Free bus from Milwaukee to Madison to testify on Clean Energy Jobs bill, Feb. 2

A legislative alert and free offer from the Sierra Club and Clean Wisconsin:

WISCONSIN NEEDS THE CLEAN ENERGY JOBS BILL THIS SESSION!

You are invited to join your neighbors who intend to “pack the house” at the state Capitol as the Legislature holds public hearings on the Wisconsin Clean Energy Jobs Act (AB 649/SB 450). We urge you to take advantage of a free bus ride to make your voice heard in Madison.

Date: Tuesday, February 2
Where: Bus leaves from the McKinley Marina parking lot, across from Alterra Café at the Lake, 1701 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive. Parking is free.
Time: Bus leaves Milwaukee at 8:00 a.m.
Return: Bus begins the return trip from Madison at 3:00 p.m., arriving in Milwaukee at about 5:00 p.m.
What will Happen: Info about the Clean Energy Jobs Act will be provided on the bus, and you will get a chance to meet with your legislators once you get to the Capitol. This is a great opportunity to travel to the capitol and back at no expense and make your voice heard.
How to Reserve a Seat: Call Katy at Clean Wisconsin: 608-251-7020, Extension 28. Leave a message saying you’d like to be on the bus and provide your name, phone number, and street address. Or RSVP your name, phone, and address to RSVP@cleanwisconsin.org.

The WI Clean Energy Jobs Act is based on recommendations developed by the Governor’s Global Warming Task Force. The Act creates critical energy efficiency, renewable energy and transportation policies to reduce the threat of climate change and revitalize our economy. Learn more on the Sierra Club’s website at: http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/Involve/action.asp.

We have just three months to pass this bill, and it is vital that we show strong citizen support for taking real action on climate change.

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RENEW: Hearing trivialized Advanced Renewable Tariffs

From a letter from RENEW Wisconsin to Senators Jeff Plale and Mark Miller, co-chairs of the Select Senate Committee on Clean Energy, who held a hearing on the Clean Energy Jobs Act bill on January 27:

Dear Senators Miller and Plale:

Thank you for holding a hearing yesterday of the Select Committee on Clean Energy on SB 450 (the Clean Energy Jobs Act bill). You heard a great deal of substantive commentary about much of the bill, particularly the sections dealing with energy efficiency and the expanded Renewable Energy Standard.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the discussion on the proposal to institute Advanced Renewable Tariffs in Wisconsin. Early in the hearing, a speaker framed the issue as “asking a little old lady in Cudahy to subsidize an expensive system in Mequon.” From that point, the discussion devolved into a kind of semi-orchestrated gang-tackling on this issue that continued unabated until I was called upon to speak, some seven hours and forty five minutes after the hearing began. While RENEW members who work for or with solar, wind and biogas energy installation companies were present during the hearing and had registered to speak, none were called prior to myself. All but two (Full Spectrum Solar and Ed Ritger) had to leave before the hearing ended.

Now, I don’t believe the first speaker, a labor leader, had intended to belittle the companies that install customer-sited renewable energy systems or dismiss their contribution to Wisconsin’s economy and environment. Nevertheless, the “little old lady from Cudahy” theme took a life of its own, and as a result, the very important issues of how to support these systems through utility rates and whether these rates should be mandated had become thoroughly trivialized by the end.

Allow me to repeat some of the points I made at yesterday’s hearing:

1. The vast majority of the distributed renewable generating units installed in Wisconsin serve schools, dairy farms and other small businesses, churches and local governments.

2. Utilities are not in the business of installing these systems themselves.

3. In many cases the renewable energy installation went forward because there was a special buyback rate available to accelerate the recovery of the original investment made by the customer. Yesterday, I gave the example of the Dane County community anaerobic digester project that, once operational, will treat manure taken from several nearby dairy farms in the Waunakee area and produce two megawatts of electricity with it. The electricity will be purchased by Alliant Energy through a voluntary biogas tariff worth 9.3 cents/kWh. Unfortunately, Alliant’s biogas program is fully subscribed and is no longer available to other dairy farmers, food processing companies and wastewater treatment facilities served by Alliant.

4. Companies that install solar, wind and biogas energy systems are quintessentially small businesses, many of them family-owned. Renewable energy contractors and affiliated service providers constitute one of the few market sectors where young adults who have acquired the necessary skills to do the job well can find meaningful work at decent pay.

5. By its very nature, distributed renewable energy delivers nearly 100% of its economic punch to the local economy.

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Wisconsin lands $800 million for high-speed train

From an article by Tom Held in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Wisconsin will receive more than $800 million to build a high-speed rail line carrying passengers between Milwaukee and Madison at 110 mph and recapture a piece of a regional rail system largely abandoned six decades ago.

The high-speed line could be up and running as early as 2013, the state says.

President Barack Obama mentioned the federal investment in high-speed rail in his State of the Union speech Wednesday night and was expected to announce the specific awards for 13 projects nationally at an event in Florida on Thursday morning.

A fact sheet issued by the White House lists the $810 million for the stations and track improvements necessary for the high-speed line connecting the state's two largest cities, along with improvements to the Amtrak Hiawatha line between Milwaukee and Chicago that will serve as the building blocks for a 110-mph service along that route.

Ridership on that line nearly doubled from 397,518 passengers in 2002 to 766,167 in 2008, then leveled off in 2009. The decrease was blamed on the recession, which decreased travel across various modes of transportation.

The federal funding is part of an $8 billion package of rail grants approved by Congress in the 2009 economic recovery act. It provides money to build up the tracks and start operation of a high-speed rail connection that had been stalled in Wisconsin for decades.

"I am really pleased with President Obama's investment in the future of Wisconsin's economy," Gov. Jim Doyle said late Wednesday. "This is a major job creation project that will provide a long-term boost to our economy.

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Fact check: Business group's radio ad uses bogus global warming data

From an article by Lisa Kaiser in the Shepherd Express (Milwaukee):

A new radio ad sponsored by the right-wing Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC)—attacking the proposed Clean Energy Jobs Act, just introduced in the state Legislature—is, as usual, full of misinformation.
Voices of two anonymous women claim that the bill would cost the average Wisconsin family more than a thousand dollars per year and lead to job losses, as well as high electricity rates and gas prices.

But that claim is based on an already debunked study by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI), largely funded by the ultraconservative Bradley Foundation, and the Beacon Hill Institute, a free-market think tank that accepted more than $50,000 from the Bradley Foundation in 2007 to develop a “tax model” for Wisconsin. (Yes, that is the same Wisconsin Policy Research Institute that was exposed in last week’s Shepherd Express for cooking their results to make their conservative board members happy.)

These two right-wing think tanks produced a report in November that purported to calculate the costs of recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming. That report alleged that the impacts of all of the task force’s recommendations would lead to roughly 50,000 job losses in the state over the next decade and cost the average Wisconsin resident more than $1,000.

But don’t believe it.

A Complete Fabrication
Thad Nation, executive director of the business alliance Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy (CREWE), which supports the bill, called the claims in the WMC ad “a complete fabrication” because it’s based on WPRI’s bogus study that analyzes the costs of all 13 task force recommendations—even though eight of the 13 are not included in the legislation.

“The [WPRI] study is not based on what’s actually included in the Clean Energy Jobs Act,” asserts a CREWE fact sheet.

Here are just a few errors:

•The WPRI study includes the cost of a cap and trade system. But the legislation doesn’t recommend a cap and trade system. That throws the study’s overall cost estimates into doubt.
•The WPRI study made a number of incorrect assumptions. For example, it assumed that 30% of the state’s energy sources would have to come from renewable sources by 2025, rather than the actual figure of 25%.
•The WPRI study doesn’t include the many economic benefits of the legislation.

For example, state Rep. Spencer Black, who helped to author the bill, argues that $20 billion leaves Wisconsin each year to purchase fuel from other states and countries. Redirecting that money toward clean energy sources in Wisconsin—for example, solar or wind power—will increase the state’s tax base and jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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U.S. wind energy industry needs help from Congress

U.S. wind power capacity experienced growth of 39 percent last year but was not followed with green job growth as uncertainty about renewable energy policies and the global recession slowed overall production.The total installed capacity of new U.S. wind turbines accounted for more than 9,900 megawatts, which despite the recession is still the significant increase compared to 8,400 MW in the

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Glacier Hills order includes protections for residents

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin issued its final order on construction of We Energies' Glacier Hills Wind Park. The order included, among others, several provisions to allow residences to seek remedies should they feel bothered by turbines in the project (numbering follows the numbering in the written PSC order, pages 48-54):

10. WEPCO shall operate the project in a manner that meets noise limits of 50 dBA during daytime hours, and, upon complaint by an affected resident, shall be permanently reduced to 45 dBA during nighttime hours for areas related to the complaint. Nighttime hours are defined to include those hours between 10:OO p.m. to 6:00 a.m. daily, from April 1 through September 30. The requirement to meet the seasonally reduced nighttime noise limit shall be triggered by the receipt by WEPCO of any complaint regarding nighttime noise levels. Methods available for WEPCO to comply with both the daytime and nighttime noise limits shall include, but are not limited to, operational curtailment of the turbine or turbines contributing to the exceedance of the noise limits. WEPCO is relieved from meeting the nighttime noise limit if the affected resident agrees to a financial settlement. Compliance with noise limits shall be measured or otherwise evaluated at the outside wall of the non-participating residence. WEPCO
shall provide notification to potentially affected residents of the provisions of this Final Decision relating to noise limits prior to initial operation of the project.

11. WEPCO shall evaluate compliance with the noise limits included in this Final Decision as part of its post-construction noise study. The post-construction noise study shall be conducted as described in the most current version of the PSC Noise Measurement Protocol. WEPCO shall file a copy of the post-construction noise study report with the Commission.

12. WEPCO shall construct its project using a minimum setback from non-participating residences of 1,250 feet.

15. WEPCO shall work with local electric distribution companies to test for stray voltage at all dairy operations within one-half mile of any project facility, prior to construction and again after the project is completed. WEPCO shall work with the distribution utilities and farm owners to rectify any stray voltage problems arising from the construction and operation of the project. Prior to any testing, WEPCO shall work with Commission staff to determine the manner in which stray voltage measurements will be conducted and on which properties. WEPCO shall provide to Commission staff reports of the results of stray voltage testing.

16. WEPCO shall work with landowners to mitigate the effects of shadow flicker. WEPCO shall provide shadow flicker mitigation for residences experiencing 25 hours per year or more of shadow flicker. Residences shall be eligible for mitigation if computer modeling shows that shadow flicker would exceed 25 hours per year, and the property owner need not document the actual hours per year of shadow flicker to be eligible. Residences that exceed 25 hours per year of shadow flicker based on logs kept by the resident shall also be eligible for mitigation. The requirement to mitigate shadow flicker at eligible residences shall be triggered by the receipt by WEPCO of a complaint regarding shadow flicker. WEPCO shall allow the resident to choose a preferred reasonable mitigation technique, including but not limited to, installation at WEPCO's expense of blinds or planting. WEPCO shall provide notification to potentially affected residents of the provisions of this Final Decision relating to shadow flicker prior to initial operation of the project. WEPCO may provide shadow flicker mitigation for residences experiencing less than 25 hours per year of shadow flicker.

17. WEPCO shall maintain a log of all complaints received regarding the project. The log shall include, at a minimum, the name and address of the complainants, nature of the complaints, and steps taken by WEPCO to resolve the complaints. WEPCO shall make copies of this complaint log available, at no cost, to the monitoring committees authorized by the town of Randolph and town of Scott JDAs.

18. WEPCO shall coordinate with local first responders and air ambulance services regarding the development of an emergency evacuation plan, including the locations of alternate landing zones. The plan shall include provisions for public inspection of the plan, as appropriate. WEPCO shall file the final plan with the Commission, using the Commission's confidential filing procedures, if necessary.

19. WEPCO shall follow the provisions of the town of Scott and town of Randolph JDAs regarding radio and television interference. In addition, WEPCO shall consult with affected residents regarding the residents' preferred reasonable mitigation solution for radio and television interference problems, prior to implementing remedial measures, and that the preferred solution shall be made permanent.

20. WEPCO shall follow the provisions of the town of Scott and town of Randolph JDAs regarding cellular communications interference. In addition, WEPCO shall work with affected cellular providers to provide adequate coverage in the affected area. Mitigation techniques for lost or weakened cellular telephone communications shall include, but are not limited to, an additional micro-cell, cell, or base station facility to fill in the affected area. The micro-cell, cell, or base station may be installed on one of the structures within the wind energy facility.

21. WEPCO shall develop and file a plan with the Commission, for Commission approval prior to construction, to reduce the individual hardships to the Smitses and Regneruses. The plan shall be developed in consultation with these two families. The plan may include, but is not limited to: relocation of turbines to reduce the number of turbines within one-half mile to no more than seven turbines; providing annual payments to these two families, not to exceed the amount paid to participating residents receiving payment for one turbine lease; or, purchasing the properties at fair market value.

22. Compliance with setback provisions for non-participating residences shall be measured from the centerline of the turbine tower to the nearest point on the foundation of the residence.

25. WEPCO shall provide up to $150,000 of funding towards an operational curtailment and bat mortality study at GHWP, or a site with similar characteristics, as determined by Commission staff. These funds may be applied to a study effort undertaken by another entity or, if no other study can be identified, WEPCO shall develop and coordinate a study and shall seek additional funding from other entities.

26. WEPCO shall provide proposed designs of the required bat and bird studies to DNR and Commission staff for review, and Commission staff shall approve the final study design.

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Milwauke County still plans rapid transit bus service

From an article by Larry Sandler in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Despite a setback in the county budget process, Milwaukee County officials still are planning for enhanced express bus service, also known as bus rapid transit.

County Executive Scott Walker's administration is preparing to give the County Board options in March for a one-route or two-route bus rapid transit system, using $36.6 million in federal funding, said Brian Dranzik, administration director for the county Department of Transportation and Public Works.

That cash is the county's portion of $91.5 million in long-idle federal transit aid, which Congress divided between the city's planned streetcar line and the county bus system after local officials couldn't agree on how to spend it. The money legally cannot be spent on the Milwaukee County Transit System's operating expenses.

Walker has long advocated using the federal money for bus rapid transit, or BRT, which supporters tout as offering the advantages of light rail at a lower cost. BRT lines typically use modern, energy-efficient buses that resemble light rail vehicles, running in reserved lanes or separate roadways, with stoplights rigged to turn green when the vehicles approach.

The Milwaukee County version would run in regular traffic but with automatic green lights for buses. Like their counterparts elsewhere, local BRT stops would have electronic signs showing the wait for the next bus.

In the 2010 county budget, Walker proposed a BRT line from the County Grounds in Wauwatosa through downtown Milwaukee to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Supervisors sliced that plan out of the budget, saying they wanted more details.

Transit officials recently presented three options to the board's Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee. One option would have used all the federal money to buy new buses, without adding BRT service.

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Business leaders want transit for SE Wisconsin

From a blog post on by Andrew Weiland in the BizTimes Milwaukee:

Some of southeastern Wisconsin’s key business leaders said today that the creation of a regional transit authority to upgrade Milwaukee County’s bus system and create a Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail is essential for the economic vitality of the region.

Backed by some of area's most prominent business executives, Gov. Jim Doyle announced today new legislation to create a Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SERTA).

The plan includes a 0.5 percent sales tax increase in Milwaukee County to provide a dedicated funding source for the county’s financially troubled bus system.

Business leaders said mass transit is needed to help people get to work and is a key amenity to attracting talented workers to southeastern Wisconsin.

“This is not a want, this is an absolute need for the community,” said Tim Sullivan, president and chief executive officer of South Milwaukee-based Bucyrus International Inc. The announcement about the RTA legislation was held at the Bucyrus headquarters.

“It’s critical that this legislation pass during the spring 2010 session,” said Robert Mariano, chairman and CEO of Milwaukee-based Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc. “It is foolish to ignore, this is an economic development issue. Transit builds the economy.”

“For the vitality of southeastern Wisconsin, getting this bill through the legislature is critical,” said Scott VanderSanden, president of AT&T Wisconsin.

“We believe regional transit and the KRM is an important investment in the future of our region,” said J. Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of Racine-based S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. “More efficient and more affordable public transit can help make a city an even more attractive place for business and can help the vibrancy of a community. The lack of accessibility to Milwaukee and Chicago is a big reason it is more challenging to attract key people to our company.”

“It’s really frustrating to see the constant deterioration of public transit,” said Ed Zore, CEO of Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. “It’s really important for business to have a good public transit system.”

About 700 of his company’s employees use public transit, Zore said.

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From an editorial in The Jouranl Times (Racine):

As one might expect, the release of Gov. Jim Doyle's energy policy and climate change bill has produced argument about how much harm or benefit it will produce, and there are dueling studies about the bill's effect. That is a side issue.

We should embrace the goals of the bill if not necessarily every line because doing nothing is not an option. We can suffer some pain in the near term or the certainty of great pain later. This is fact for three reasons.

First, some sort of cost will be attached to greenhouse gas emissions. Congress is considering its own climate change legislation, but even without that, the Environmental Protection Agency has already declared its intent to regulate those emissions under the Clean Air Act.

Second, oil is not an infinite resource. Depending on which analyst one chooses to believe, we are either at or just past the peak of oil production. In other words, the supply of this resource will begin declining, and this will drive up prices especially with China and India in the market seeking to fuel their growth.

Third, there is no guarantee that doing nothing will save the jobs said to be in jeopardy now. Wisconsin's paper industry, for example, has been closing mills, cutting jobs and selling off land for several years.

If we do nothing, we can be assured there will be more pain later because we will have squandered the lead time required to build new nuclear power plants, erect new power transmission lines and invest in other alternatives to mitigate the effects of oil price increases.

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Group's anti-jobs report obvioulsy flawed

An article from the Sheherd Express:

Over the next three months, the Wisconsin Legislature and governor will try to enact the Clean Energy Jobs Act aimed at creating new jobs and improving the air we breathe through a clean energy economic strategy. It is important for policy-makers to get multiple points of view on the table and all of the facts honestly presented to develop the optimal public policy for Wisconsin’s future. So it is unfortunate that the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI), the child of the right-wing Bradley Foundation, put out a terribly flawed report two months ago—in fact, it was so bad that many thought it would be discarded immediately. Instead, this report, which, of course, came up with the results the business community desired, has been cited over and over by well-funded special interests that oppose clean energy technology.

Among the many obvious errors made in the study, the report failed to factor in economic and related benefits that would result from the legislation. This includes reduced energy costs for businesses and individuals, avoiding the costs of building new power plants, fewer transmission lines, various health benefits resulting in less absenteeism from work and school, more certainty for businesses by avoiding the fluctuations in fossil fuel prices, and greater revenues for farmers resulting from the increased use of biofuels. We just hope that legislators are intellectually honest enough to see through such biased analysis.

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RTA plan would allow Milwaukee County sales tax for transit

From an article by Larry Sandler of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

South Milwaukee - Milwaukee County could create its own transit authority, funded by a sales tax of up to a half-cent, to take over the county's cash-strapped bus system, under proposed legislation unveiled Tuesday.

The full 0.5% sales tax would bring in about $60 million a year, or roughly $20 million more than the Milwaukee County Transit System would need to end property tax support and meet its funding needs, bus system spokeswoman Jacqueline Janz said. The new transit authority would be required to use the additional money to restore bus routes cut since 2001, to increase service or to reduce fares.

Planners have warned the bus system would face a major service cut without new state or local funding to replace property taxes.

After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Gov. Jim Doyle announced the plan at a news conference at Bucyrus International corporate headquarters. He was backed by the chief executive officers of some of the region's largest corporations, who said the southeastern Wisconsin economy depends on reliable transit that isn't funded by property taxes.

The Milwaukee County authority would be one of several temporary local transit authorities that eventually could merge into the existing Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, which oversees the planned KRM Commuter Link rail line. Like Milwaukee County, other county or municipal governments that run bus systems could form temporary transit authorities in Kenosha, Racine, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties, which would sunset if not merged into the regional agency.

Outside Milwaukee County, the local transit authorities could be funded by local vehicle registration fees, hotel taxes or property taxes contributed by local governments, but they could not impose sales taxes without voter approval in a referendum.

From an article by Stephanie Jones in the Journal Times (Racine):

[Racine Mayor John] Dickert stood with the governor Tuesday in supporting new transit legislation.

"If we as elected officials are going to rebuild our cities, we must start with a solid foundation," Dickert said. "That foundation can begin with a regional transit system."

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Wisconsin pays more if the state fails to act

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Clean Energy Jobs Act will require trade-offs, but we're confident that the cost of the measure will be far less than if we stand pat.

A bill just introduced in the state Legislature holds the promise of growing new technologies, new jobs and energy independence in Wisconsin. Its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing conservation efforts and renewable and alternative sources of energy are good public policy. They deserve widespread support in the Legislature and from citizens.

The bill comes with costs, and the Legislature should do what it can to mitigate those costs to businesses and families, especially the neediest. But doing nothing in the face of the climate change that science says is already taking place will be even more costly. And even if the worst projections of climate change don't come to fruition, and even if the federal government doesn't act on a bill of its own, it's still important to reduce Wisconsin's reliance on fossil fuels and increase our use of renewable energy. Public health and the environment demand no less.

Just as important in the wake of the Great Recession, the Clean Energy Jobs Act, based on the recommendations of the governor's Global Warming Task Force, also brings opportunity. Gov. Jim Doyle asserts the bill will create more than 15,000 jobs. Maybe that's an overestimation; maybe not. But it's clear that jobs will be created and that the bill could put the state in position to take advantage of a new wave in the so-called green economy. Getting ahead of other states would benefit businesses as well as the families who need jobs.

The act provides a launching pad for a number of efforts that could move Wisconsin forward. It is not without flaws - and those flaws need to be addressed by legislators - but if done right, this bill deserves to be enacted this year.

A key element of the bill is a requirement that Wisconsin generate 25% of its power from renewable sources such as wind turbines, biomass plants and solar panels by 2025, up from 5% in 2008.

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Two green homes go on the market in Riverwest

From an article by Julie Lawrence at OnMilwaukee.com:

Back in spring 2008, Pragmatic Construction, a Milwaukee-based green construction company aimed at advancing the principles of sustainable development within the urban environment, was knee-deep in a series of development projects but was still planning its path for a greener future in Milwaukee.

Co-founder Steve Servais and his crew were just laying out the plans for two single-family homes in Riverwest that were slated to be among the state's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified platinum homes. . . .

LEED-certified buildings are designed to lower operating costs and increase asset value, reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, be healthier and safer for occupants and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Two years later, the side-by-side sustainable homes at 702 and 708 E. Hadley St. are complete and now on the market. Servais says his company has really pushed sustainable building to the limit.

The house sizes are modest; 1,200 and 1,300 square feet, respectively. But the environmental impact is huge. Some of the many green features include passive solar heating, passive cooling, 96 percent energy-efficient forced-air backup HVAC, bio-based sprayfoam roof insulation, triple-pane windows, tankless hot water, reclaimed hardwood flooring, reclaimed doors, steel, fiber-cement and cedar siding, stained concrete flooring, no-VOC paints and finishes, dual-flush toilets and low-flow fixtures, in-floor radiant heat and energy recovery ventilators.

And it doesn't stop indoors. Outside they've implemented rain barrels, a shared rain-garden, pervious paving surfaces, steel roofing, recycled plastic roofing, a 2.1KW PV Array (solar electric), and two flat-panel solar hot water arrays.

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Wisconsin’s business community is a house divided

From a post by Steve Jagler on Milwaukee Biz Blog:

The controversy over Gov. Jim Doyle’s proposed Clean Energy Jobs Act illustrates a deep philosophical divide that is emerging within Wisconsin’s business community.

In some ways, the emerging chasm pits the politics of tomorrow against the politics of yesterday.

On one side of the divide – in favor of the green jobs plan - stand the coalition for Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy (CREWE) and the Wisconsin Business Council.

The CREWE includes venerable companies such as CleanPower, Alliant Energy, EcoEnergy, Johnson Controls Inc., Xcel Energy, C5•6 Technologies, Axley Brynelson, Madison Gas and Electric, Orion Energy Systems, Forest County Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin Energy Corp., Poblocki Sign Company, Emerging Energies of Wisconsin, MillerCoors, American Transmission Co., WPPI Energy, DTE Energy Services and Kranz, Inc. . . .

The plan also has the support of the Wisconsin Business Council, which includes leaders from several of the state’s key businesses, including American Transmission Co., Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, AT&T Wisconsin, Commerce State Bank, Dean Health System, Midwest Natural Gas, MillerCoors, Mortenson Construction, Orion Energy Systems and Park Bank (in Madison). . . .

On the other side of the divide stands the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), which is joined by 22 other business organizations, including the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), in opposition to Doyle’s proposal.

The WMC cited a study by the conservative Wisconsin Policy Research Institute that contends the proposed green legislation would kill 43,093 private-sector jobs in Wisconsin. . . .

Adding even more intrigue to this philosophical divide among Wisconsin’s business community is the fact that many members of the CREWE and the Wisconsin Business Council in favor of the green jobs plan also are dues-paying members of the WMC, the MMAC and the other organizations that are against the plan.

“It’s really created massive fault lines within the business community between the deniers (of global warming) and those that think something must be done,” said Thad Nation of the CREWE. “It’s probably going to get messier before it gets better.”

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SC Johnson continues to push the winds of change

From a news release issued by SC Johnson:

RACINE, Wis., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- SC Johnson has launched a wind energy pilot program at their headquarters campus with the installation of three new wind turbines. Already known for its use of renewable energy at their manufacturing facilities around the world, this new pilot program is expected to help the company further reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) usage and raise awareness that renewable energy is not just for factories, but also office buildings in urban settings. The company also expects to gather useful information from the program that will help further its quest to continue to develop more sustainable solutions.

"The use of renewable energy is essential to making a difference in the world and conducting business in a responsible way," said Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson, the company's fifth generation leader. "We hope our use of wind energy will inspire businesses in Racine and other cities to find new, sustainable solutions for reducing energy use."

The pilot program, which begins in January 2010 and runs through January 2011, builds on the company's efforts to reduce GHG and reduce carbon worldwide. The three wind turbines are located on the roof of one of the seven buildings on SC Johnson's international headquarters campus, which has an approximate eight block radius and where more than 1,300 employees work. The wind turbines are expected to be fully functioning by the end of the month. Once fully operational, the turbines will be connected to the company's electrical distribution system. The output they generate will power a small portion of the company's campus.

The company is hopeful that the outcome of the pilot program will be a clear picture of the number of computers, machines and other basic office resources that can be powered by renewable energy. Depending on the impact of the turbine's energy output, it is possible the company will extend the project to additional local SC Johnson facilities. . . .

To support local Wisconsin businesses and the local economy, SC Johnson chose American Renewable Power of Wisconsin to install the Swift turbines designed by Cascade Engineering, Inc. The turbines are expected to be fully installed and connected in late January and will be monitored closely throughout the year. SC Johnson engineers and technicians will be able to monitor the energy output and translate the information shortly after they are installed.

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We Energies' wind project will recharge state’s economy

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2010

MORE INFORMATION
Michael Vickerman
RENEW Wisconsin
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org

RENEW Wisconsin hailed today the Public Service Commission’s approval of what will become the state’s largest wind farm to be built in Columbia County.

Known as Glacier Hills, the proposed 90-turbine project will produce approximately 400 million kilowatt hours of clean renewable electricity annually, while directing $648,000 a year in local aid payments to Columbia County and the townships of Randolph and Scott.

“This project is certain to deliver a shot in the arm to wind-energy equipment suppliers, skilled laborers, and construction contractors throughout the state, not to mention area landowners and local governments,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide membership organization that advocates for renewable energy.

If We Energies’ experience with its previous wind project is any guide, this project will account for more than 400,000 labor hours during construction, according to Vickerman.

The state’s 10% renewable energy standard is the main policy driver behind this project, he said.

Vickerman said: “To be certain that Glacier Hills will not be the last large wind project constructed in Wisconsin, the Legislature must raise the current renewable-energy standard on utilities. The provisions in the recently introduced Clean Energy Jobs Act, which we strongly support, would lift that requirement to 25% by 2025.”

“The state can lock in additional jobs and revenue streams to localities by passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act this winter,” Vickerman said.

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Wisconsin wind-industry firms get stimulus tax breaks

From an article on BizTimes Daily:

President Barack Obama today announced that his administration is awarding $2.3 billion in tax credits to the private sector for clean energy manufacturing projects across the country, including seven companies in Wisconsin that will receive $21 million in tax breaks.

A total of 183 projects across the nation will receive the tax breaks, which are part of the federal economic stimulus package passed last year.

The White House said the projects will create 17,000 jobs and will boost U.S. manufacturing of advanced clean energy technologies including solar, wind and efficiency and energy management technologies.

The Wisconsin recipients of the tax credits are:

Waukesha Electric Systems Inc. is receiving a $12.45 million tax credit to expand its plant in Waukesha to product large, high-voltage power transformers. The company anticipates that more than 80 percent of them will be used to help bring renewable energy to distant load centers or to replace aging, less efficient transformers. . . .

Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Kaydon Corp. is receiving a $1,774,800 tax credit to re-equip and expand its manufacturing facility in Milwaukee to produce pitch and yaw bearings used in the production and assembly of wind energy turbines.

Milwaukee-based Ingeteam Inc. is receiving a $1,665,299 tax credit to manufacture wind turbine generators in various technologies. The company will also manufacture power converter and control systems for the wind and solar industries.

Wausaukee Composites Inc. is receiving a $930,810 tax credit to manufacture fiberglass wind turbine components.

Kaukauna-based Bassett Inc. is receiving an $868,500 tax credit to manufacture wind turbine towers and foundation components for all sizes of turbines and a $75,000 tax credit to manufacture carbon capture and sequestration systems to extract and trap carbon from waste systems from coal fired power plants.

Waukesha-based Cooper Power Systems LLC is receiving an $846,180 tax credit for its new facility that will be producing high efficiency transformers.

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Doyle launches Clean Energy Jobs initiative

From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today was joined by business leaders, labor, legislators and environmental organizations as he launched the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a landmark legislative package to accelerate the state’s green economy and create jobs. New industry-recognized research shows the package will directly create at least 15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025.

“Addressing climate change is not just an environmental issue, it’s about creating green jobs,” Governor Doyle said.

“The Clean Energy Jobs Act offers new standards to help accelerate Wisconsin’s green economy. I am calling on the Legislature to update renewable portfolio standards to generate 25 percent of our fuel from renewable sources by 2025 and set a realistic goal of a 2 percent annual reduction in energy consumption by 2015.”

The Clean Energy Jobs Act, State Senate Bill 450 and State Assembly Bill 649, implements the recommendations of Governor Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force to address climate change and grow the state’s green economy through several key measures:
• Enhanced renewable portfolio standards – A new 20 percent standard would be set for 2020 and a 25 percent standard would be set for 2025. The current 10 percent standard would be accelerated from 2015 to 2013. By advancing our current renewable portfolio standards, and setting new standards, we will ensure more of our energy dollars stay in the state, creating thousands of jobs for Wisconsin families in fields like construction, manufacturing, and agriculture.
• Enhanced energy efficiency and conservation efforts – Graduated statewide electricity savings goals would be set, leading up to a 2 percent reduction by 2015 and annual reductions thereafter. The cheapest way to lower carbon emissions is through energy conservation. By setting achievable conservation goals, this bill will help reduce energy costs in businesses and homes across the state.

A comprehensive economic assessment of the Clean Energy Jobs Act found that the package would directly create at least 15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025. More than 1,800 jobs would be created in the first year alone. The assessment also found that between 800 and 1,800 construction jobs would be created each year from 2011-2025, and more than 2,000 manufacturing jobs would be created once the laws are fully implemented.

Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin’s executive director said:

Wisconsin's existing 10% Renewable Energy Standard has driven significant investment in rural, forestry and agriculture markets by encouraging the construction of large wind, biogas, biomass and solar projects. Increasing the Renewable Energy Standard to 25% in 2025 would continue to generate more of the lucrative payments to landowners and biofuel / biomass providers as well as create more jobs constructing and maintaining the additional projects are built to meet the new standards.

The bills also include three of the proposals backed by the Homegrown Renewable Energy Campaign:

• Renewable Energy Buyback Rates, also called an Advanced Renewable Tariffs, would set utility payments for small renewable energy producers who want to "feed energy" into the electric grid, enabling farmers and rural businesses to help Wisconsin become more energy independent with biopower, wind and solar.
• The Biomass Crop Reserve Program would award contracts to farmers to plant native perennial plants, which the farmer can then sell for bioenergy production, helping to solve the chicken-and-egg problem of jumpstarting the homegrown fuels market.
• A Low-Carbon Fuel Standard would be a market-based approach to promoting the cleanest, low-carbon fuels for Wisconsin, and would put Wisconsin in a position to capture the rapidly-developing clean energy market by using Wisconsin's abundant natural resources like switchgrass.

Statements of support for the legislation came from Customers First!, WPPI Energy, CREWE, Clean Wisconsin, ACRE, MEUW, Sierra Club, and others.

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Group says to ignore flawed energy analysis

From the introduction to a report issued by Wisconsin Environment:

Madison – As the state of Wisconsin begins to consider the Clean Energy Jobs Act, legislation aimed at reducing the state’s dependence on fossil fuels and creating new jobs in the clean energy economy, Wisconsin Environment Research & Policy Center released a new report today debunking recent claims made by special interest groups attacking the initiative.

In the last month, opponents of the initiative have relied on a November 2009 paper by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute [WPRI], “The Economics of Climate Change Proposals in Wisconsin,” to suggest that transitioning the state to a clean energy economy would result in massive economic disruption. Wisconsin Environment RPC has provided a new, detailed analysis of the flawed methodology used in the WPRI report.

“Wisconsin decision-makers need well-thought-out analyses of economic and environmental challenges –- including from those who, like WPRI, bring a libertarian perspective to the debate -– if the state is going to address those challenges in the most effective way,” said Dan Kohler, Director of Wisconsin Environment. “Unfortunately, WPRI’s analysis does not meet even the most basic standard of accuracy, and, as such, makes no useful contribution whatsoever to the ongoing policy debate.”

Wisconsin Environment RPC, in its new report “Flawed from the Start: How the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Gets the Economics of Energy Policy Wrong”, found that the WPRI report fails to acknowledge the many obvious economic and other benefits that would result from a broad effort to repower Wisconsin with clean energy. Among the long list of benefits (apparently) not considered in the analysis are the following:

• Avoided costs of electricity generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure resulting from reduced energy demand or the incorporation of on-site renewable generation.

• Increased income for Wisconsin farmers resulting from increased use of biofuels and the potential to lease lands for wind turbines and other forms of renewable energy development.

• Health benefits (including reductions in absenteeism, early mortality and possibly health care costs) from avoided fossil fuel-related pollution, including reductions in pollutants that form smog and soot, and mercury deposition in waterways.

• Avoided economic impacts of global warming in Wisconsin, including predicted changes that threaten to reduce the productivity of agriculture, increase the possibility of dangerous floods, shift the composition of Wisconsin forests, affect the winter recreation industry, and more.

• Reductions in the risk to individuals, businesses and government posed by sudden shifts in fossil fuel prices. Energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy both have hedging value as insurance against sudden spikes in fossil fuel costs.

Previously, the coalition for Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy (CREWE) and RENEW Wisconsin issued similar critiques of the WPRI report.

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Milwaukee to get battery plant plus R&D center

From a news release issued by C&D Technologies:

PRNewswire-FirstCall -- C&D Technologies, Inc. [headquartered in Blue Bell, PA], a leading producer and marketer of batteries, battery systems and integrated standby power systems, today announced that the company has been awarded a contract by the US Army for the development of large-format lithium-ion battery systems. The $19 million contract will span an estimated four year period from September 18, 2009, with the objective of developing large-format lithium-ion batteries that can meet the growing needs of the US Army for light-weight, high power density battery systems. The technologies developed under the program will also be utilized in meeting the needs of C&D’s commercial customers, with potential application to large-scale grid-energy storage, renewable energy applications and distributed power for telecommunications systems, in addition to broader application in other branches of the military. The result will be a sustainable, domestic US source for high performance, large-format lithium-ion batteries, with the potential for achieving economies of scale to ensure affordability in a range of military and commercial applications. These new advanced lithium-ion battery systems will be developed and produced in C&D’s Milwaukee, Wisconsin operations, which has been a focus for renewed investment for the company over the last two years. . . .

"This contract will allow C&D Technologies to establish a world class research and development facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, including pilot production capability dedicated to large-format lithium-ion batteries, and will establish a domestic manufacturing base for C&D designed lithium battery systems” said Dr. Jeffrey Graves, President and CEO of C&D Technologies.

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Switch!

One of serveral posters from WWF. Click on picture to enlarge.

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Wind energy sector - Wind energy development

Wind energy isn't something brand new, and as many of you probably know that wind energy use (windmills) has very long history of using it. If we look at the data for United States in 2008 we can see that twenty-two states have come up with the plans for the installation of 1650 windmills in the United States. Current estimates say how by 2014, wind power industry expected to rapidly increase its

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Wind energy sector - How does the wind energy generate electricity?

The main purpose of each energy source is to generate electricity needed for our homes as well as for different industrial facilities. Current popularity of wind energy sector and tendency of many people to ensure green energy source to provide electricity for their homes have resulted in wish of many homeowners to have wind energy system installed, of course when possible.This is not only

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Wind energy sector - Wind power costs

People as always when starting new energy projects, regardless whether they are renewable or not want to know the actual costs of these projects before deciding on them. What I need to say first is that wind energy costs are in reality a significant attraction to homeowners, especially when they discover how cheaply they can build their own wind turbines with commonly available materials.Wind

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Wind energy sector - Conclusion

Obviously, the entire world needs energy and the energy demand is constantly growing. Non renewable energy looks to be slowly but surely losing its dominance, and some innovative ideas in technology have really helped boosting some renewable energy sources it he last five years or so, most notably solar and wind energy. By using wind energy instead of conventional one based on fossil fuels, you

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Renewable energy classes announced for 2010

From the workshop page on the site of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association:

MREA is a national leader in providing high quality education and training programs for consumers, businesses, and renewable energy system installers. For more than 18 years we have offered workshops, seminars, and conferences that demonstrate that renewable energy is practical, reliable, and ready for mainstream use.

When you attend a MREA training you will:
•learn from experts with years of practical experience,
•receive curriculum that is based on nationally recognized standards,
•meet other people with similar interests and values, and
•have a great time.
MREA Workshop Offerings:
MREA offers workshops that cover a variety of topics in renewable energy.

Come learn from experts in the field about subjects including:
•Photovoltaics or PV (solar electric)
•Residential Wind systems
•Solar Domestic Hot Water/Solar Thermal Systems
•Site Assessor Training & Certification
•Installer Training
•Renewable Energy Business
•Alternative Construction

Don't delay in registering. The classes fill up quickly.

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