to Madison.
If Gov. Jim Doyle is successful in getting a piece of the stimulus money, the state could begin work on the line to Madison, said Randy Wade, passenger rail manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. That could take two to three years, he said, and continuing to the Twin Cities would take another two to three years.
by jboullion | Mar 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
(March 18, 2009) – In 2008 Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, awarded financial incentives totaling more than $2.5 million to help businesses statewide finance the installation of renewable energy systems. And in 2009, even more businesses will have the opportunity to become energy independent as Focus on Energy is offering special opportunity grants for up to $500,000 to support large renewable energy systems.
These grants, combined with the tax credits and other funding opportunities in the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed into law Feb. 17, 2009, should help to make significant renewable energy projects a reality for hundreds of Wisconsin businesses.
“We believe there is an emerging demand for renewable energy systems at a larger level,” said Don Wichert, renewable energy program director. “As concerns over the effects of fossil fuel based energy use, pollution and America’s dependence on energy from overseas increase, it is our hope Wisconsin businesses will take advantage of these grants – and the new federal incentives – to take control over their energy use.”
Eligible businesses must submit grant proposals to Focus on Energy by May 27, 2009. Funds will be awarded for the following technologies:
Solar Electric
Solar energy can be converted directly to electricity with photovoltaic (PV) cells. As light strikes the PV cell, it creates an electrical potential that generates a current of electricity. To implement solar electricity, businesses can use this grant for the installation of solar electric systems larger than 50 kilowatts (kW). The grant will award a maximum of $250,000.
Solar Water Heating
The sun’s energy can be used to heat water for commercial and industrial applications. Businesses interested in implementing solar water heating can use this grant for the installation of solar water heating systems that offset more than 15,000 therms per year. The grant will award a maximum of $250,000.
Wind Energy
The energy present in wind can be converted into electricity with a wind turbine. Wind passing over the turbine creates a rotary motion that turns an electric generator and creates electricity. This grant will provide financial support for the installation of commercially available wind energy systems larger than 100 kW. This grant will award a maximum of $250,000.
Biogas/Landfill Gas/Biomass/Hydro
This grant will provide financial support for the installation of industrial/municipal and farm anaerobic digestion, landfill gas, biomass combustion and hydroelectric projects that generally cost $2 million to $5 million. These systems can help supply space heating, process heating, cooling and electricity. The grant will award a maximum of $500,000.
by jboullion | Mar 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a story on WISC-TV:
MADISON, Wis. — While timber is an abundant resource in Wisconsin, building with home-grown lumber in the state used to be impossible, unless the wood was a person’s own. Now, that’s changing.
Starting in April, small sawmills like one owned by Jim Birkemeier, of Spring Green, will be selling locally-grown wood to home builders and home owners who want a sustainable lifestyle, WISC-TV reported.
Until recently, state building standards prevented small sawmills like Birkemeier’s from doing just that.
Republican state Sen. Dale Schultz’s 17th district was one of the legislators that pushed the change through the senate. He said that the bipartisan effort to keep wood local will help keep money local.
“We can do it by having a smaller carbon footprint, and at the same time adding value to our resource,” said Schultz. “Making a sustainable economy as well as a sustainable environment.”
But it’s not just about the economy or about living “green.” It’s about keeping forests healthy.
Alex Greene, of Red Beard Lumber, said, “The trees with inferior genetics and things like that, you’re taking those out. From a management point of view, you’re continually improving the quality and the volume of your forest.”
Greene and Birkemeier will now be certified to sell local lumber to home builders and home owners, but not to retailers.
