Municipal Waste and the Benefits of Re-Use

“What’s going on in Baltimore shows how cities can profit both economically and socially from giving reusable materials a second life,” writes ILSR co-founder Neil Seldman in this Governing article.… Read More

The Public Good: Reports from the Front Lines

A selection of recent news stories with an ILSR insight into “The Public Good.” Separate and Unequal, Again In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 58 year-old decision upholding the right of states to have segregated school systems. “Separate but equal” it ruled, was inherently unequal.  Sixty-three years later de jure segregation is illegal, but de … Read More

Campaign Finance Questions Arise Over Controversial Internet Bill

Date: 26 Feb 2016 | posted in: MuniNetworks, Press Release | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 26, 2016 CONTACT: Rebecca Toews, rebecca@ILSR.org, (612)808-0689  Campaign Finance Questions Arise Over Controversial Internet Bill After cutting a sizable donation to the Missouri Republican Party, AT&T’s bill to limit broadband competition from community networks is moving through the house. Just months after AT&T cut a $20,000 check to the House Republican Campaign Committee, Representative Lyndall Fraker … Read More

Greening or Greenwashing? Illinois Cities’ Use of RECs Shows Challenges with Local Aggregation

Date: 7 Apr 2014 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

A recent report from the World Wildlife Fund (and others) touts how city energy aggregation is “unleashing” renewable energy in Illinois. Buying electricity on behalf of their residential and small business customers, nearly 100 Midwestern cities have purchased renewable energy credits (RECs) along with their energy supply, giving their electrons a questionable aura of green energy. … Read More

Watch: The Benefits of Clean, Local Energy

Date: 18 Jul 2011 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Media Coverage | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Senior Researcher John Farrell presented on the benefits of local clean energy to a crowd in Boulder, CO, in April 2011 at the invitation of the local organization Clean Energy Action.  The city of Boulder is currently considering municipalization of its utility.… Read More

Why Is Mighty Time Warner Scared Of Tiny Salisbury, North Carolina?

Date: 23 Jun 2011 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 1 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Thanks to Christopher Mitchell, Director of the Telecommunications as Commons Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance for contributing to this article.  You can, and should follow his reporting on public networks at www.muninetworks.org. Conservatives would have us believe the public sector can’t compete with the private sector. The private sector itself knows better. Nowhere is … Read More

California Supreme Court Bolsters Local Authority to Control Retail

Date: 8 Jun 2007 | posted in: Retail | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In a unanimous decision yesterday, the California Supreme Court fortified efforts by cities across the state to restrict the development of big-box stores, favor small-scale retailers, and protect the vitality of downtowns. The ruling (Hernandez v. City of Hanford) upholds the authority of cities to adopt planning and zoning ordinances that have a direct impact on economic competition and that treat businesses differently based on the scale of their stores.… Read More

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