6 Feb 2009

Obama’s Plan to Help Renewable Energy May Backfire and Aid Big Coal

by | Date: 6 Feb 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Obama’s plan for a "national smart grid" needs closer examination. An expanded national grid would be anything but smart. In the New York Times, Al Gore insists the new president should give the highest priority to "the planning and construction of a unified national smart grid. "President Barack Obama, responding to a question by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, declares that one of "the most important infrastructure projects that we need is a whole new electricity grid … a smart grid."

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5 Feb 2009

Tax Reform and Community Based Renewable Energy

by | Date: 5 Feb 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Tax Reform and Community Based Renewable Energy By John Farrell, originally published in Renewable Energy World, February 5, 2009 The federal tax credits for renewable energy have been a major barrier to widespread ownership of renewable energy. The production tax credit, for example, can only be taken against passive income, a type of income that very … Read More
3 Feb 2009

Broadband to Nowhere? That is the Status Quo

by | Date: 3 Feb 2009 | posted in: information, MuniNetworks | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In a misguided column entitled "Congress Approves Broadband to Nowhere," L. Gordon Crovitz suggests other countries have been more successful than the U.S. in expanding access to fast broadband but then rejects the approaches they took and encourages more of the same policies that have led to U.S. downfall. 

In response, I submitted the following letter to the editor at the Wall Street Journal:

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1 Feb 2009

Zero Waste Planning Information and Resources

by | Date: 1 Feb 2009 | posted in: Composting, waste - composting, waste - recycling, waste - recycling based economic development, waste - zero waste, Waste to Wealth | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Twenty-five years ago, many solid waste planners thought no more than 15% to 20% of the municipal waste stream could be recycled. Today numerous communities have surpassed 50% recycling, and many individual establishments — public and private sector — such as office buildings, schools, hospitals, restaurants, and supermarkets have approached 90% and higher levels. A handful of … Read More

Community Choice Aggregation – San Francisco, CA – Energy Independence Initiative

In May 2004, San Francisco adopted an Energy Independence Ordinance using California’s Community Choice Aggregation law (Laws of California 2002 Chapter 838) as a purchasing and ratesetting authority, and will issue revenue bonds, called H Bonds, to finance a 360 MW public works project. The energy projects would be equivalent to more than a third of the city’s electrical capacity needs and on average would supply about 14 percent of the city’s electric consumption (MWhs) without arate increase.… Read More

Community Choice Aggregation – Ohio

Ohio was the second state in the nation to offer community choice. Its community choice provision is modeled after that in Massachusetts’ 1997 electric restructuring law. Ohio has given local governments the right, after a vote by their city council, to become the default supplier.… Read More

Community Choice Aggregation – Massachussets

Massachusetts was the first deregulated state to decide that the town or city should be the default supplier in the event that customers do not choose a new electric supplier. Individual customers are always free to opt out and choose their own supplier, but if they do nothing their community represents them.… Read More

Tractor-trailer Ban on Local Roads – New Jersey

New Jersey was first state in the country to ban large tractor-trailers from its state roads and highways. The restriction, went into effect in July 1999, confined large trucks (more than 102 inches wide) that were not doing business in the state to interstate highways and the National Network, a system of major highways and connector roads.… Read More

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