Dane County Clean Air Coalition lanunches residential wood stove changeout program

Monday, August 01, 2011

From a news release issued by the Clean Air Coalition:

Today, the Dane County Clean Air Coalition launched the second phase of the 2011 Dane County Wood Stove Changeout Program, a voluntary pollution prevention program designed to help residents reduce harmful fine particle pollution and airborne toxics. From August 1st through September 30th, the Coalition is encouraging residents to get a jump on autumn’s cooler temperatures by offering a $750.00 cash rebate to eligible residents who voluntarily replace their old, inefficient wood stoves or fireplace inserts with healthier, more efficient and cleaner burning EPA-certified devices.

This clean air initiative is funded by a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5. Additional support has been provided by the Dane County Clean Air Coalition and the North Central Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.

“We’re happy the Dane County Clean Air Coalition is able to offer this great financial incentive to our residents who use wood stoves or fireplaces for heat,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “I urge Dane County residents to take advantage of the Wood Stove Changeout Program. They’ll be doing their part to protect their health and the air we all breathe, while reducing their wood heating costs and staying comfortable when cold temperatures return.”

Old wood stoves and fireplace inserts produce excessive wood smoke, which is made up of a mixture of gases and fine particle pollution that isn’t healthy to breathe indoors or out – especially for children, older adults and those with heart disease, asthma or other lung diseases. While fine particle pollution can occur year-round from vehicular, electric and industrial sources, activities such as wood burning that occur in the fall and winter months significantly increase fine particle levels and other pollutants in our air. EPA-certified stoves and inserts emit 70% less particle pollution and are approximately 50% more energy efficient than wood stoves manufactured before 1990.

The Story of Coal from SunRunHome

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Group releases recommendations to cut pollution

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

From a news release issued by Clean Wisconsin:

Expansion will save homeowners and businesses million

MADISON -- After more than a year of meetings and studies, the Midwestern Governors Association's (MGA) Low Carbon Fuel Advisory Group has released a report detailing a regionally coordinated cleaner fuels policy. These recommendations are designed to lower pollution in transportation fuels.

"The MGA report shows that cleaner fuel policies can be developed in ways that take advantage of our region’s economic and natural resource strengths and move Wisconsin away from the fossil fuels we import to our state at a cost of $13 billion a year," says Keith Reopelle, senior policy director, Clean Wisconsin.

While California and other states have already adopted similar policies, these recommendations differ in key respects. For example, they propose to measure greenhouse gas emissions for transportation fuels in a way that does not penalize the use of food-based crops for fuel, such as corn ethanol. A decision on evaluating potential market effects of food-based crops would be delayed until there is greater scientific consensus.

The Midwest is the leading producer of corn ethanol and soybean biodiesel, both of which can contribute to cuts in carbon pollution. The region is also a leader in the development of next-generation, clean-burning biofuels, from sources like wood waste and biogas, which benefits local economies. Wisconsin leads the country in farm-based biogas energy that turns cow manure, cheese wastewater and other byproducts into a valuable fuel for natural gas vehicles. And, of course, the region is the nation’s leading automotive and automotive components manufacturer. For instance, Wisconsin-based Johnson Controls is building car batteries and electric drivetrains for vehicles such as the Ford Transit electric van. Electricity qualifies as a low-carbon fuel due to the greater efficiency of electric drivetrains.

"Moving to lower carbon fuels not only reduces dependence on imported oil but helps develop new economic opportunities in the advanced biofuel and electric vehicle industries," says Reopelle. "The recent announcement that United Ethanol of Milton will be installing a biogas system to reduce fossil fuel consumption will lower the carbon footprint of ethanol fuel produced in Wisconsin."

Some proposals were recommended for state or region-wide action, but the Advisory Group made recommendations for federal policymakers as well. The Advisory Group included state policymakers, business leaders, including the oil and gas industries, academic researchers and environmental groups.

MGA asked the Advisory Group to develop mutually acceptable recommendations for action to cut the carbon pollution from transportation fuels by 10 percent in 10 years. A technical evaluation found that nearly a 15-percent cut in pollution could be achieved in the same timeframe.

Wisconsin Cannot Afford to Ignore Rising Coal Prices

Thursday, December 02, 2010

For immediate release

More information
RENEW Wisconsin
Michael Vickerman
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org

Wisconsin Cannot Afford to Ignore Rising Coal Prices

Long-considered an inexpensive and reliable fuel source, coal has become subject to market and regulatory pressures that threaten to make it an expensive and risky way to generate electricity, according to national news reports and pertinent utility filings with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC).

“The expectation of continued increases in coal prices reinforces the value of relying on Wisconsin’s own energy resources. If there’s an effort to find savings for utility customers, the logical move would be to shutter antiquated coal plants before they become more of a liability,” said Michael Vickerman, Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide, nonprofit renewable energy advocacy organization.

A key driver behind coal’s rising cost is China, which has moved from an exporter to an importer of coal. The New York Times (NYT) reported last week that Chinese coal imports will hit all-time highs for November and December of this year. Some of this coal is coming from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, the coal field that also supplies many Wisconsin power plants.¹

In the New York Times story, an executive from Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private coal company, predicted that his company will send larger and larger quantities of coal to China in the coming years.

Further adding to the upward price pressure on coal is the rising cost of diesel fuel. The PSC has estimated that half of the delivered cost of coal in Wisconsin is attributable to rail shipment, that is highly sensitive to the price of diesel fuel, which sells for 38 cents more per gallon than it did a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.² Tom Whipple, editor of the Peak Oil Review, expects diesel fuel supplies to tighten in 2011 as a consequence of flat production volumes and increasing demand from Asia.³ This phenomenon could affect Wisconsin electric utility rates as early as January 2011, according to Vickerman.

We Energies’ coal costs have escalated by $57 million, of which transportation costs account for almost $33 million, according to the utility’s most recent rate filing with the PSC. On top of that, We Energies expects to pay an additional $8 million in oil surcharge costs.4

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Babies and cats want Clean Energy Jobs Act passed; 25% renewables by 2025

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The video is one of eight in Wisconsin Environment's Clean Energy Jobs Act Video Contest.

From a news release issued by Wisconsin Environment:

Vote for your favorite in the Clean Energy Jobs Act Video Contest

Madison – As the legislature considers the Clean Energy Jobs Act, citizens from across Wisconsin have created short videos to show why our state should pursue a clean energy future. The video submissions were entered into a contest sponsored by Wisconsin Environment.

“Wisconsin’s citizens know we can achieve a clean energy future,” said Dan Kohler, Wisconsin Environment Director. “Legislators should watch these videos to get a sense of the passion people have for getting off our dependence on fossil fuels and harnessing clean technologies to clean our air.”

The video contest will be decided through online voting happening through April 21st at the Wisconsin Environment website. The winner will be announced on Earth Day, April 22nd.

Vote now for the winner: http://www.wisconsinenvironment.org/action/clean-energy/video-voting

Coalition calls for limits on idling

Thursday, February 11, 2010

From a news release issued by the Wisconsin Clean Diesel Coalition:

Madison, WI—17 members of the Wisconsin Clean Diesel Coalition today called on the State Senate Clean Energy Committee to strengthen the Clean Energy Jobs Act (SB 450, AB 649) to reduce unnecessary commercial vehicle idling. The groups supported stronger language after a yearlong discussion with local and state officials following a proposed Dane County idling ban.

“This stronger statewide commercial unnecessary idling ban will create jobs and reduce fuel costs, while protecting the safety of truck drivers and emergency equipment operators,” said Dane County Supervisor Brett Hulsey, who proposed the Dane County ordinance and negotiated the statewide language with a broad range of stakeholders.

The letter was signed by a diverse group from all over the state including the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, Wisconsin Motor Carriers, Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin, Dane County, American Lung Association in WI, Inland Power Group, Associated Builders & Contractors of Wisconsin, Brooks Tractor Inc., Wisconsin Grocers Association, Antigo Construction, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn., Inc., Capitol Underground Inc., WI Engine Manufacturers and Distributors Alliance, Transport Refrigeration Inc., Miller-Bradford & Risberg, Inc., Leonardo Academy, and Wisconsin Kenworth Madison.

Their proposal is stronger than the current bill and Global Warming Taskforce language by:
1. Covering commercial gasoline and diesel engines, both large sources of emissions;
2. Covering commercial on-road and off-road vehicles, both large sources;
3. Having fair exemptions to protect the health and safety of drivers and operators; and
4. Was created by the industries that will be impacted, ensuring higher compliance.

Air-quality improvements offset climate policy costs

Friday, January 22, 2010

From a news release issued by the UW-Madison:

MADISON - The benefits of improved air quality resulting from climate change mitigation policies are likely to outweigh the near-term costs of implementing those policies, according to a new study.

Coming on the heels of the international climate talks in Copenhagen and a proposal earlier this month by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to tighten smog standards, new research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that climate change policies should be assessed on the basis of potential benefits as well as initial costs.

Writing online Jan. 22 in the journal Environmental Research Letters, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers Gregory Nemet, Tracey Holloway and Paul Meier report that the value of "co-benefits" - especially improved public health due to better air quality - rarely factors into assessments of climate change policy.

"The debate is really about how expensive this is going to be, and it excludes the social benefit," says Nemet, an assistant professor of public affairs and environmental studies at the La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. "That hasn't really been part of the equation."

Rather, policy assessments and decisions typically focus on cost-minimization without balancing those costs against the value of the resulting benefits, an approach that misrepresents the true economic impact of climate change policies, the researchers say.

In a survey of existing studies on air quality co-benefits, the researchers found 48 estimates ranging from $2 to nearly $200 per ton of carbon dioxide avoided, with an average benefit of $50 per ton. The highest values were in developing countries, where reducing pollution is likely to have the greatest impact on human welfare.

These benefits far outweigh the costs of carbon dioxide mitigation, which currently proposed policies limit to less than $30 per ton.

In March, MGE plant to make gas its primary fuel

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

From an article by Judy Newman in the Wisconsin State Journal:

In March, the century-old Blount Street power plant Downtown will make natural gas - not coal - its primary fuel.

The change will cut down on air pollution in the city but will also mean the elimination of nine jobs at the Madison Gas & Electric plant, employees were told last week.

"The amount of coal we plan to burn this year (at the Blount plant) compared to just a few years ago is significantly less. It is way, way down," MGE spokesman Steve Kraus said Monday.

That's not so much due to a conscious effort by the Madison utility company to scale back, prior to plans - announced in 2006 - to stop burning coal at Blount altogether by the end of 2011.

The power plant has burned less and less coal over the past couple of years as demand for elecricity has shrunk with the stunted economy, and as the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, which runs the Great Lakes-area power grid, has called the plant into service less often, Kraus said.

"So our need to buy coal has gone down to virtually nothing," he said.

Built in 1903, the Blount Street power plant was a baseload plant for decades, supplying electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to Madison. But as new generation has been built in recent years - including the natural gas-fueled power plant on the UW-Madison campus that provides steam and chilled water to heat and cool campus buildings, in addition to generating up to 150 megawatts of electricity - the Blount Street plant has been relegated to secondary status.

Clean air action day alert has been extended through Wednesday, Nov. 25th

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

From Jeanne Hoffman of the City of Madison:

PLEASE NOTE: Clean Air Action Day Alert has been Extended through Wednesday, Nov. 25th.

What You Can Do to Reduce Fine Particle Pollution

· Carpool, ride Metro Transit bus, walk or bike to work or recreational activities.
· Combine errands and reduce trips.
· Don’t let engines idle -- It gets 0 MPG!
· Conserve energy at home and work by turning off unnecessary lighting, computers and other electrical devices when not in use.
· Open burning and use of burn barrels should be reduced. Avoid use of outdoor wood burning boilers and fireplaces.
· If you use a wood burning stove, make sure it is an efficient model; burn dry wood.

Jeanne Hoffman
Facilities and Sustainability Manager
Engineering Main Office:
210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, Room 115
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 266-4751
Fax: (608) 264-9275
jhoffman@cityofmadison.com