DOT plan needs to consider hard choices

Friday, February 27, 2009

From the comments submitted by Madison Peak Oil Group on Connections 2030, the long-range planning document of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation:

Transportation infrastructure and services in Wisconsin affect both the economy and quality of life in the state. Prospective policies for different transportation modes deserve thoughtful consideration of current realities as well as probable futures.

WisDOT deserves credit for its efforts to make the report comprehensive, integrated, and mindful of the many goals for transport programs. However, Madison Peak Oil Group believes that a number of issues and evaluations do not receive the attention that they warrant, given long-term trends in oil supply and our current economic reality.

Madison Peak Oil is concerned that the report does not really confront:

1. The economic realities since mid-2008 which threaten current state transportation programs, much less new efforts;
2. The combined long-term implications of higher state program costs and declining transportation revenues for the prospective scope and number of DOT programs; i.e., it will be harder than ever to be all things to all people over this planning horizon;
3. The combined implications of lower incomes, aging populations, environmental goals, and higher costs for oil-based personal vehicle operation on the prospective demand for transit and beyond-auto transport over this planning horizon;
4. The fact that some freight transport systems (e.g., rail and water) are more energy efficient and cost-effective than others (e.g., air and long-distance trucking) and are more likely to grow in importance and cost-effectiveness over the planning horizon. . . .

Facing tight budgets, rising costs, increasing environmental and resource problems, this report needs to go beyond a feel-good vision of 2030. While the Wisconsin Department of Transportation alone does not make the decisions that lie ahead, it would be useful if WisDOT would provide more information about the tradeoffs ahead and the tools and approaches which have been developed or used by other governments and nonprofits for making choices. This would enhance greatly the usefulness of the document in the coming decision process. In this fast-changing and challenged future, the document prepared in draft is being over-taken by harsh realities and many difficult choices are ahead. WisDOT needs to do a better job of preparing its audience for that process.

Train manufacturing would be good fit for Janesville

Thursday, February 26, 2009

A news release issued by State Senator Judy Robson:

Sen. Judy Robson applauded Gov. Jim Doyle’s mission to Spain to explore the possibility of bringing train manufacturing to the General Motors plant in Janesville.

“The General Motors plant is well-positioned to build passenger rail cars,” Robson said. “It is located along a railroad line. We have a well-educated, skilled workforce with a strong work ethic that is eager to go back to work. The plant has plenty of space. And we have a great technical college ready to train workers in the skills of train manufacturing.”

Doyle is in Spain talking to government officials and business leaders about locating Spanish companies’ train manufacturing plants in Wisconsin and specifically in Janesville.

“As our streets and highways become more congested, there will be a growing demand for high-speed passenger rail in the coming years,” Robson said. “Cities and regions across the nation are already developing plans for commuter rail. I am pleased that Governor Doyle is aggressively recruiting train manufacturers to locate factories in our state. Our request for GM to bring another vehicle line to Janesville is still on the table. But we can pursue more than one path at the same time.”

Common Council OKs bus fare increase

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

From a story on Channel3000.com:

MADISON, Wis. -- In a rare move, the Madison Common Council voted early Wednesday morning to increase Madison Metro bus fares by 50 cents instead of the 25-cent hike approved by a city commission last month.

The meeting went into early-morning hours after a public hearing in which dozens of local residents spoke out, many opposed to any increase in bus fares.

The council subsequently voted 11-8 in favor of raising bus fares, which brings the total to $2. Metro bus fares are currently $1.50.

The 50-cent increase is 25 cents more than approved by the city's Transit and Parking Commission in January. The council's vote lines up with Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's proposed increase, which the commission had rejected twice.

The mayor called the TPC's approval of a 25-cent increase the worst of both worlds, because it charges more money while still forcing cuts to service.

"My concern with the TPC is they did not act responsibly," Cieslewicz said. "At first, they refused to raise fares at all. That left them with a $700,000 deficit, which they refused to close."

The mayor said the increase in fares is needed to avoid cuts in service.

"I think increasing bus fares is the right thing to do. It's never easy," Cieslewicz said. "We haven't increased cash fares in nine years. Over that time, since 2000, the cost of fuel for our buses has gone up 230 percent."

A small group gathered outside the Common Council meeting on Tuesday night to protest a rate increase.

"A strong Metro is one which is affordable and convenient," said Susan De Vos, a Metro rider.

The Madison Peak Oil Group opposed the increase.

Bus fare hike? We're still not convinced

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

From an editorial in The Capital Times:

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is not an enemy of buses or public transportation.

The mayor's proposal to raise bus fares to $2 per ride is a response to genuine budgetary challenges. And we reject the notion that this veteran environmental activist -- who has long been an advocate for alternative modes of transportation -- has somehow abandoned his principles during the course of the protracted struggle to balance the books at Madison Metro.

But we are not ready to embrace the $2 fare.

The mayor has worked hard to make the case for this increase. He has done his best with charts and statistics. And we have been sympathetic to his presentations. There is no question that he believes that only a fare hike will prevent serious cuts in services.

But it strikes us that this is a managerial response to a creative challenge.

We continue to be more influenced by those who oppose the fare hike, who are currently arguing:

-- Public transit is a basic service that benefits everyone, not just bus riders.

-- Higher fares will hurt low-income people the most, and the proposed low-income monthly pass will be available for only a maximum of 400 people.

-- There will be no significant improvements in service from a further fare increase -- much of it will go into reserves, at a time when many people need the bus more than ever.

-- Service cuts will not be necessary because we stop the fare hikes.

-- Metro says that raising fares will raise more money, but it won't if it decreases ridership, as fare increases have done historically. We need to make our bus system stronger, not weaker.

-- Getting people out of cars and on the bus is one of the best things a city can do to be cleaner.

Comments about the fare hike can be sent to the mayor via mayor@cityofmaidosn.com and to alders via allalders@cityofmadison.com.

City of Madison to buy more hybrid buses for Metro

From a story by Lynn Welch on The Daily Page of Isthmus:

It’s a good problem to have, says Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, reflecting on the city’s need to decide quickly where to spend gobs of federal stimulus money headed its way from the federal economic stimulus package.

“There’s probably tens of millions of dollars coming to the city,” Cieslewicz says. “I've asked each of the managers who have stimulus money coming to them, or who can apply for stimulus money, to put together a memo to me by end of [this] week outlining their suggestions on how the money might be used.”

Len Simon, Madison’s Washington D.C. lobbyist, has been scouring the voluminous economic stimulus bill signed last week by President Barack Obama, and reporting back details of what’s in it for Madison. Among the bigger items: $9.5 million in transit funds, earmarked for new capital spending. The city plans to use the money to order 18 new hybrid buses; these will be delivered in 2010 to replace buses retiring from Madison Metro’s aging fleet.

The buses, which cost about $500,000 each, will join five existing Metro hybrids, added to the fleet in 2007. The hyrbids, says Cieslewicz, have worked out well. They’re quiet, emit much less exhaust than regular diesel buses, and get an estimated 20% to 30% better gas mileage.

Just say no to Madison Metro bus-fare increase

Friday, February 20, 2009

From a opinion column in Isthmus by Tim Wong:

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz has demanded that bus fares be raised to $2 a ride. The Transit and Parking Commission, whose duty it is to set fares, has twice said no.

Initially, the TPC voted 7-2 to keep fares the same as now ($1.50). Subsequently, in a compromise move, it voted 5-4 to raise fares to $1.75. The mayor, having not gotten his way, wants the city council to override the TPC.

The matter is slated to be taken up at the council's next meeting on Tuesday, February 24. Please contact your alders and tell them to keep fares at the current rate.

There are no compelling reasons to raise fares now, and many good reasons not to. Some middle-class people, with their comfortable incomes and lifestyle, may not have noticed, but we are in a deep recession, considered the most serious since the Depression. This is not the time to raise fares 33%.

We live in the age of Peak Oil. Most people expect that gas prices, despite the recent downturn, will continue to climb in the long term. This will make long commutes expensive and lower the value of suburban development.

Public should turn out for bus fare hearing, Feb. 24

Thursday, February 19, 2009

From a letter to the editor of The Capital Times by Susan De Vos:

In an "Election Matters" article in The Capital Times Feb. 6 by John Nichols, it was stated that "it now appears that the council will override the commission at a meeting scheduled for Feb. 24" when discussing a hike in the bus fare.

Not only is this potentially incorrect, the statement is irresponsible because it discourages people from showing up to the meeting (6:30 p.m., Room 201 City-County Bldg.) and engaging in the democratically important function of testifying before their elected officials.

Why should people bother to testify if it is already a "done deal"? It is not, and the responsible thing is to say that it is not. Why such a cavalier dismissal of the Transit and Parking Commission? After all, they are the experts and have special legal authority to boot.

Doyle budget could create Madison-area transit authority

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

From an article by Jason Stein in the Wisconsin State Journal summarizing Governor Doyle's budgetr provisions, including this one:

Authorizing a Madison-area transportation authority that could levy an up to 0.5 percent sales tax to fund initiatives such as commuter rail. The authority would cover just Madison and its suburbs rather than all of Dane County, which was proposed by local leaders in 2007. The budget also proposes authorizing a total of $120 million in state borrowing to extend high-speed passenger rail from Milwaukee to Madison.

Dane County Board Chairman Scott McDonell said any sales tax increase would need to go to a referendum in the affected areas.

McDonnell said the provision would revive the region’s federal application for a $250 million commuter rail system between Middleton and Sun Prairie. The county’s previous application was withdrawn because the state hadn’t authorized a funding source.

The Madison Peak Oil Group has statement in support of legislation to allow local governments to create transportation authorities.

New law gives cash incentives to bicycle commuters

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

From an article by Chris Hubbuch in the La Crosse Tribune:

With his yellow rain slicker, reflective vest and helmet-mounted headlight, it’s hard to miss Kurt Oettel as he pedals to work.

“There’s no doubt I’m a bike commuter,” he said. “I look like a geek.”

Oettel, 44, rides about 21/2 miles each way from his home on 24th Street to Gundersen Lutheran, where he works as an oncologist.

He rarely misses a day.

“I took off those three days when there was a 35 below wind chill,” he admitted.

For Oettel, who with his wife has three kids, one car and 11 bicycles, biking to work started as a necessity but continues out of a passion for biking and for conserving energy.

A new law that took effect Jan. 1 provides a monetary benefit for commuters like him and an incentive for others to get on their bikes.

According to the law, commuters can collect $20 a month for bike-related expenses; employers can deduct the expense from their taxes.

The credit, which extends benefits already available to parking and public transit users, was included in last fall’s controversial $700 billion financial industry bailout.

Ironically, the measure’s sponsor, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, voted against it. The Oregon Democrat, who wears a bicycle lapel pin and spent years pushing for the credit, opposed the rescue bill, calling it too expensive and ineffective.

Exactly how the law will be applied — how often do you have to ride to work to be a bicycle commuter? — isn’t clear. The IRS has not issued specific guidance on the rule, said spokesman Christopher Miller.

“A lot of things are not completely explained yet,” said Meghan Cahill, communications director for the League of American Bicyclists, which applauds the law.

Employees will have to produce receipts to document they spent money — on a bike, accessories or repairs — said Mary Jo Werner, a CPA with Wipfli LLP in La Crosse.

It’s not clear from the law whether it’s mandatory for employers to offer the benefit.

“I don’t know why an employer wouldn’t want to do it,” Werner said. “You’re giving an employee a benefit and it doesn’t cost anything. Plus it kind of breeds good will.”

Carl Johnson, owner of Smith Cycling and Fitness, hasn’t figured out how it will work but plans on offering the credit. He has about 10 employees who could qualify as bike commuters.

Zero Energy Building -- The convergence of solar power and energy efficiency, Milwaukee, March 13

Friday, February 13, 2009

From WE Energies and the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance:

Coming to Milwaukee!
Friday, March 13, 2009, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

ZERO ENERGY BUILDING - THE CONVERGENCE OF SOLAR POWER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Lessons For Architects, Builders, Designers, Engineers, Developers, and Owners

Presenters:
Steven J. Strong, President, Solar Design Associates
Lew W. Pratsch, U.S. Department of Energy

LOCATION:
We Energies
Public Service Building - Auditorium
231 W. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53203

Sponsored by We Energies and the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance


TO REGISTER AND FOR MORE INFO, GO TO: http://www.wgba.org/zeb.html

AGENDA:

Friday, March 13, 2009
8:00am - 8:30am Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30am - 8:45am Welcome and Introductions
8:45am - 9:15am PV Cell and Module Technology
9:15am - 10:15am Overview of PV Systems Options & Applications: Intro to basic systems and components with application examples

10:15am - 10:30am Morning Break
10:45am - 12:00pm Moving Toward Zero Energy Homes
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch Break
1:00pm - 2:00pm BIPV: Options, Materials and Methods
2:00pm - 2:45pm BIPV: A World View
2:45pm - 3:00pm Afternoon Break
3:00pm - 4:00pm BIPV - Detailed Case Studies
4:00pm - 4:30pm Codes, Economics and Incentives
4:30pm - 5:00pm Wrap Up with Questions and Discussion

The Nelson Institute announces Earth Day event, April 22

Thursday, February 12, 2009

From the announcement by The Nelson Institute:

Wisconsin's Energy Future will be a one-day conference to explore emerging federal and state energy policies; opportunities to develop more home-grown energy resources such as biomass, wind and solar; strategies to create jobs in a sustainable economy; and many other topics.

Our state has faced energy crises before, and a great deal of planning and policy development has taken place in past decades. What have we learned, and how can this experience guide our future decisions? The historical roots of Wisconsin’s energy planning and policy development will also be highlighted.

Wisconsin's Energy Future will gather participants and audience members from businesses and utilities, state and federal government agencies, the legislature, non-profit organizations, academia and the interested public to discuss this critical issue and exchange perspectives and ideas.

In the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea and the first Earth Day founded by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, the Nelson Institute’s mission is to promote greater understanding of our energy challenge and to facilitate collaboration in finding solutions.

Consultant hired to reconsider need for new transmission line

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

From an article by Mike Ivey in The Capital Times:

Will the combination of a deep economic slowdown, coupled with improvements in energy efficiency, preclude the need for a new $250 million high-voltage electric transmission line across Dane County?

It's a question some are asking as more factories close at the same time President Obama is calling for a greening of the nation's century-old electric system.

Last week, the Madison City Council approved hiring a consultant to study the economics of a new 345-kilovolt transmission line and to determine whether it is warranted. The city previously hired a consultant to study putting the line underground or somewhere other than along the Beltline highway as proposed.

"Certainly you'd like to see industrial activity pick up while we also make improvements in efficiencies," says east side Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway. "But the fact that Obama is talking about a 'smart grid' enables us to maybe gain traction for some alternatives."

Part of the more than $800 billion economic stimulus package working its way through Congress focuses on improving energy efficiency and using technology to conserve power. This includes everything from individual meters, which peg electric charges to the time of day, to motion-sensitive switches that turn lights on and off as people enter or leave a room.

Energy advocates have also talked about "distributed generation," or the concept of having smaller on-site power generators at individual factories or businesses versus the traditional system of high-voltage lines connected to a large power plant in a distant location.

Nelson Institute to pick best new green idea, give $20k

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

From an article by in The Badger Herald:

The University of Wisconsin Nelson Institute will offer $50,000 in prizes to students who produce ideas to reduce the impact of climate change through a new competition called the Climate Leadership Challenge.

“Right now there is no program to create incentives for low-carbon energy technologies,” said Greg Nemet, assistant professor of public affairs and environmental studies at UW. “There is a lot of enthusiasm for doing something that we haven’t taken full advantage of. The idea of the project is to create an early stage award for some really talented people.”

Project coordinator Josh Ghena said the competition is based off of the “X Prize,” a competition that rewards competitors for achieving goals that benefit humanity.

Ghena said he spent a lot of time researching competitions at other universities before settling on the idea of a competition seeking projects that promote a sustainable future.

“The idea of the climate challenge is fairly unique,” Ghena said. “People involved in policy and making decisions see this as a really creative and unique opportunity for students. There are a lot of people excited about this.”

Both graduate and undergraduate students are invited to submit a program, policy or product to participate in the competition.

Airport to sell solar power back to MGE

Monday, February 09, 2009

From an article Marv Balousek in the Wisconsin State Journal:

Rooftop solar panels at the Dane County Regional Airport’s new rental-car return kiosk will bring in about $3,000 a year by selling power back to Madison Gas & Electric Co., county officials said Thursday.

The photo voltaic panels, expected to provide 12,000 kilowatt hours of power each year, cost $96,305 and the county received $27,215 back in a rebate from Wisconsin Focus on Energy. The airport uses about 3.5 million kilowatts annually.

The airport also is seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its new 2,000-square-foot exit plaza building, where 86 percent of the construction waste was recycled, paints and sealants with low levels of volatile organic compounds were used and efficient plumbing fixtures were installed.

Group raises red flag on bus station plans

Friday, February 06, 2009

From the Madison Peak Oil Group's statement on possible plans to redevelop the site of the Badger Bus station on West Washington Avenue:

NOT SO FAST!
LET'S THINK TWICE BEFORE LOSING OUR BUS STATION
Madison's Transportation Future is at Stake
THE BADGER BUS STATION TODAY
While the buses make some noise and transients occasionally congregate there, the Badger Bus Station provides valuable passenger service for Badger, Greyhound and other bus companies. Moreover, it offers the potential to be an invaluable focus for future public transportation development. Each week hundreds of passengers pour through the station—returning students, out of town visitors, businessmen, Badger fans, high school tournament attendees, and Madison citizens.

However, next summer, if the proposed redevelopment proceeds on schedule, intercity bus arrivals and transfers will be spread around the city in a disorganized fashion without regard to passenger convenience and access to major destinations. In the next five years, as our nation responds to the return of very high energy prices and institutes measures to control global warming, planned expansions of bus, train, and rapid transit will be urgently needed. Madison will then search for a central hub for these facilities and find the current bus station site has been preempted by an ill-timed commercial development.

Madison has no better place for a central transit focus than the bus station site. Accessible to nearly all the major bus lines, it is equidistant between east and west Madison, and close to much of University housing. It is the natural linking point for new services using existing rail lines. It provides ready access to nearly all of the public attractions of Madison. Its is only two blocks from the Kohl Center, an easy walk to Camp Randall, the State Capitol, City offices, Monona Terrace, Overture Center, Farmers Market, and Capitol Concerts, among others. The existing bus and train stations provide a core for a transit hub, and the surrounding low intensity uses would pose very minimal obstacles for parking and other facilities (as opposed to the hypothetical alternatives at Monona Terrace or west of the Kohl Center). . . .

WHAT SHOULD THE PUBLIC EXPECT AT THIS TIME?
• At a minimum, the Badger Bus Company should be accountable for a viable plan for intercity bus boarding and transfers for the near term—two to three years—as a part of their plans for conversion of the station site to non-transportation use. The Madison Planning Department should review this plan its adequacy in meeting public transportation needs.

• Before City Planning review, the owners should obtain an agreement with UW planners specifying what boarding and transfer activities can be accommodated at the Union South facility. This should cover the construction period through 2011 and after completion. It should include provision for Greyhound bus service and transfers. This should be made available to the City Planning Commission for review prior to redevelopment project approval.

• The City Planning Department, Metropolitan Planning Organization, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation should provide the public with projected plans for intercity transportation terminal facilities and intermodal transfers--both near and long term--in the downtown area before review by the City Planning Commission and Common Council. The City should not approve the Planned Unit Development required for the implementation of this project until these arrangements are considered.

• Prior to a final approval of this project, the Mayor and Common Council should consider the purchase of this site for public transportation purposes, if necessary under eminent domain, and apply for State and Federal funding. The Badger Bus Company should accept its civic obligation to play a constructive role in Madison's future transportation planning, and delay its redevelopment project until these questions are resolved.

If Madison is to have the central focal point anticipated in practically all its public transportation plans, where is it to be? If not this optimal site, where?

When should Madison prepare for a world of scarcer, more expensive oil, with controlled carbon emissions, if not now?

Written by David Knuti and Barbara Smith, Madison Peak Oil Group, February 3, 2009

Online registration opens for Renewable Energy Summit, Milwaukee, March 25-28

Thursday, February 05, 2009

The Renewable Energy Summit opened online registration for the event at the Midwest Airline Center, Milwaukee, March 25 - 28, 2009.

Fifteen program themes highlight bio industry energy; business technologies and practices; curriculum programs and course design; energy efficiency, energy management and renewable, sustainable and green practices; energy policy, legal issues, drivers of the energy revolution, and opportunities for funding; green career pathways; green manufacturing; greening practices for colleges; green transportation; solar electric energy; solar thermal and geothermal energy; utility issues; water technologies; and wind energy.

March 25 and 26 focus on the renewable energy industry with presentations on all sectors of the industry. March 27 features Green Career Day with the focus on educational and job opportunities. March 28 offers workshops and short courses at the MATC Oak Creek Campus. For details see www.renewableenergysummit.org.

Spring Green, other governments get grants to track energy spending

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

From an article by Tim Damos in The Sauk Prairie Eagle:

Two Sauk County groups are among 10 statewide that will receive grant money for tracking the energy use of government-owned infrastructure, such as buildings and vehicles.

One group including the Village of Spring Green, River Valley School District and Town of Spring Green will receive $50,000, said Brian Driscoll, a spokesman for the state's Office of Energy Independence.

The Town of Fairfield will receive $13,500, but there has been confusion about what that money can be used for.

The federal grant money is funneled through the state as part of Gov. Jim Doyle's plan to generate 25 percent of the state's electricity and transportation fuel from renewable resources by 2025 — the so-called 25X25 plan.

Fairfield Town Chairman Tim Stone said he included non-profit groups and agribusinesses as partners in the town's grant application in hopes of developing a community-wide 25 by 25 strategy. But state officials have said the town can only use the money for government-owned infrastructure, he said.

Stone said the town still plans to explore a comprehensive strategy, even if state funds can't be used for that process.

"Certainly we will move forward and we will not only do the government buildings, but attempt to include the whole community," Stone said Monday.

The town will create a board to oversee the process and will partner with the Sauk County University of Wisconsin-Extension office in developing a plan, Stone said.

River Valley School District Administrator James Benson said finding alternative energy use strategies for the district's six school buildings will ultimately save taxpayer money.

LNG as peak oil fix may lead to "Insanity Island"

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

From an alert issued by Clean Ocean Action:

The Atlantic Sea Island Group [ASIG] is planning to build a massive industrial complex in the ocean for the importation of LNG (liquefied natural gas). . . .

The facility, officially called “Safe Harbor Energy” by the company Atlantic Sea Island Group, is planned for 19 miles off the coast of New Jersey and 13 miles off the coast of New York. The same area is home to endangered species and is prime fishing grounds.

The project would require dumping 14 millions [tons] of fill to create the offshore island, which is 10 times the volume of the Empire State Building! Further, the island will only be 25 feet above sea level, while offshore wave heights during storms in this region can reach 30 to 50 feet.

The proposed artificial island would smother up to 140 acres of seafloor -- which is up to 14 times the size of Giants Stadium! At the ocean's surface, the island itself will be 86 acres. In addition, there will be large exclusion zones surrounding the facility and the tanker ships. The ships can be nearly four football fields in length. Such an island has never been constructed in the open ocean and ASIG has no experience in offshore construction or with LNG.

Hearings set on regional transit authority

Monday, February 02, 2009

From an article by Matthew DeFour in the Wisconsin State Journal:

Should Dane County create a new intergovernmental authority to oversee proposed commuter rail, express bus service and other transportation infrastructure, and should it be funded with a half-cent sales tax?

The public will get a chance to weigh in on those questions during four public hearings scheduled for late February and early March in the Madison suburbs.

The forums offer an opportunity to critique a draft proposal of how a Dane County Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) would work. The proposal calls for a system with commuter rail, expanded Metro Transit service, regional express bus service, park-and-rides and shared-ride taxi service.

The proposal was created by a subcommittee of the Transport 2020 committee, which for several years has been exploring the possibility of local commuter rail. The current proposal is a $255 million commuter rail system between Middleton and Sun Prairie that would cost $10 million a year to operate. A recent application to the federal government for engineering funding was withdrawn because a funding mechanism such as an RTA has not been established. . . .

When and where:
• Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. Middleton City Hall, 7426 Hubbard Ave, Council Chambers.
• Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. Stoughton City Hall, 401 E. Main St., Fire Department Training Room.
• March 2 at 6 p.m. DeForest Area Community and Senior Center, 505 N. Main St., Community Room.
• March 4 at 7 p.m. Sun Prairie Library, 1350 Linnerud Drive, Community Room.