Bloomberg Offers Windmill Power Plan; What Are Indiana Mayors Proposing?

I applaud New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's bold plan to put wind turbines on the city's bridges and skyscrapers. Although the City of Indianapolis and other municipalities throughout the State of Indiana may not have the unique perches available in the Big Apple, Indiana Mayors including Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard could learn a thing or two from this bold move.

What do you think?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/nyregion/20windmill.html?ex=1376971200&en=ee19d617dadbcc53&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

August 20, 2008

Bloomberg Offers Windmill Power Plan

By MICHAEL BARBARO

In a plan that would drastically remake New York City’s skyline and shores, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is seeking to put wind turbines on the city’s bridges and skyscrapers and in its waters as part of a wide-ranging push to develop renewable energy.

The plan, while still in its early stages, appears to be the boldest environmental proposal to date from the mayor, who has made energy efficiency a cornerstone of his administration.

Mr. Bloomberg said he would ask private companies and investors to study how windmills can be built across the city, with the aim of weaning it off the nation’s overtaxed power grid, which has produced several crippling blackouts in New York over the last decade.

Mr. Bloomberg did not specify which skyscrapers and bridges would be candidates for windmills, and city officials would need to work with property owners to identify the buildings that would best be able to hold the equipment.

But aides said that for offshore locations, the city was eyeing the generally windy coast off Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island for turbines that could generate 10 percent of the city’s electricity needs within 10 years.

“When it comes to producing clean power, we’re determined to make New York the No. 1 city in the nation,” Mr. Bloomberg said as he outlined his plans in a speech Tuesday night in Las Vegas, where a major conference on alternative energy is under way.

He later evoked the image of the Statue of Liberty’s torch, saying he imagined it one day “powered by an ocean wind farm.”

But the mayor’s proposal for wind power faces several serious obstacles: People are likely to oppose technologies that alter the appearance of their neighborhoods; wind-harnessing technology can be exceedingly expensive; and Mr. Bloomberg has less than 18 months left in office to put a plan into place.

Turning New York City into a major source of wind power would likely take years, if not decades, and could require a thicket of permits from state and federal agencies. Parts of New York’s coastline, for example, are controlled by the federal government, from which private companies must lease access.

Mr. Bloomberg is known for introducing ambitious proposals that later collapse, as did his congestion-pricing plan for Manhattan.

But aides said he was committed to developing alternative energy sources in the city, and wanted to jump-start the discussion now.

“In New York,” he said in his speech, “we don’t think of alternative power as something that we just import from other parts of the nation.”

Asserting the seriousness of his intentions, aides said, Mr. Bloomberg met privately with T. Boone Pickens, the oil baron who is trying to build the world’s largest wind farm in Texas, to discuss possibilities for such technology in New York.

And on Tuesday afternoon the city issued a formal request to companies around the country for proposals to build wind-, solar- and water-based energy sources in New York. “We want their best ideas for creating both small- and large-scale projects serving New Yorkers,” Mr. Bloomberg said.

Rohit Aggarwala, the director of the city’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, said that turbines on buildings would likely be much smaller than offshore ones. Several companies are experimenting with models that look like eggbeaters, which the Bloomberg administration says could be integrated into the spires atop the city’s tall buildings. “”You can make them so small that people think they are part of the design,” Mr. Aggarwala said.

“If rooftop wind can make it anywhere, this is a great city,” he said. “We have a lot of tall buildings.”

Creating an offshore wind farm, he said, requires “pretty much the same level of difficulty as drilling an oil rig, but you don’t have to pump oil.”

“You could imagine going as much as 15, 20, 25 miles offshore, where it’s virtually invisible to land,” he said.

Mr. Aggarwala said that developing renewable energy for New York would take considerable time. “Nobody is going to see a wind farm off the coast of Queens in the next year,” he said.
But “the idea of renewable power in and around New York City is very realistic,” he said. “The question is what type makes the most sense and in what time frame. That is what we are trying to figure out.”

The city has experimented with wind power before. It put a turbine on city-owned land at 34th Street and the East River several years ago, but found that the technology was not efficient enough to expand.

The mayor’s plan includes the widespread use of solar panels, possibly on the roofs of public and private buildings. One proposal is to allow companies to rent roofs for solar panels and sell the energy they harvest to residents.

The city is already using tidal turbines under the East River that provide energy to Roosevelt Island. That technology could be widely expanded under the mayor’s proposal.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Democratic Candidate for Governor Announces Net Metering Policy

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson held a series of news conferences throughout Indiana on Wednesday, July 30, 2008, announcing her Green Jobs Initiative. She was joined by her candidate for Lt. Governor, Dennie Oxley.

You need to go to the campaign website to find the real meat on the bones. See http://jill.3cdn.net/898798a861e1e9d879_2ym6ivndc.pdf

Indiana Renew readers will be pleased to find the following statement on Net Metering:

Modernize the Net Metering Rules. Net metering refers to a billing process by which customers realize savings from generating their own power. It essentially enables customers to put more power back on the grid and run their meters backward. According to a 2007 report by the Network of New Energy Choices, Indiana has one of the worst net metering rules in the nation.19 The report contends that our state’s net meting rules are among the most restrictive of all states. This must change. As Governor, I will convene a work group immediately upon taking office and direct them to review the following issues and make recommendations for change:

• Expand the net metering rules to include commercial and industrial customers as well as rural electric cooperatives in order to increase the supply of power from renewable energy resources;
• Broaden the definition of eligible renewable resources20 to include other resources;
• Increase the net metering cap – the amount of electricity customers can put back on the grid –to a level that either exceeds or is consistent with levels set by neighboring states; and
• Work with Hoosier utility companies to promote our net metering rules once they have been updated so customers are aware that this option exists.
  
  The work group will be required to provide me with their recommendations within 6 months of being formed. Failure to act on this important issue could mean that manufacturing and technology companies, in particular, could experience an increase in their operational costs if they are unable to benefit from net metering in the near future, which is unacceptable. In addition, by enhancing our net metering rules it will allow Hoosiers to save on their electric bill as well as create jobs for the production, installation, and service of these consumer renewable energy products.
  

This statement by Thompson dovetails remarks made by several individuals on 07/08/08 in Ft. Wayne on net metering made at the public field hearing in the Indiana and Michigan Electric Company rate increse request in Cause No. 43306. See http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080709/NEWS/807090303.

This morning’s Indianapolis Star article that describes her initiatives as well as the response of Republican candidate and incumbent Governor Mitch Daniels can be found at:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/NEWS0502/807310449/1008/LOCAL19

The Indianapolis Star article also lists a variety of energy initiatives taken by the Daniel’s administration including the Executive Order he issued last month on energy efficiency standards for state buildings. This Executive Order does appear as a reaction to HB 1280 filed by State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington). The bill was gutted and enacted merely as a study.

See previous posts:

http://indianarenew.blogspot.com/2008/01/hb-1280-to-require-energy-efficient.html


See Governor Mitch Daniels Issues Executive Order on LEED Silver Standards for State Buildings on June 24, 2008. http://www.in.gov/gov/files/EO_08_14.pdf

The complete text of the news release is posted below and can be found at:

http://www.hoosierpoliticalreport.com/2008/07/release-long-thompson-oxley-an.html

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: July 30, 2008



Media Contact: Jeff Harris or

Jason Tomcsi, 317-635-5455


LONG THOMPSON, OXLEY ANNOUNCE GREEN JOBS INITIATIVE


Plan focuses on creating jobs through clean energy investment and reform



INDIANAPOLIS - In a sweeping proposal designed to reinvigorate Indiana by growing a cleaner and greener economy, today Jill Long Thompson and Dennie Oxley unveiled their "Green Jobs Initiative" in stops around the state.



The proposal centers on the creation of new, good-paying jobs through targeted investments and an increased commitment to new environmental and energy standards. It is the first in a series of policy proposals the Democratic candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor will introduce as a part of their "One Indiana Plan" to create an economy that works for all Hoosiers.



"Hoosiers need a responsible, rational approach to harness our clean energy potential," said Long Thompson. "By implementing my plan we will be able to tap into our highly skilled workforce to create thousands of green jobs, which are desperately needed to replace the ones that we have lost. These jobs will reignite our economy and put Indiana on a solid path of economic growth."



A study by the Blue Green Alliance found that nearly 340,000 existing Hoosier jobs could benefit from investments in clean energy. In the manufacturing sector alone, the same report found that Indiana has the potential to create as many as 25,180 new jobs from wind turbine manufacturing and an additional 7,485 new jobs in solar component manufacturing.



"Energy improvements save money, reduce consumption, and when done right, can also stimulate the economy and lead to the creation of more jobs," said Oxley. "The lack of leadership from this administration has caused Indiana to waste an historic opportunity to not only help address the global energy crisis, but to improve our environment and create thousands of good-paying jobs."



According to a recent ranking by Forbes Magazine of the "Greenest States" in the nation, Indiana received the dubious ranking of 49th. The ranking also showed that Indiana has the 6th highest carbon footprint of all states. Long Thompson and Oxley's plan has three major components to grow a cleaner, greener economy and achieve greater energy independence.



Growing Green Jobs

• Implement a "Green Boost": An extension of their "Economic Tiers" proposal, a Long Thompson/Oxley administration would create a Green Boost incentive to encourage the further development of a green economy. Under the plan, companies eligible for assistance under the tiers program could receive an additional one-time $500 tax credit for any new green job created. Businesses that purchase equipment to lessen its environmental impact or energy usage would also be provided with an additional 3 percent tax credit.


• The economic tiers program, which was unveiled earlier this year, directs the state's resources to struggling counties. Under the Long Thompson/Oxley plan, each of the state's 92 counties would be categorized into three different tiers with graduated job growth incentives distributed based on several economic indicators, including unemployment rate, median household income, population growth and assessed property value per capita in the county.


• Increase Funding for Research and Technology: As Governor, Long Thompson would direct half of the nearly $35 million in funding from the 21st Century Research & Technology Fund to start-up businesses developing new technology and conducting energy and environmental research and development in Indiana.


• Create a Clean Energy Fund: A clean energy fund will provide the opportunity for a funding stream to achieve our energy, environmental, and economic goals. Research shows that states investing in clean technology and renewable energy are better positioned to receive federal funding and private research dollars. Jill Long Thompson would direct $10 million per year from existing incentive programs to create a Clean Energy Fund to invest in innovative clean technology and renewable energy projects.


• Direct Investments to Sustainable Energy Technology and Environmentally Responsible Companies: Following the lead of several other states, the Long Thompson/Oxley administration would work with the trustees of the Public Employees' Retirement Fund and the Teachers' Retirement Fund to devise a strategy to invest in Indiana companies that are developing alternative energy and clean technology to help provide additional support to these growing companies.


• Modernize Indiana's Net Metering Rules: To encourage the increased use of alternative energy sources - like solar or wind power -the Long Thompson/Oxley administration would enhance the state net metering guidelines. Under their plan, those that generate more power than required to operate their homes or businesses and add energy to the power grid would have their utility bills reduced. In addition to providing Hoosiers with cost-savings, the move could create additional jobs as the demand for green technologies increase.

Energy Efficiency in Government

• Set New Building Standards: Long Thompson would require that all new state facilities meet Leadership in Energy Efficiency Design (LEED), Green Global, or other comparable standards to ensure maximum environmental and efficiency performance.


• Conduct Energy Audits: The Long Thompson/Oxley administration would conduct full-scale energy audits of all state government facilities to benchmark energy usage. In addition to serving as the basis for usage reduction plans, the assessments would guide future maintenance priorities.


• Purchase Flex Fuel Vehicles: As Governor, Long Thompson would ensure that new vehicles purchased by the state are capable of running on E-85 gasoline blends or diesel vehicles that can operate on biodiesel, making certain that state vehicles are fueled with cleaner burning E-85 and biodiesel fuels whenever possible.


• Establish a Green Purchasing Policy: The Long Thompson/Oxley administration would put in place state purchasing guidelines to ensure state dollars are spent responsibly with minimal impact to our carbon footprint.

"Not only will this green strategy create jobs and reduce our environmental impact, it has the potential to reshape Indiana's future," said Long Thompson. "These are not just goals - this is a clear plan of action for creating new jobs and new opportunities for all Hoosiers."

Known for her ability to get things done, Jill Long Thompson is an accomplished public servant. She has served as a city councilor, a Congresswoman and as Under Secretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture. Long Thompson grew up on her family's farm in rural Whitley County and was the first in her family to go to college. She received her undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University and went on to earn a master's and Ph.D. in business from Indiana University. A farmer and college professor by trade, Long Thompson lives with her husband Don Thompson, a commercial airline pilot, on their farm in Marshall County.

Dennie Oxley is a 10-year veteran of the state legislature, currently serving as the Majority Whip in the Indiana House of Representatives. A former high school math teacher, school administrator and businessman, Oxley brings a wealth of public and private sector experience to the team. Oxley is a graduate of Indiana University Southeast, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in education. A lifelong resident of English, a small community in Crawford County, he resides there with his wife, Jayme, and their two young daughters.

For more information about Jill Long Thompson, Dennie Oxley or their campaign to restore Indiana's promise, please visit www.hoosiersforjill.com or call 317-635-Jill.
###

GREEN JOBS FACT SHEET:

Green Trades in Indiana (Source: www.bluegreenalliance.org/gjfa)

• Carpenters will be needed to make buildings more energy efficient. There are nearly 24,000 carpenters in Indiana, paid an average of nearly $18 per hour.


• Electricians are essential to expanding mass transit solutions. There are 15,000 electricians in Indiana, paid an average of nearly $24 per hour.


• Operations managers are needed to manufacture energy-efficient automobiles. There are nearly 25,000 operations managers in Indiana, paid an average of nearly $42 per hour.


• Machinists craft essential components for wind power. There are nearly 15,000 machinists in Indiana, paid an average of over $17 per hour.


• Welders are vital to solar power manufacturing. There are over 12,000 welders in Indiana, paid an average of over $15 per hour.


• Industrial truck drivers transport supplies and fuels for the cellulosic biofuels sector. There are nearly 22,000 industrial truck drivers in Indiana, paid an average of over $14 per hour.

Green Opportunities in Indiana Agriculture

(Source: www.apolloalliance.org/resources_rural.php)

• Alternative energy sources provide many opportunities for agricultural and rural communities to take advantage of their assets, including the availability of crops and open land to generate energy.


• If farmers dedicated land to a variety of crops such as corn, soybeans and switchgrass which can be turned into electricity and fuel, biomass has the potential to provide 14% of electricity and 13% of motor fuel use.


• The Department of Energy estimates that if wind power comprised just 5% of the U.S. electricity market, $60 billion in capital investment would be poured into rural communities.


• These investments would provide $1.2 billion to landowners and farmers, and create 80,000 new jobs.

Other type of Green Jobs

(Source: www.bluegreenalliance.org/gjfa)

• Building Retrofitting: Electricians, heating/air conditioning installers, carpenters, construction, equipment operators, roofers, insulation workers, carpenter helpers, industrial truck drivers, construction managers, building inspectors.


• Mass Transit: Civil engineers, rail track layers, electricians, welders, metal fabricators, engine assemblers, production helpers, bus drivers, first-line transportation supervisors, dispatchers.


• Energy Efficient Automobiles: Computer software engineers, electrical engineers, engineering technicians, welders, transportation equipment painters, metal fabricators, computer-controlled machine operators, engine assemblers, production helpers, operations managers.


• Wind Power: Environmental engineers, iron and steel workers, millwrights, sheet metal workers, machinists, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, industrial truck drivers, industrial production managers, first-line production supervisors.


• Solar Power: Electrical engineers, electricians, industrial machinery mechanics, welders, metal fabricators, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, installation helpers, laborers, construction managers.


• Cellulosic Biofuels: Chemical engineers, chemists, chemical equipment operators, chemical technicians, mixing and blending machine operators, agricultural workers, industrial truck drivers, farm product purchasers, agricultural and forestry supervisors, agricultural inspectors.

Al Gore Calls for 100% Renewable Energy in 10 Years

"America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from cheap, clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind within 10 years." said Al Gore.



To view and/or read Al Gore's complete speech please visit http://www.wecansolveit.org/



Quite frankly, I find Gary Varvel's editorial cartoon running in the Indianapolis Star on Saturday, July 19, 2008, insulting.

See http://blogs.indystar.com/varvelblog/archives/2008/07/the_joker.html

What do you think?

Climate Change Bill Dead for This Year, Bayh Votes "Yes" & Lugar Votes "No" on Cloture Motion

Thanks everyone for your efforts to get the U.S. Congress to enact the Climate Change Bill. Unfortunately, the cloture vote on Friday (6/6/08) failed. The nail in the coffin was a procedural motion to close debate or a motion to invoke cloture on the Boxer Amdt. No. 4825. For an explanation of cloture see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloture.

For more details on what happened please see yesterday's article from the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/washington/07climate.html?ex=1370577600&en=b14db6a2211e58f1&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Also the NYT article states: "But even after the vote, it was hard to discern where many lawmakers stood, with 10 Democrats among the 48 senators who voted to close debate saying they would have opposed the bill had it come to a final vote."

So how did our U.S. Senators from Indiana vote on this issue? Well, Sen. Evan Bayh voted "YES" and Sen. Dick Lugar voted "No". Would Sen. Evan Bayh have been one of the 10 Democrats who would have voted "No" if the bill had come to a final vote? What do you think?

I recently discovered a great website called GovTrack. Their website states: "An independent, non-partisan, non-commercial website founded in September 2004, GovTrack.us was a 2006 Webby Award nominee and has been mentioned in both The New York Times and The Washington Post. GovTrack was inspired by other websites, such as Project Vote Smart, OpenSecrets, and the commercial CapWiz, but was the first website to provide comprehensive legislative tracking for everyday citizens and the first congressional transparency website to embrace Web 2.0 and principles of open data."

Checkout their analysis of the Roll Call vote in the U.S. Senate on this issue. See
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?&vote=s2008-145.

The vote was 48 to 36 with 16 not voting. Of the 48 Senators voting "Yes", 39 were Democrats, 7 were Republicans and 2 were Independents. Of the 36 Senators voting "No", 4 were Democrats and 34 were Republicans.

I don't completely understand the Senate rules on a cloture vote but GovTrack indicates that in order to prevail it required 3/5 of 84 votes or 51 votes. Therefore, it was three (3) votes shy.

New Ohio Law Expected to Spawn 5,000-7,000 MW Wind Market

April 29, 2008 from American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)


by Hans Detweiler, AWEA Washington, D.C., United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]


Following unanimous Senate concurrence with an Ohio House bill, legislation to establish a 12.5%-by-2025 renewable electricity standard (RES) is headed to the desk of Governor Ted Strickland (D). The governor is expected to sign the bill on May 1st, but has offered no public statement regarding the final legislation.


"As Ohio goes, so goes the nation."
-- Erin Bowser, Environment Ohio

Assuming that wind energy constitutes 75%-95% of the 12.5% standard, the bill would establish a market for between 5,000 MW and 7,000 MW of new wind capacity by 2025. Annual mandatory benchmarks begin with 0.25% in 2009 and 0.5% in 2010, then add 0.5% per year through 2014, followed by an additional 1% per year through 2024. In terms of early-year impact, a reasonable estimate for new megawatts induced by the legislation for 2012 (ostensibly built by end of 2011) would be 650-750 MW.


Inclusion of specific annual requirements in the bill was a major accomplishment for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and AWEA members, as an earlier bill that passed the Senate last fall included no such benchmarks. Following the advocacy of the wind industry, strong early-year benchmarks became a priority for Speaker Jon Husted (R), who then championed them and ensured their inclusion in the final bill. Companies particularly active in the effort included Babcock & Brown, Gamesa, GE, Horizon, Iberdrola, Invenergy, JW Great Lakes, Owens-Corning, and Webcore. "Early year benchmarks were not in the picture when we engaged this legislation in February," said an AWEA state legislation and policy spokesperson. "Industry did a great job of coming out publicly to support the early annual standards, and that public involvement paid off."


The legislation also has national significance. Ohio, as a major industrial state, ranks fourth in power consumption (behind only Texas, California, and Florida) and this market will move the needle nationally for renewable energy. The legislation can also be expected to jump start interest in wind manufacturing in Ohio's world-class manufacturing sector, which may bring advantages of scale and cost to the whole industry. Furthermore, 25 states plus the District of Columbia have previously enacted mandatory renewable energy standards, so Ohio's addition to this group means that a majority of all states now have such standards. "As Ohio goes, so goes the nation," said Erin Bowser of Environment Ohio.


The renewable energy provisions are generally consistent with national best practices following efforts by Speaker Husted to improve the bill. The bill contains strong enforcement provisions, including "alternative compliance payments" of not less than $45 per megawatt hour (MWh), and requires that at least half of the energy used to satisfy the standard be generated in Ohio (the other half can be from outside Ohio if delivered into the state). The bill also includes a force majeure clause patterned on Pennsylvania's, a small solar set-aside that ramps up gradually to 0.5% by 2025, and a 3% cost cap provision. The wind industry's only reservation with the bill was the cost cap provision, which may require close attention during regulatory implementation.


To find the actual legislation, go to Section 4928.64 of the bill, available at: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_SB_221


Hans Detweiler is manager of state legislation and policy at the American Wind Energy Association.

This article first appeared in Wind Energy Weekly.

INDIANA SURVEY: HOOSIERS WOULD PULL PLUG ON DUKE ENERGY’S PROPOSED COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT IN EDWARDSPORT

Survey of 600 Indiana Adults Shows Strong Preference for Clean Energy, More Conservation & Energy-Efficiency; About 6 in 10 State Residents Would Be More Likely to Support Political Candidate Who Opposes Edwardsport Plant.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN.///April 22, 2008///Support in Indiana for plans by Duke Energy to build a dirty coal-fired power plant at Edwardsport is weak, according to a scientific survey of 600 state residents conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) for the independent Civil Society Institute, a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank located in Newton, MA.

The survey found that four out of five Indiana residents (80 percent) – 76 percent of Republicans, 85 percent of Democrats and 81 percent of Independents -- agree that “Indiana should focus on increased energy efficiency and conservation steps and more use of sustainable energy to reduce demand for electricity before it goes ahead with a new coal-fired power plant.” Fewer than one in four (18 percent) disagree.

Other key Indiana survey findings include:

• Three out of four Indiana residents (75 percent) would pick clean wind or solar energy if they “could decide where to invest money in new electric power generation for Indiana.” Fewer than one in five (16 percent) would pick nuclear and just 7 percent favor coal as the power source.
• About six out of 10 Indiana residents (58 percent) -– including an equal number of likely voters --would be more likely to vote for “a candidate for public office who spoke out against Duke Energy's planned coal-fired plant for Indiana.”This support for power plant opponent candidates includes majorities of Republicans (50 percent), Democrats (66 percent) and Independents (57 percent).
• Nearly three out of four Indiana residents (75 percent) would oppose “the building of another coal-fired power plant in Indiana if they knew it would result in additional mercury contamination and carbon dioxide pollution, which scientists believe contribute to global warming.” Over half (53 percent) of residents would strongly oppose such construction, which would be favored by only one in four state residents. Only 31 percent of Republicans, 16 percent of Democrats and 22 percent of Independents would support such construction.
  

Civil Society Institute Senior Fellow Gail Pressberg said: “Duke Energy clearly does not have the support of Hoosiers when it embraces a 19th Century solution like coal to deal with the challenges of a 21st Century world that requires clean energy solutions that create new jobs and cut global warming pollution. Indiana residents know that Jim Rogers is on the wrong track in relying on a dirty power source at the same time that more far-sighted utilities and the state governments that regulate them are canceling plans for coal-fired power plants.”

Grant Smith, executive director, Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, Indianapolis, IN., said: “The public understands that going forward with construction of the Edwardsport coal gasification plant would be a financial disaster for ratepayers and an ecological travesty. It is simply unethical and irresponsible for Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers to pursue completion of the Edwardsport plant due to extravagant costs to ratepayers in these difficult economic times, the lack of any technology that can control carbon dioxide emissions, and the availability of cheaper, cleaner options that can easily meet electric demand in Duke’s monopoly territory and create many more jobs than a coal plant. The public just isn’t buying Rogers’ self-serving coal-now-and-forever spin.”

OTHER SURVEY FINDINGS

Opinion Research Corporation Senior Researcher Graham Hueber said: “It is clear from the survey that Indiana residents are looking ahead to a future of cleaner energy. For example, nearly nine out of 10 Hoosiers (86 percent) agree with the following statement: ‘A national energy strategy based on a 'phasing in' of new technologies and a phasing out of carbon based energy sources would require specific actions. America should commit to a five-year moratorium on new coal-fired plants and, instead, focus on aggressive expansion of wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. Tax and other incentives should be provided for all new construction to help reduce energy consumption. Homeowners should get incentives to make their homes more energy efficient to help reduce energy demands.’”

Other key Civil Society Institute survey findings for Indiana include the following:

• Likely voters favor more conservation/energy efficiency over power plant construction by a margin of 79 percent to 19 percent.
• Four out of five Indiana residents (80 percent) say they are “concerned about the possible ill health effects -including asthma, heart problems and mental retardation in children --that could be experienced by you, your family members and others as the result of increased pollution from a new coal-fired power plant in Indiana.”Fewer than one in five state residents (19 percent) say they are not concerned by such health issues.
• About nine out of ten Indiana residents (84 percent) – including a bipartisan 80 percent of Republicans, 88 percent of Democrats and 87 percent of Independents -- agree with the following statement: "A sound energy policy is central to solving some of the most urgent problems facing our country. An energy policy that promotes energy efficiency and sustainable power would encourage innovation, create new green jobs and make for a stronger economy. It also allows the U.S. to disentangle itself from unstable and hostile regions of the world while also reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.“
• Roughly nine out of 10 Indiana residents (89 percent) “think it is time for the leaders of our nation to start thinking in terms of the concept of a ’new industrial revolution, ’one that is characterized by the orderly phasing out of fossil fuels and the phasing in of clean, renewable energy sources -many of which are available now, such as wind and solar for electricity, hybrid and clean diesel technologies for cars.”
• Over four out of five Indiana residents (81 percent) agree that “the effects of global warming require that we take timely and decisive steps for renewable, safe and clean energy sources. We need transitional technologies on our path to energy independence. There are tough choices to be made and tradeoffs. We cannot afford to postpone decisions since there are no perfect options."
• Over four-fifths of Indiana residents (83 percent) have little (15 percent) or no (68 percent) awareness of “plans by Duke Energy to build a new coal-fired power plant at Edwardsport in Indiana.” Only 17 percent say they are aware, with just 4 percent “very aware.”
  

For full findings from the new survey, go to http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org/.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Results are based on an Opinion Research Corporation survey for the Civil Society Institute consisting of telephone interviews conducted among a representative sample of 602 adults age 18 and over, living in private households, in the state of Indiana. Interviewing was completed during the period of April 4-7, 2008. All completed interviews were weighted by two variables: age and gender, to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the adult population. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points for the sample of 602 adults. Smaller sub-groups will have larger error margins.

ABOUT THE CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE

The nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org/) is a Newton, Massachusetts-based think tank that serves as a catalyst for change by creating problem-solving interactions among people, and between communities, government and business that can help to improve society. Since 2003, CSI has conducted more than 15 major national and state-level surveys on energy and global warming issues. The Civil Society Institute also is a of the Citizens Lead for Energy Action Now (CLEAN) campaign at http://www.cleanenergyaction.net/. CSI is the organizer of both 40MPG.org (http://www.40mpg.org/) and the Hybrid Owners of America (http://www.HybridOwnersofAmerica.org).

CONTACT: Ailis Aaron Wolf, (703) 276-3265 or aawolf@hastingsgroup.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A streaming audio replay of the news event will be available on the Web at http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org/ as of 5 p.m. CDT/6 p.m. EDT on April 22, 2008.

Cantwell-Ensign Clean Energy Amendment Derailed

From Solar Nation

Clunk! Roller Coaster off the Rails
The House puts its foot down

Roller coasters have, by design, a multitude of ups and downs, but it's comforting even to thrill-seekers to know they rarely become completely derailed. The roller coaster that represents the latest iteration of the Congressional energy bill, however, has finally done that.

The news from Washington is that the House of Representatives has no intention of moving forward with the "Cantwell-Ensign" clean energy provisions that the Senate made part of their comprehensive housing bill in early April. House Democratic leadership does not believe:

• that energy provisions should be included in housing legislation;
• that energy matters should be part of any future 'Economic Stimulus'-type legislation; and
• that bills with tax titles should be passed with no identified source of funding.

Unfortunately, those three characteristics well describe the clean energy amendment that Senators Cantwell and Ensign succeeded in attaching to the housing bill.

This is, to say the least, a disappointment, particularly after the efforts of solar citizens helped to produce the overwhelming (88-8) Senate passage of the amendment. But for the short term, it seems there will be no useful activity on Capitol Hill that will promote the tax credits for clean energy or energy efficiency that we know are so important. And that doesn't mean these measures will never again be a part of the economic equation; what it means is that those congresspersons who firmly believe the measures are necessary must find other legislative vehicles to carry them through the House, Senate and the White House.

Will this happen this year? At this point we can't tell you. There is talk of lumping the clean energy tax credits in with other credits and deductions in a broad-based 'extenders' bill, but nothing concrete has yet emerged. We do know that the attention of Congress in an election year tends to veer toward campaigns and polls instead of legislation as November approaches, so we're hoping for action earlier rather than later.

As always, we'll keep you posted.