by jboullion | Jan 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Alliant Energy:
January 6, 2010 – While the symptoms of headache, nausea and fatigue are usually associated with the flu, they’re also a warning sign of another serious health problem — carbon monoxide poisoning. Alliant Energy encourages customers to recognize the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning and to take safety precautions this heating season.
“Since symptoms mimic those of the flu, victims of carbon monoxide poisoning often don’t realize the cause of their illness,” said Larry Jensema, a service specialist for Alliant Energy. “Headache, nausea or vomiting, dizziness or disorientation, fatigue, muscle weakness and difficulty waking are all early indicators of possible carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Winter is the prime season for carbon monoxide problems because your home is sealed up tight and your furnace is running to keep your home warm. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, tasteless, odorless gas that occurs when fuel-burning appliances aren’t working properly. When people breathe in carbon monoxide, it enters the bloodstream and interferes with the absorption of oxygen by the blood cells.
If exposure continues over a long period, carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to brain damage or even death. If the symptoms are not accompanied by fever, if everyone in the family is ill, or if the symptoms disappear when you leave the house, it could be carbon monoxide poisoning.
“If you suspect carbon monoxide is in your home, get everyone out of the house and call a service professional to inspect your appliances right away. If you or anyone living in your home is seriously ill, call 911,” added Jensema.
by jboullion | Jan 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Alliant Energy:
January 6, 2010 – While the symptoms of headache, nausea and fatigue are usually associated with the flu, they’re also a warning sign of another serious health problem — carbon monoxide poisoning. Alliant Energy encourages customers to recognize the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning and to take safety precautions this heating season.
“Since symptoms mimic those of the flu, victims of carbon monoxide poisoning often don’t realize the cause of their illness,” said Larry Jensema, a service specialist for Alliant Energy. “Headache, nausea or vomiting, dizziness or disorientation, fatigue, muscle weakness and difficulty waking are all early indicators of possible carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Winter is the prime season for carbon monoxide problems because your home is sealed up tight and your furnace is running to keep your home warm. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, tasteless, odorless gas that occurs when fuel-burning appliances aren’t working properly. When people breathe in carbon monoxide, it enters the bloodstream and interferes with the absorption of oxygen by the blood cells.
If exposure continues over a long period, carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to brain damage or even death. If the symptoms are not accompanied by fever, if everyone in the family is ill, or if the symptoms disappear when you leave the house, it could be carbon monoxide poisoning.
“If you suspect carbon monoxide is in your home, get everyone out of the house and call a service professional to inspect your appliances right away. If you or anyone living in your home is seriously ill, call 911,” added Jensema.
by jboullion | Dec 29, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Bob Geiger, staff writer for Finance & Commerce:
Last week, there was a minor change to the web site of Xcel Energy – an unobtrusive box picturing a wind turbine along with the words, “Learn more about Xcel Energy’s climate action.”
But the minor graphic signals a major effort at the Minneapolis-based utility – to promote its renewable energy efforts, as well as its support for a proposed federal policy aimed at limiting greenhouse gases.
The site lays out Xcel Energy’s game plan for dealing with climate change, and includes an endorsement of a uniform federal policy for a cap-and-trade system that is intended to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has started the process to cap carbon dioxide emissions as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act, established more than 30 years ago to deal with local and regional pollution.
In posting its support of a cap and trade system that charges polluters for emissions of greenhouse gases, Xcel Energy is taking the corporate position that such a system encourages technological change to lower such emissions.
In the meantime, Xcel itself is “looking to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions in Minnesota by 22 percent from 2005 levels” by 2020, said Betsy Engelking, director of resource planning for the utility.
by jboullion | Dec 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Alliant Energy:
December 1, 2009 – The Alliant Energy Foundation is offering scholarships to recognize outstanding community leadership in young people and help first-time college students attain their academic goals. Up to 25 $1,000 scholarships will be awarded in the fall of 2010 through the Alliant Energy Foundation Community Service Scholarship Program.
“We believe in supporting education throughout our Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin communities and one of many ways we can do that is through awarding scholarships to deserving young adults,” said Julie Bauer, Alliant Energy Foundation Executive Director. “We are proud to offer these scholarships to benefit talented students and their families.”
To be eligible, scholarship applicants must have participated in a leadership role in community service work or volunteer activities. They must also meet the following criteria:
+ Be age 24 or under;
+ Be a dependent child of a current customer, or be a current customer, of one of Alliant Energy’s utility subsidiaries (Interstate Power and Light or Wisconsin Power and Light);
+ Reside within the Alliant Energy service territory at the time of application; and
+ Plan to enroll in, for the first time, beginning in the fall of 2010, a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year college or university, or vocational-technical school located within Iowa, Minnesota or Wisconsin.
by jboullion | Nov 30, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
The state Public Service Commission [PSC] appears to have taken a reasonable approach to We Energies’ request for an increase in rates for electricity customers, granting some but not all of what the utility was asking. While any increase hurts consumers during a time of recession, the reality is that We Energies needs to cover costs related to building power plants, transmission lines costs and employee pensions.
Wisconsin needs reasonable power costs to attract and retain businesses, but it also needs reliable power. The PSC is striving to make sure the state has both.
But commissioners delayed making a decision on one aspect of the rate request. That delay could hurt Wisconsin consumers and the environment. Commissioners should reconsider, and grant the request without any delay.
At stake is a settlement We Energies reached in 2008 with environmental groups involving cooling methods for its new coal plants in Oak Creek. The settlement was a victory for all sides, allowing the utility and its partners to complete the plants in a timely manner, providing help for Lake Michigan in the form of funds for restoration initiatives and expanding renewable energy in Wisconsin.
The $105 million settlement will be paid for mostly by electric customers, but that price tag will be far less than it could have been under a protracted legal battle over the plant’s cooling system. The utilities involved and the environmental groups who fought the plant worked hard to reach a compromise that serves everyone.
But that compromise could be put in jeopardy if the PSC rejects the portion of the rate hike request designed to cover the cost of the settlement. The environmental groups could decide that their work was wasted if there is a significant delay in getting the restoration money for Lake Michigan. And re-opening the lawsuit could mean more costs to ratepayers if the groups prevail.
