by jboullion | Nov 11, 2008 | Uncategorized
Immediate release
November 11, 2008
More information
Michael Vickerman
608.332.1736 (cell)
608.819.0748 (office)
RENEW’s reaction to decision on Cassville plant
“In our eyes, Nelson Dewey 3 did not meet our criteria of a renewable energy facility,” said RENEW Executive Director Michael Vickerman. “The biomass component functioned as a sideshow to obscure the central premise of this plant, which is to burn nonrenewable Wyoming coal in a Wisconsin location. The truth is, there are far easier, more sustainable and less expensive ways to generate new sources of renewable energy in southwestern Wisconsin.”
“Approval of this plant, with its 80-20 coal-to-biomass fuel ratio, would actually make Governor Doyle’s goal of securing, by 2025, 25% of the energy from renewable energy resources a more difficult goal to attain,” Vickerman said. “We applaud the Commission for recognizing the incompatibility of Nelson Dewey 3 with the Administration’s environmental and economic development agenda.”
“Nelson Dewey 3 is an example of combining a 19th century fuel with 20th century combustion technology to tackle a 21st century problem,” Vickerman said. “We agree with the PSC that it clearly has no place in our future.”
Vickerman contrasted Alliant’s proposal with Xcel Energy’s recently announced proposal to convert Bay Front Power Plant in Ashland into a 100% biomass-fueled generating unit when completed. The proposal involves retrofitting an existing coal-fired unit with gasification technology to turn wood fuel and other biomass energy sources into a renewable gas, which will be fed into a new boiler.
“Unlike Nelson Dewey 3, what Xcel proposes to do would actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Wisconsin sources, not add to them,” Vickerman said. “Xcel’s initiative would actually reduce the state’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, not increase it.”
“The fact is, biomass energy generation can stand on its own two feet in the 21st century. Wisconsin doesn’t need a new coal plant just to make biomass a viable fuel. In fact, the state doesn’t need a coal plant, period,” Vickerman said.
END
RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that acts as a catalyst to advance a sustainable energy future through public policy and private sector initiatives. More information on RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org.
by jboullion | Nov 11, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story by David Steinkraus in The Journal Times (Racine):
A group representing three local counties and the governor is proposing a sales tax of up to .5 percent to fund public transit.
It’s easy to get lost in the details, but no one should ignore the magnitude of what happened on Monday morning, said Jody Karls, the city of Racine representative on the Regional Transit Authority.
What the RTA voted to do on Monday was ask the state to make it the permanent transit oversight body for southeast Wisconsin and to give it power to levy local sales taxes of up to 0.5 percent in each member area. That tax would fund the extension of Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail service from Kenosha through Racine and to Milwaukee, and would fund other transit modes such as city bus systems.
Beyond those specifics, Karls said, is the over-arching importance of having all the counties and municipalities along the potential KRM corridor speaking with a single voice.
He and other officials met with The Journal Times editorial board on Monday morning, a few hours after the RTA voted on its recommendations. It has a Nov. 15 deadline to report to Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature, and it would be up to them to grant the RTA’s requests.
by jboullion | Nov 10, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story by Rick Olivo in The Daily Press:
Bayfield County could reasonably consider installing a commercial scale wind turbine on one of two possible locations in the county, says a preliminary assessment from a consulting professional engineer.
The report, released to members of the Bayfield County Board Executive Committee Thursday said a large-scale wind turbine would be “reasonably productive” if built on a Mount Ashwabay site or another Bayfield hills site west of the City of Bayfield.
“The county could either develop one of those sites or try to find a site closer to Washburn, where the wind turbine could be directly connected to its largest electric use buildings in Washburn,” said Robert H, Owen Jr., of Superior Safety and Environmental Services of Middleton. Owen said the Mt. Ashwabay site was large enough to accommodate about 12 600-kilowatt turbines, with a few more potentially sited on the upper reaches of the ski slope property. Owen said in the report that the county could consider selling the output from the wind turbines to Xcel Energy, or deliver most of its output to county offices and sell just the surplus energy.
While Owen said much research was needed into the amount of wind available from the Bayfield area sites, he said the amount of energy available to a single 600-kilowatt turbine could add up to 1.23 million kilowatt hours a year. Nevertheless, he was careful to emphasize that his estimates concerning available wind energy were only preliminary and could be seriously overstating or understating the amount of energy actually available. He said an absolute necessity to come up with accurate figures was a wind-speed study that could last a year or more at the sites.
Nevertheless, he said because of predictable future increases in the cost of electrical energy, the amount Bayfield County pays for electricity, currently put at five cents per kilowatt hour, could increase to 50 cents per kilowatt hour by the year 2030.
by jboullion | Nov 10, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Dustin Block in The Daily Reporter:
Solar power, a renewable-energy casualty of the early 1990s slain by cheap fossil fuels, is showing signs of life.
The Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee is reviving a solar-powered heating system at its community center in the county’s Washington Park.
The solar-thermal system was built in the late-1970s as an alternative source of energy during the oil boycott. But as energy prices fell in the U.S. in the 1980s, interest in renewable energy waned and the Washington Park system was shut down.
Joey Zocher, the Urban Ecology Center’s Washington Park program manager, estimated the solar power system is worth about $250,000. But it will take at least $100,000 to get the community center system running again, she said. The building also needs a new roof.
“The county is supportive,” Zocher said, “but we still have some money to find.”
The story behind Washington Park’s solar experiment encapsulates the country’s experience with renewable resources, said Bob Ramlow, who has worked with solar power in Wisconsin since the 1970s and was one of the founders of the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in central Wisconsin.
“In the 1970s, the whole country was excited and thinking about saving energy,” he said. “People wanted to do their part. It was patriotic to be involved with renewable energy and energy conservation.”
Ramlow said the symbolic moment when the country abandoned that commitment was in 1981, when Ronald Reagan moved into the White House and, on his first day, had the solar collectors on the roof taken off.
“The word from the administration from then to now,” Ramlow said, “was renewable energy sources are the energy of the future, but now we need nuclear, coal and oil.”
He said it took nearly 30 years for renewable energy to recover in the U.S. But projects such as reviving solar energy in Washington Park suggest change is coming.
Shawn Young, solar thermal division director for Madison-based H & H Solar Energy Services, inspected Washington Park’s solar system last year. He sent a report to Milwaukee County concluding the system was worth saving.
“It’s not the best solar collector on the market,” Young said, “but it’s not obsolete.”
The system collects sunlight on the building’s roof and transfers the energy to a liquid that fuels the furnace and generates heat. When it was originally installed, the designers anticipated cutting energy use in the building by 60 to 80 percent. Now, the system could cut energy use 10 to 15 percent, Young said. The decline in savings is mainly because of the system’s age.
But even with the reduced efficiency, the county could save $1,000 a month on its heating bill, Zocher said. She estimated the investment needed to refurbish the Washington Park system would take eight years to pay back.
by jboullion | Nov 7, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a media advisory issued by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin:
This message is to inform you that the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) is expected to make a decision on the Alliant Energy proposed coal fire power plant next week Tuesday, November 11, at the PSC’s open commission meeting.
In early 2007, Alliant Energy filed an application with the PSC for permission to build a new 300 megawatt coal-fired electric generation facility. Alliant Energy has indentified two possible locations for the power plant – their Nelson Dewey Generating Station property in Cassville and the Columbia Energy Center in Portage. The PSC has the authority to approve, deny or modify any proposed electric construction project.
When: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 – 10:30 a.m.
Where: Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
Amnicon Falls Hearing Room – 1st floor
610 N. Whitney Way, Madison WI
by jboullion | Nov 7, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Debbie Griffin in the River Falls Journal:
River Falls agreed last year to let Madison-based EcoEnergy install a 197-foot wind-test tower on a hill in the Whitetail Ridge Corporate Park. The company plans to gather wind-speed data through April next year to see if it warrants a permanent 400-foot turbine.
Alex DePillis, an EcoEnergy wind-monitoring engineer, said if the data pans out and the company installs a permanent wind turbine, it would generate enough electricity to power for a year about 350 homes or one of the city’s big industrial businesses.
“The wind-generated electricity would be carried by the city’s lines and used wherever it’s needed at the time,” said DePillis about the potential wind-generated power.
by jboullion | Nov 6, 2008 | Uncategorized
One of several open letters in the Sheperad Express to President-elect
The first priority for the next administration regarding transportation needs to be correcting the serious imbalance between huge federal funding and support for highway expansion and automobile use, compared to only modest support for public transportation. Just months ago, billions of dollars were shifted from the federal mass transit fund into the highway fund to cover our national highway spending binge. Greater federal support for transit infrastructure (longdistance rail, commuter rail, light rail, and bus), as well as for operating expenses, is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to improve air quality in densely populated cities and to reduce the national insecurity that results from our overwhelming dependence on foreign oil. Ending the existing tilt in the playing field in favor of highways will encourage smart growth, urban infill development and redevelopment, and higher employment in our cities. It will also provide additional environmental benefits ranging from increased energy efficiency to preservation of agricultural land.
The impending government bailout of the American automobile industry—a dinosaur that has survived for the last decade or more by trying to sell every American a truck (SUV) in which to commute to and from work—provides an opportunity to try to reshape and refocus it for the future. The industry will only survive if it can produce technologically advanced, fuel-efficient vehicles that can compete with models from Europe and Asia. Requirements for continued improvement in fuel efficiency and air emission standards are necessary to spur constant innovation, rather than giving the industry a “pass” or exemption.
Dennis Grzezinski
Attorney Specializing in Environmental Law
by jboullion | Nov 6, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article in the River Falls Journal:
River Falls committed early last month to join the Wisconsin Energy Independent Community Partnership, a state-led program aiming to generate 25% of Wisconsin’s fuels – used for electricity and transportation – from renewable resources by the year 2025.
A press release from the River Falls Municipal Utilities and Governor Jim Doyle’s Web site says the city joins 11 other community members of Wisconsin Public Power, Inc., the city’s power supplier, in committing to help the state achieve energy independence.
River Falls plans to reach this goal by using renewable fuels, taking advantage of diverse resources and reducing energy consumption. Participation in the program enables access to more federal and state funding as well as technical assistance in developing renewable sources.
by jboullion | Nov 5, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a column by State Senator Dale Schultz:
As Wisconsin employers increasingly turn to our state’s rail roads to get their goods to a global market, state residents and communities enjoy the benefits of keeping jobs here, cleaner air from less truck emissions, and safer roads with less truck traffic.
Those benefits make our state owned railroad system a great investment and explain why I believe, despite a tough fiscal climate, we should increase funding to preserve the infrastructure of our public rail system in the next state budget.
Our public railroad system, which serves numerous communities, has been a great benefit by helping employers compete in the global market and keep family supporting jobs in Wisconsin.
The system also helps many villages and cities with their community development goals by generating increased tax revenues as employers invest in plant expansions and equipment.
In the past two years, in just the region I represent as a state senator, our public rail system has led to new jobs and tax base through major projects in Boscobel, Reedsburg and Rock Springs. For numerous state communities, rail service has been an essential asset to save jobs and create new jobs.
As rail shipping replaces thousands of truck trips, our roads last longer, our carbon footprint shrinks and we all breathe cleaner air.
The state helps communities and rail shippers save freight rail service through its Freight Rail Preservation Program. FRPP grants fund up to 80 percent of projects to rehabilitate tracks and bridges on public rail lines, buy essential rail lines so they aren’t abandoned, and save rail corridors for future rail service and sometimes as recreational trails in the interim.
While freight rail traffic is growing in Wisconsin, FRPP funding is falling far short of the needs. In the current state budget, FRPP funds met less than ten percent of the needs, forcing delays of badly needed projects on public owned rail lines. Since 1992, most FRPP funding went to add rail lines to our public system as a last resort to avoid loss of rail service for communities.
by jboullion | Nov 5, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jeremiah Tucker in The Sauk Prairie Eagle:
The primary reason Stan Temple is installing a large solar-panel unit outside his home is environmental.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Temple said.
But after that, it’s all about the green — and he doesn’t mean energy.
Originally, Temple and his wife, Jane Rundell, were going to install the panels before Dec. 31 when a federal tax credit for solar energy was scheduled to expire.
But when Congress passed the Wall Street bailout package last month a rider was added that extended the 30 percent tax credit for eight years and removed its $2,000 cap.
“If your tax burden don’t exceed that amount, you’ll get a refund,” Temple said.
Now Temple is waiting to activate his solar panels until Jan. 1 in order to take advantage of the new legislation.
After the federal tax credit, Temple also will receive a credit from Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program that provides financial incentives for installing renewable energy sources.
And because of a deal he struck with Alliant Energy, he won’t even be using the panels to power his home.
“Alliant will buy my solar power for 25 cents per kilowatt hour, and I pay 11,” Temple said.
Alliant now joins MG&E and We Energies in paying a premium rate for customer-generated solar electricity.
