Doyle signs bill to begin reform of wind permiting

From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:

NEW BERLIN – Governor Jim Doyle today signed into law Senate Bill 185, creating more uniform standards for siting wind projects and strengthening Wisconsin’s wind industry.

“With our resources and strategic location, we have a tremendous opportunity to become a worldwide leader in wind energy,” Governor Doyle said. “This bill is a clear statement to the wind industry that Wisconsin is open for business and will create more jobs for hardworking Wisconsin families.”

The legislation accomplishes an integral recommendation of the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming. The bill requires the Public Service Commission to establish uniform standards regulating the construction and operation of wind energy systems. It allows proposed wind energy systems that are one megawatt or larger to appeal decisions by local authorities with the PSC.

Since coming into office, Governor Doyle has worked to make Wisconsin a leader in renewable energy. Governor Doyle created the Task Force on Global Warming to bring together a prominent and diverse group of key Wisconsin business, industry, government, energy and environment leaders to examine the effects and solutions to global warming in Wisconsin. Using current national and local research, the task
force analyzed possible solutions to global warming challenges that pose a threat to Wisconsin’s economic and environmental health. The task force is charged with creating a state plan of action to deliver to the Governor to reduce Wisconsin’s contribution to global warming.

Governor’s plan for energy independence includes: Generating 25 percent of our electricity and 25 percent of the fuels for our cars and trucks from renewable sources by the year 2025; capturing 10 percent of the market share for renewable energy and bioproducts; and utilizing Wisconsin’s tremendous capability for research to become the country’s leader in making alternative energies more affordable and
available to all.

Read more »

Dueling survey results differ on climate change and energy

Two surveys released on September 28, 2009, produced widely different results on Wisconsinites' opinions on climate change and renewable energy.

From a news release about the survey conducted by the Forest County Potawatomi:

[Crandon, Wisc.] In anticipation of state legislation to reduce greenhouse gasses which cause climate change, a recent statewide poll shows a majority of Wisconsin voters favor action by the State of Wisconsin to reduce carbon emissions.

When asked, “Do you favor or oppose the State of Wisconsin taking action to reduce (its) emissions of gases like carbon dioxide in Wisconsin that cause global warming?” nearly three-fourths of voters (70%) favor the State of Wisconsin taking action to reduce carbon emissions. Only 24% of voters oppose taking action.

Support for action to reduce emissions also crosses party lines, with majorities of Republicans (53%), independents (67%) and Democrats (87%) favoring action by the State of Wisconsin.

“Carbon pollution threatens to dramatically change our world for the worse,” said Forest County Potawatomi Attorney General Jeff Crawford. “We have a responsibility to our children and grandchildren to be good stewards of the environment.”

The poll also found that two-thirds of Wisconsin voters favor requiring utilities to generate 25% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

From the press release on the survey conducted by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce:

MADISON – With jobs dominating the public’s mind, a statewide poll of voters found over 60 percent say Wisconsin should not enact its own global warming policies, favoring national and international approaches, WMC reported Monday.

Also, voters oppose global warming proposals that hit them in the pocketbook with increased energy prices or potential job losses, the poll found. In 2007, Governor Jim Doyle convened a Global Warming Task Force that called for numerous new regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The Legislature is likely to consider some of those proposals later this session

Read more »

Green Jobs: Growing Wisconsin Employment, Sept. 29, Milwaukee

"Green Jobs: Growing Wisconsin Employment" is part of a series of forums at Discovery World and aims to assess Wisconsin's future in the green jobs market.

The forum, sponsored by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, UW-Milwaukee, Midwest Renewable Energy Association, We Energies, Wisconsin Environmental Initiative and Johnson Controls, begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 9 a.m. Breakfast begins at 7:15 a.m.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will provide remarks about his city's efforts to cultivate green jobs.

Confirmed panelists include:

* UW-Milwaukee Engineering School Dean Michael R. Lovell
* Tom Boldt, CEO of Boldt Construction
* UW-Madison School of Agriculture Dean Molly Jahn
* Clay Nesler, Vice President, Global Energy and Sustainability, Johnson Controls, Inc.

The event is organized by WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com with the help of MMAC, Discovery World, and UW-Milwaukee. More sponsorship opportunities are available; contact Jim Greer at 608-237-6296 or greer@wispolitics.com.

The event is open to the public, and the price is $30 per person. But WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com subscribers, members of the Wisconsin Academy, the UW-Milwaukee community, and members of MMAC and Discovery World are able to attend for $20 per person.

The price includes the breakfast buffet but not parking.

Call Debra Jordan (414) 287-4127 or djordan@mmac.org to register.

Read more »

Solar panels electrify Shorewood schools

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

Panel by panel, small-scale solar power is building around the state.

Solar photovoltaic systems capable of generating about 15 kilowatts of electricity were connected to the power grid Friday at the intermediate and high schools in Shorewood. That's about enough to power two homes.

It's among nearly 600 projects installed across Wisconsin with financial support from the state Focus on Energy program.

The two systems in Shorewood were installed by UrbanRE Vitalization Group LLC of Milwaukee.

The Shorewood project was financed with the help of a $35,000 grant from the state Focus on Energy program and a $50,000 grant from We Energies.

"By helping clients work with both Focus on Energy and We Energies, we will be able to extend our reach and get more people to start thinking about renewable energy," said Lisa Schaal of UrbanRE.

Read more »

Fossil fuels facts

Fossil fuels are formed by the anaerobic decomposition of remains of organisms including phytoplankton and zooplankton that settled to the sea (or lake) bottom in large quantities under anoxic conditions, millions of years ago.Fossil fuels are oil, coal and natural gas. In 2006 primary sources of energy consisted of petroleum 36.8%, coal 26.6%, and natural gas 22.9%, amounting to an 86% share for

Read more »

UW-Milwaukee hosts event for green jobs

From an article by Kyra Shishko in The Badger Herald (Madison, WI):

A forum regarding the rise of green jobs is slated to take place at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Monday.

The event is following a similar forum held in Madison this past Friday, which was sponsored jointly by the Wisconsin School of Business, the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Counsel and the Law Firm of Godfrey and Kahn.

Green jobs are jobs that not only create opportunities for unemployed individuals, but also help to reduce waste and pollution and benefit the environment, said Thomas Egger, associate director of the Business, Enviornment and Social Responsibility program at the Wisconsin School of Business.

“What we wanted to do was bring some very knowledgeable people together to talk about both what’s happening in our climate and identify why we’re talking about climate change and green jobs together,” Eggert said. “Most of what we are talking about links to green jobs.”

Eggert added the key topic of the discussion Friday was how to prepare for climate change in residences and how to create more jobs involving re-insulating houses, putting in new windows and other energy-efficient changes.

“We ask the public to look at how they are heating their houses,” Eggert said.

Eggert added these ideas could create up to 200,000 to 300,000 jobs.

Government Affairs Director of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce Steven Bass agreed the importance of the correlation between the struggling economy and the opportunity to create new jobs to help the environment is the driving force behind next week panel discussion in Milwaukee.

“Everyone in business knows that a strong economy and a good environment do not need to be mutually exclusive. The economic landscape, both nationally and globally, is more competitive than ever,” Bass said. “If a state can put itself at the forefront of energy efficiency it has the potential to create a competitive edge, especially for us here in Wisconsin.”

Read more »

Seven careers in wind farm development

From an article by Sarah Lozanova in RenewableEnergyWorld.com:

Currently about 85,000 people are employed in the wind energy industry, up from 50,000 last year. These jobs are very diverse, and include turbine manufacturing, wind farm development, wind farm construction, and turbine maintenance.

Developing an industrial-scale wind farm requires a team of people with a variety of abilities. Here's a look at some of the jobs involved as well as the skills necessary for this line of work. . . .

Read more »