by jboullion | Dec 16, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kim Palmer in the Star Tribune, St. Paul, MN:
A doctor’s passion for sustainability inspired him to build what may be the most energy-efficient home in the Midwest.
Dr. Gary Konkol’s new house has lots of cool modern features. But the coolest, most modern thing about it might be the feature it lacks: a furnace.
This will be Konkol’s first winter in the house, but he’s not worried about keeping warm. “I make more energy than I need,” he said. “Even on the coldest, cloudiest day in January, I’ll use the equivalent of two handheld hair dryers.”
His house, which sits on a wooded cul-de-sac in North Hudson, Wis., looks starkly contemporary next to its traditional suburban neighbors. But beneath the surface, it’s truly radical: the first certified passive solar house in Wisconsin and one of fewer than a dozen nationwide.
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.
by jboullion | Dec 7, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by John Meyers in the Duluth News Tribune:
The board of the proposed Northern Lights Express passenger train line is reacting this week to a state consultant’s report that paints the railroad as a poor economic investment for public money.
Members of the NLX board will meet in St. Cloud on Wednesday and approve a response criticizing a Minnesota Department of Transportation consultant report that shows the proposed high-speed rail line between Duluth and Minneapolis would offer only 29 to 38 cents in economic benefit for every dollar invested.
The report also found poor returns for possible high-speed passenger lines from the Twin Cities to Fargo, Eau Claire, Rochester and Mankato — all well below the Federal Railroad Administration minimum guideline for economic return of $1 earned for every dollar spent.
by jboullion | Dec 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jessica Vanegeren in The Dunn County News:
MADISON — Train boosters in Wisconsin aren’t the only ones frustrated with Gov.-elect Scott Walker’s promise to kill the proposed rail link between Madison and Milwaukee: so are our neighbors to the west.
“Obviously, if we don’t have a willing partner, it makes it more difficult to move forward,” says Dan Krom, director of the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s passenger rail office. “We all have our state politics to deal with, and the fact Wisconsin is in the middle (between Minnesota and Illinois) is a problem.”
If Wisconsin refuses to get on board and Walker turns away $810 million in federal stimulus money to pay for rail service between Milwaukee and Madison, it is unlikely Minnesota would see its largest metropolitan area connected to the proposed nine-state Midwest rail line anytime soon.
by jboullion | Dec 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Rod Stetzer in The Chippewa Herald:
EAU CLAIRE — Chippewa Falls has a lot at stake if the high-speed rail project from the Twin Cities to Chicago finally gets a green light.
Two of the final 10 routes being considered for the passenger train traveling up to 110-mph would go through the city, while two would go through Eau Claire (one route would go through both Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire).
But the fate of the project is unclear, in part because of Gov.-elect Scott Walker’s pledge to reject federal money for a line between Madison and Milwaukee.
Wisconsin and Minnesota are each contributing $300,000 toward the rail study, with the federal government paying $600,000. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is administering the federal grant.
Chippewa Falls City Planner Jayson Smith summed up Wednesday’s informational session in Eau Claire, a meeting that drew a standing-room only crowd at the Best Western Trail Lodge.
“This is just an initial study,” Smith said, pointing out that Wednesday’s session was only part of the process.
On Tuesday, Smith noted, the Chippewa Falls City Council will be invited to the Gateway Coalition, a group that will look at several factors, including the increasing volume of traffic on Interstate 94.
The high-speed rail study is inching along. A decision on the final route for the project won’t come until July 2012, said Charles H. Quandel of the Chicago consulting firm of Quandel Engineering Services.
