Wisconsin's green economy offers 15,100 jobs

Monday, October 11, 2010

From a report published by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, The Green Tier Porgram at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Wisconsin School of Business:

By 2007, 68,203 businesses in the United States had generated more than 770,000 jobs in the green economy (Pew Charitable Trust, 2009). Every state has a piece of America’s green economy. The leading states include Oregon, Maine,California, Colorado, Massachusetts and Minnesota. Wisconsin is not currently among the leading states:

SOURCE: PEW Charitable Trusts, 2009, based on the National Establishment Time Series 2007 Database; analysis by Pew Center on the Statesand Collaborative Economics

Green job growth in Wisconsin through the 2001 recession (where WI lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs that were never recovered) was anemic. Wisconsin has lost an additional 70,000 manufacturing jobs (through July, 2010) because of the recession of 2008 (Center on Wisconsin Strategy, 2010).

While Wisconsin ranks either first or second in the nation in manufacturing jobs per capita, there is still a great deal of idle capacity in Wisconsin.

In 2007, jobs associated with the green economy accounted for 0.49 percent of all jobs nationally. WI was slightly below the national average with 3,150,000 total jobs and 0.48 percent of them being green.

A closer look at the data reveals that Wisconsin ranks as a top ten state in energy efficiency jobs. Energy efficiency is one of the five types of green jobs identified in the Pew report. Wisconisn ranked sixth in energy efficiency with 2,801 jobs. Midwestern states generally did well in all sectors, with Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois appearing among the top 10 states in multiple sectors.

In 2007, jobs associated with the green economy accounted for 0.49 percent of all jobs nationally. WI was slightly below the national average with 3,150,000 total jobs and 0.48 percent of them being green.

A closer look at the data reveals that Wisconsin ranks as a 2,801 jobs. Midwestern states generally did well in all sectors, with Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois appearing amongthe top 10 states in multiple sectors.

The report concludes:

The United States, and Wisconsin, will be focused on job creation over the next five to ten years. Creating green jobs has to be a part of the future if we hope to maintain our roleas a manufacturing state. Green jobs will gravitate towards states that are the most attractive, or to states that actively increase their attractiveness relative to competing states. The states that actively recruit green businesses will prosper in the longer run.

Wisconsin has a long history of manufacturing strength, and we are increasingly attracting manufacturing companies that are creating green jobs. But we can do more. We have only to look at our neighboring states of Iowa or Minnesota to see the benefit of establsihing Wisconsin as a hotbed of green expertise.

New green businesses can create jobs, generate revenues, and help Wisconsin re-emerge as a bell-weather state in the heartland of America.

MGE doesn't recommend radiant barrier insulation for cold climates

Friday, October 08, 2010

From Madison Gas and Electric's Energy Wise:

Every fall, MGE hears from customers who received a free dinner invitation in the mail to "learn how to drastically reduce your electric and gas bills, with Space Age Technology developed and used by NASA." The product being promoted is radiant barrier insulation, a shiny foil material. The performance and long-term cost-effectiveness of the product depends on what part of the country the home is located in and the amount of existing insulation currently in the home.

MGE doesn't recommend radiant barriers for houses in our cold climate. Why not? The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Florida Solar Energy Center both say that radiant barriers are generally not recommended for houses in a cold climate. In fact, the DOE's "Cool Roof Calculator" says that in Madison, you'd always save more money by adding attic insulation than by installing a radiant barrier in the attic.

Not only that, but customer's tell us that these "free dinner" companies often charge thousands of dollars to install radiant barriers.

MGE encourages you to ask questions anytime you receive these types of solicitations. In addition, you can call MGE's Home Energy Line at 252-7117.

Jimmy Carter redeemed: White House to tap sun for heating water and some electricity

Thursday, October 07, 2010

From an Associated Press article by Dina Cappiello in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Solar power is coming to President Barack Obama's house.

The most famous residence in America, which has already boosted its green credentials by planting a garden, plans to install solar panels atop the White House's living quarters. The solar panels are to be installed by spring 2011, and will heat water for the first family and supply some electricity.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the plans Tuesday in Washington at a conference of local, state, academic and nonprofit leaders aimed at identifying how the federal government can improve its environmental performance.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush both tapped the sun during their days in the White House. Carter in the late 1970s spent $30,000 on a solar water-heating system for West Wing offices. Bush's solar systems powered a maintenance building and some of the mansion, and heated water for the pool.

Obama, who has championed renewable energy, has been under increasing pressure by the solar industry and environmental activists to lead by example by installing solar at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, something White House officials said has been under consideration since he first took office.

The decision perhaps has more import now after legislation to reduce global warming pollution died in the Senate, despite the White House's support. Obama has vowed to try again on a smaller scale.

Last month, global warming activists with 350.org carried one of Carter's solar panels - which were removed in 1986 - from Unity College in Maine to Washington to urge Obama to put solar panels on his roof. It was part of a global campaign to persuade world leaders to install solar on their homes. After a meeting with White House officials, they left Washington without a commitment.

Bill McKibben, the founder of the 350.org group, said Tuesday the administration did the right thing.

Businesses can celebrate Energy Awareness Month with practical tips to save energy & money

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:

Boost the bottom line while strategically managing energy use

Madison, Wis. (October 6, 2010)—In honor of Energy Awareness Month this October, businesses around the country are taking steps to reduce energy use by making cost-effective building improvements and getting staff involved to find smart solutions.

With cold weather on its way now is a great time for organizations to make sure they are well positioned to keep energy costs in check and save money this season, and year round. In fact, Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, has already helped Wisconsin businesses save more than $212 million in annual energy costs since 2001.

If organizations are unsure how to get started, Focus offers these free and low-cost best practices to help businesses get ahead this season.

1. Start an energy management team. One cost-effective way to keep tabs on energy costs is to establish an energy team within the organization. Visit focusonenergy.com/energyteam for a free toolkit to help create a team and start implementing high-ROI, low-risk projects.
2. Install (and use!) a programmable thermostat. Businesses can save 1 percent on heating costs for each degree they lower the thermostat. Instead of adjusting the thermostat manually, make sure to install a system that will automatically manage the building’s temperature. Already have a system in place? Program it to achieve maximum savings, and don’t forget to adjust it with the shift from Daylight Saving Time, if necessary.
3. Weatherization can yield big savings. Weather-strip and caulk cracks in walls, jams, and floors. Check for worn-out weather-stripping and replace it.
4. Measure the facility for proper attic insulation. Consider upgrading with spray-foam or batt insulation. Additional insulation can be blown into walls, and there are options for insulating flat roofs, crawl spaces, and floors.
5. Maintain heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning equipment regularly. Facilities can reduce the energy use of heating and cooling systems by up to 6 percent simply by having them serviced regularly and changing air filters monthly. Don’t forget to keep the space around the system clean and clear to prevent debris from being pulled into the burners and filters.
6. Purchase energy-efficient equipment and lighting. When it comes time to replace equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR® label—an assurance of quality and energy efficiency. For lighting, install compact fluorescent bulbs for task lighting and high-performance T8 or pulse-start metal-halide systems for larger or high-bay applications. Lighting-control systems such as occupancy sensors and daylight sensors can help save even more.
7. Talk to the experts at Focus on Energy. We’re a one-stop resource for free technical expertise and financial incentives. Call us today at 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.

Solar power proves steady investment for Janesville man

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

From an article by Frank Schultz in the Janesville Press Gazette:

JANESVILLE — So you want to invest.

Stock? Too wobbly.

Interest at the banks? Scant.

A rural Janesville man has found an investment that appears to work in any economy: the sun.

The sun, which is not expected to burn out for billions of years, spills massive amounts of energy onto the Earth every day. It also puts cash into Chuck Niles’ pocket.

Niles, a retired General Motors worker, said he’s been thinking about solar power for 25 years. He got serious about it three years ago when he learned that improvements in solar technology have reduced the cost per watt considerably.

Then he heard about government programs that provide huge discounts in startup costs.

Here’s how Niles does the math:

The 90 panels on the roof of Niles’ pole barn and nearby shed on Murray Road south of Janesville cost $130,410, installation included.

A federal program known as Section 1603 of the Recovery Act paid him $39,600. The state Focus on Energy program paid him $32,603.

Niles uses about $35 worth of electricity a month in the barn. The rest goes to Alliant Energy, which pays him monthly. The checks vary with sunshine, but Niles estimates conservatively that the checks will average around $440 a month.

In the meantime, Niles is also getting a federal income-tax break from the depreciation on his investment.

When all the costs and benefits are accounted for, Niles figures his payback period is just five years. He figures his return on investment is about 12 percent.

MG&E to expand electric vehicles charing stations to 24 in and around Dane County

Monday, October 04, 2010

From a news release posted on Business Wire:

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coulomb Technologies and Madison Gas and Electric today announced plans to install 18 additional ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations for electric vehicles in and around Dane County. The new stations will bring the total number of ChargePoint stations to 24 within the community. The new Level II (240V/30A) charging station allocation and installation is made possible through a Department of Energy grant to MGE and will be available to the community for the duration of the three year public demonstration project.

Locations for the charging stations are still being determined but are expected to be located in 10 highly trafficked areas within the community. All charging locations will be free and available to the public. Coulomb Technologies’ Midwest distributor Chicago-based Carbon Day Automotive is partnering with MGE to distribute the stations as part of the project.

“Madison is planning for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles today,” said Laura Williams, MGE Market Development Manager.

“In order to learn about time of use, length of charging sessions, the amount of electricity used and how EV charging coincides with home electricity use, we are looking for volunteers to help us collect this data. The data collected will assist us in how we can better serve our customers and plan for EV in our community.”

Consumers interested in the program can sign up at the MGE site for more information.

Willy St. Coop offsets natural gas with third-party-owned solar hot water system

Friday, October 01, 2010

From the Web site of Resource Solar:

The Williamson Street Grocery Cooperative located at 1221 Williamson Street in Madison, Wisconsin is now offsetting its natural gas use (and eliminating approximately 5 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere) via a solar hot water system installed by Resource Solar and financed under a solar thermal power purchase agreement (Thermal-PPA).

Billing commenced [June 10, 2010] and will continue monthly (at a fixed rate) for 6 years. The Co-op will buy the system at the end of the 6-year period for less than a third of what a new system would cost, yet have 80% of system life left.

To read an article in the Willy Street Newsletter about the system, please click on the following: Reader, Feb 2010

Sunshine Daydream: Solar Tour is Saturday

Thursday, September 30, 2010

From an article by Mike Ivey in The Capital Times:

You might not think of Wisconsin as the "Sun Belt."

But solar installations are now found on about 500 Wisconsin private homes, with far larger commercial operations going up on apartment buildings, big box stores and factory roofs.

To that end, Wisconsin is once again part of the National Solar Tour on Saturday, Oct. 2.

The event gives visitors a chance to tour innovative green homes and buildings to see how solar energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies can reduce monthly utility bills and help tackle climate change.

More than 160,000 participants will visit some 5,500 buildings in 3,200 communities across the U.S. Dozens of homes and businesses in the Madison area are participating.

Touring this year’s renewable energy crop

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Commentary
by Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin
September 27, 2010

One of the abiding pleasures of my job at RENEW Wisconsin is going out into the field to visit renewable energy installations. Many of the systems sprouting across the state owe their existence to state and federal policies that make these systems economically viable to their owners.

In turn, some of those policies owe their existence to RENEW, an advocacy organization that has elevated the Wisconsin renewable energy marketplace from a dreamy aspiration to a thriving marketplace employing hundreds of people and generating millions of dollars a year in local revenues.

Whenever I’m asked to describe our mission, I often say that we act as a catalyst for advancing a sustainable energy future in Wisconsin. Our vision of that future places small, entrepreneurial companies at the center of the transition toward clean, locally available energy resources that do not deplete over time.

RENEW endeavors to steer Wisconsin along this path through policy mechanisms that help renewable energy businesses establish themselves in an economy that for many decades has operated almost exclusively on fossil energy. Because of that dependence on concentrated energy sources like coal, natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons, which are still priced very cheaply, the shift to renewable energy has been an uphill battle. The incumbent energy sources are well-entrenched and will not hesitate to expend significant political capital to block policy initiatives aimed at putting renewable energy on a more equal playing field. Continued . . .

Commuter rail referendum: Politics or a chance to be heard?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

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

On Nov. 2, voters in at least 42 Dane County municipalities will weigh in on whether they support a half-cent sales tax to pay for commuter rail.

But the results of the advisory referendum aren’t likely to make any difference.

While some residents see the vote as a chance for the public to be heard on local commuter rail, others dismiss it as disingenuous politics,

"The powers that be don’t understand how the public feel about it outside the city of Madison in terms of wanting to have a vote on the issue," said Sup. Bill Clausius, of Sun Prairie, who unsuccessfully asked the County Board to hold a countywide referendum.

Clausius said he plans to vote "no" on the proposal, which he said will inform the Regional Transit Authority Board to reconsider including commuter rail in their transit plans.

But RTA Board Chairman Dick Wagner emphasized that the vote in November is not the official vote promised by the RTA and that the results won’t instruct the process going forward.

"I’m not really sure what I would tell (voters to do) because it’s so confusing," Wagner said. "It’s best if they wait for a real transit plan."

After a year, Madison Greyhound bus station is still in limbo

Friday, September 24, 2010

From an article by Joe Tarr on the Isthmus Daily Page:

Roger Campbell has seen a lot of bus stations. The truck driver delivers rigs to places all over the United States, then hops a bus (or train) back home to North Carolina.

On his first trip to Madison, he had this to say about the city's nonexistent Greyhound station: "This is crap, to be honest with you." Campbell said this while waiting inside a shelter at the city's North Transfer Point, which Greyhound has been using since the Badger Bus Depot on West Washington Avenue closed in August 2009. "I thought they had a bus station here."

Campbell had a long wait. It was not yet 10 a.m. on a Friday, and his bus wasn't scheduled to arrive until 7:45 that evening.

The city may also have a long wait — for a new station. More than a year after Greyhound started using the transfer point on Huxley Street, behind Oscar Mayer, it has no firm plans for locating a new station.

"At this time, there's no new news," says company spokesman Tim Stokes. "I'm sure we'll look at all possible avenues. But our main focus at this time is to find a convenient centralized location for the people of Madison."

Madison Metro general manager Chuck Kamp says Metro has suggested places Greyhound might use but has not heard anything back.

Obama's rail plan riding on key governor races

Thursday, September 23, 2010

From an article by Matt Leingang in the Wisconsin State Journal:

President Barack Obama's plan for high-speed passenger rail has a lot riding on the outcome of some key gubernatorial races in November.

Republican candidates in Ohio and Wisconsin have promised to cancel rail projects that are getting millions from the federal stimulus package, mocking the plans as boondoggles or complaining the trains would leave the states with too much of a financial burden for future operations.

Florida Republican nominee Rick Scott is also making threats. Scott is opposed to any rail plan that would have to be subsidized indefinitely, spokeswoman Bettina Inclan said. She didn't comment on whether Scott would return $1.3 billion in stimulus money for high-speed trains connecting Tampa and Orlando.

Rail advocates who say the U.S. needs greater transportation options for the 21st century see GOP opposition as nothing but raw partisan politics, a way to destroy projects that, if successful, would stand as legacies to Obama's stimulus plan.

"I guess it makes sense for them politically, and it plays into the fantasy that highways pay for themselves," said Richard Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, a Chicago-based nonprofit that promotes passenger rail.

Obama in January awarded $8 billion in stimulus money for 13 passenger rail projects. The largest would connect San Francisco with Los Angeles, using trains traveling up to 220 mph.

International peak oil speaker, September 22

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

A CENTURY OF CHALLENGES:
Building Local Resilience in an Era of Economic Turmoil & Resource Depletion

Wednesday, September 22nd, 7:00 PM
Room 180 Science Hall, 550 N. Park St., Madison

Peak Oil and the implosion of high-leverage finance schemes around the world are converging into a “perfect storm” that may threaten prosperity and social cohesion. The consequences are frightening: “hallucinated wealth” is vanishing, real unemployment is rising, and social unrest is growing amid global tensions over energy resources, water and land. Families and communities should prepare for the challenging times ahead.

A Presentation By

Nicole M. Foss

(a.k.a. “Stoneleigh”)

Energy Industry Consultant and Financial Analyst at

http://www.theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/

Free and open to the public. Donations welcome.

Sponsored by: Energy Hub, UW Madison WISPIRG/Big Red Go Green,
Madison Peak Oil Group, and Transition Madison Area

Info: http://www.uwehub.org/ or contact Hans Noeldner, 608-444-6190, hans_noeldner@charter.net

Madison’s first hybrid cab company hits the streets

Monday, September 20, 2010

From a news release issued by Madison Green Cab:

Green Cab of Madison Inc. is the newest and least expensive cab service offered in Madison. On Friday, September 17th, we rolled out with ten 2010 Toyota Priuses. All of our cabs are equipped with Saris bicycle racks, to encourage alternative transportation options. We are very excited and ready to take you wherever you need to go.

Our share ride service offers riders a less expensive option and allows riders the opportunity to choose a greener alternative to driving. Our dispatch software, which was developed internally, utilizing Apple iPads, is state of the art ensuring riders and drivers reliable fare calculations, directions, and prompt service. Green Cab is operating 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Green Cab offers pre-scheduled rides, regularly recurring rides and on-demand. We also offer an airport service. Green Cab will get you to the airport on time.

At Green Cab, we offer parcel delivery at the same low rates. Our website offers businesses the opportunity to set up an account. All you have to do is go to the Business Account section on our website and set one up!

MGE Rate Filing Rewards Fossil Fuel Use, Penalizes Renewable Energy

Friday, September 17, 2010

From a news release issued by RENEW Wisconsin:

MGE Rate Filing Rewards Fossil Fuel Use, Penalizes Renewable Energy

RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide renewable energy advocacy organization, today called on Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) to scrap its pending request to substantially increase the cost of participation in its voluntary renewable energy subscription program.

RENEW contends that MGE does not need a higher renewable rate because the cost of energy supplying its award-winning Green Power Tomorrow program have not changed over the last 18 months and will not for the foreseeable future. The utility is seeking permission from the Public Service Commission (PSC) to increase the renewable energy rate from 1.25 cents to 2 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), a 60% increase.

If approved, the voluntary premium that MGE customers will pay for sponsoring more wind and solar electricity production will be significantly higher than what other Wisconsin utilities charge. In contrast, Milwaukee-Based We Energies charges a 1.38 cents/kWh premium to participate in its Energy for Tomorrow program. That rate, which received a slight upward adjustment in 2009, will remain in effect through 2011.

“Nothing about this price hike makes any sense,” said Michael Vickerman, Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin. “Program costs haven’t changed. Wind and solar energy is no more costly this year than it was in 2009, and next year it will be more of the same. Therefore, Green Power Tomorrow’s premium should remain where it is today.”

It’s dumb to kiss away $810 million in train money

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

From a commentary by Dave Zweifel in The Capital Times:

I enjoyed Bill Lueders’ recent column in Isthmus in which he pointed out just how stupid politicians become at election time.

Both political camps blow trivial and mostly meaningless issues out of proportion to demonize their opponents with ads and campaign statements that are just plain silly, like accusing an opponent of wanting to drill for oil in the Great Lakes or pointedly painting another as an out-and-out liar. The pity of it all, he pointed out, is that all the silliness seems to work with a growing portion of the electorate -- “people so pathetically uninformed and undiscerning as to be influenced by them.”

“In fact, shallow, barely aware voters have become the most important players in our democracy,” Lueders lamented. “It is for their sake that candidates debase themselves with shameless appeals to ignorance.”

This purposeful appeal to “ignorance” is all I can ascribe to Republican gubernatorial candidates Scott Walker’s and Mark Neumann’s repeated pronouncements about high-speed rail for Wisconsin. Either that, or they’re completely ignorant themselves.

Somewhere along the line, both these men have decided that to oppose upgrading Wisconsin’s railroad infrastructure to expand passenger rail to Madison and eventually to Minneapolis will appeal to some voters, especially those who don’t bother to understand what’s at stake.

The two candidates went completely over the top, though, during their last debate of the primary campaign late last month, with Neumann insisting that he would take the $810 million the feds have earmarked for Wisconsin to build the rail and give it back to the state’s citizens in tax breaks. Walker at least acknowledged that he didn’t think that was possible, but he’d get the feds to agree to release the money to build highways instead.

Building Local Resilience in an Era of Economic Turmoil & Resource Depletion

Monday, September 13, 2010

A Presentation By

Nicole M. Foss
(a.k.a. “Stoneleigh”)

Energy Industry Consultant and Financial Analyst at
www.TheAutomaticEarth.blogspot.com

Wednesday, September 22nd, 7:00 PM
Room 180 Science Hall, 550 North Park St.

Peak Oil and the implosion of high-leverage finance schemes around the world are converging into a “perfect storm” that may threaten prosperity and social cohesion. The consequences are frightening: “hallucinated wealth” is vanishing, real unemployment is rising, and social unrest is growing amid global tensions over energy resources, water and land. Families and communities should prepare for the challenging times ahead.
This event is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by:
+ Energy Hub
+ UW Madison WISPIRG/Big Red Go Green
+ Madison Peak Oil Group
+ Transition Madison Area

Info/media contact: Hans Noeldner, 608-444-6190, hans_noeldner@charter.net

Didion Green Energy Expo, Sept. 16, Cambria, WI

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Didion Green Energy Expo (DGEE) – Renewable and Sustainability Awareness 2010 will be on Thursday, September 16th from 2-7pm at Didion Ethanol on Highway 146 in Cambria. The Expo is free of charge and open to the public.

Tours of Didion Ethanol will be available from 2-6pm. This Expo will showcase Exhibitor Booths that can inform the Expo attendees of how their decisions impact the environment and in most cases, ultimately their pocketbook. Expert Panel Discussions will begin at 2:30pm and will include 3-4 industry experts to spark educational discussions around a renewable and sustainable way of life and the ethanol industry.

Green Power Tomorrow, solar, Trek Bicycles featured in MGE video

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Newsletter: Siting council, Cashton wind, Seventh Gen, and more

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

RENEW Wisconisn's summer newsletter includes these articles:

Council Backs Compromise on Siting Standards
After four months of intensive review and debate, the 15-member Wind Siting Council presented to the Public Service Commission (PSC) its final recommendations on the statewide permitting rule under development. The Council’s report comes at a critical juncture; the PSC will issue a fi nal rule on this proceeding before the end of August.

Community Wind on Move in Cashton
What may become Wisconsin’s first example of a Community Wind project cleared a significant hurdle in June when the Village of Cashton in Monroe County issued a permit to allow the construction of two Vestas V90 turbines, totaling 3.6 megawatts (MW), inside its business park.

Seventh Generation Pioneers Wind
Unusual from its start as a not-for- profit in the business of renewable energy, Seventh Generation Energy Systems (commonly called Seventh Gen) continues to pioneer organizationally and technically with the addition of Jim Yockey, executive director, and Ry Thompson, project manager. Alicia Leinberger, one of the founders of Seventh Gen, oversees marketing and business development for the eight-year-old organization.

Making Sense of the Gulf Disaster
About 100 people gathered in downtown Madison in early July to take part in “Hands Across the hands,” an internationally organized protest against continued oil drilling in and along the world’s coastal waters. Against the backdrop of the weed-choked waters of Lake Monona, they joined hands for 15 minutes to express their fervent desire to see a cleaner, less destructive energy future emerge from the liquid melanoma spreading across the Gulf of Mexico.

No doubt the protestors would like to do more, much more, than simply engage in a ritualized protest in front of a few camera crews. But we live in a society that is organized around the expectation of a limitless supply of nonrenewable hydrocarbons feeding concentrated energy into our economic bloodstream. Most of us have not bothered to comprehend the yawning gulf that lies between our best intentions and our abject dependence on the wealth-producing properties of petroleum.

Turbines Power Cascade Wastewater
With the start-up of two 100-kilowatt (kW) wind turbines, the Village of Cascade became the first Wisconsin community to power its municipal wastewater treatment plant with 100 percent locally produced wind energy.

The impetus behind Cascade’s embrace of wind power was the avoided utility expenditures associated with operating a wastewater treatment plant. In the first year of operation, Cascade
stands to save $30,000.

Calendar
Sept. 29 -- Solar Decade Conference, Milwaukee, WI. A comprehensive solar energy educational opportunity for your home, business, and career. Sponsored by Focus on Energy, We Energies, and others. For details see www.solardecade.com.

Sept. 30 - Oct. 1 -- 2010Solar Thermal ‘10, Milwaukee, WI. A national solar heating and cooling conference and expo for solar thermal professionals. For details see www.the-mrea.org.

October 2, 2010 -- Solar Tour of Homes and Businesses. All across Wisconsin. Owners open their doors to let people see how renewable energy is practical, reliable, and affordable in today’s economy. The homes and businesses often include other energy effi ciency and renewable technologies. For details see www.the-mrea.org.

October 13, 2010 -- Wisconsin Wind Energy Supply Chain Workshop, Milwaukee, WI. Learn how to join the wind energy supply chain from fi rst tier and aftermarket manufacturers. For details see www.thenewnorth.com.

Mar. 9 - 12, 2011 -- Green Energy Summit: The Green Frontier, Milwaukee, WI. An acclaimed professional/academic conference featuring keynote speakers, workshops, demonstrations, and exhibits. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Technical College System Foundation and others. For details see www.greenenergysummit.us.

Watertown officials want high speed rail stop, make plans for station

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

From an article by Adam Tobias in the Watertown Daily Times:

Watertown Mayor Ron Krueger didn't get to weigh in on the federal government's plan to bolster high-speed passenger rail service throughout the county, nor was he asked to give any input on the state's decision to accept the $810 million in stimulus funds for the project. But since the project is moving full speed ahead, Krueger says it's vital for Watertown to have the train stop in the city.

“The common council and myself are not going to get into the debate about whether the federal government should be spending $8 billion on developing and starting a better passenger rail program and we are also not going to get into a debate about whether the state of Wisconsin should accept the money or not,” Krueger said during a recent interview in his office. “But - and I know the majority of the common council feels as I do - if the trains are going to run between Milwaukee and Madison, and eventually Chicago and the Twin Cities, we want them to stop in Watertown because if we don't jump on this the first time around and it gets going, it will be years and years and years before we get another opportunity.”

Madison's train station would cost at least $12 million, have four stories

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

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

The state Department of Transportation estimates a Madison passenger rail station next to Monona Terrace will cost about $12 million, though city officials are already contemplating additions that could drive up the local share of the cost.

The estimate, along with more detailed design sketches, were showcased Tuesday evening at the state's Department of Administration building, 101 E. Wilson St., where the train station will be located. About 150 people attended.

State and city officials still have to negotiate a final cost-sharing arrangement for the station, DOT Divisions Operations Director Paul Trombino said. The state plans to own and operate the station, he said.

The state had budgeted $24 million for station development — including $9 million for Madison and $5 million each for Watertown, Oconomowoc and Brookfield — but has since dropped plans for an Oconomowoc station. Some of the money for Oconomowoc could go toward the Madison station, but the cost of other stations remains unknown, Trombino said.

Madison has already committed to building a 1,200-stall underground parking structure on the site of the dilapidated Government East parking ramp across Wilson Street from the DOA building. An already-planned 800-stall structure was anticipated to cost $23.5 million, and the train station will require 400 of its own stalls.

Though the DOT concept includes locating an intercity bus boarding area on Pinckney Street next to the parking ramp, the city anticipates locating a public market and bicycle parking facility on the ground floor.

Make a few changes in your driving habits to save money

Friday, August 27, 2010

From Madison Gas & Electric:

A few changes in your driving habits could save you money and gasoline. Hypermilers say it's easy... and anyone can do it.You don't have to drive an electric car or hybrid to drive more sustainably. In this story, we hit the road with an expert hypermiler to learn what it takes to go the extra
mile.

Utilities building dozens of old-style coal plants

Thursday, August 26, 2010

From an Associated Press article by Matthew Brown published in The Washington Post:

WYODAK, Wyo. -- Utilities across the country are building dozens of old-style coal plants that will cement the industry's standing as the largest industrial source of climate-changing gases for years to come.

An Associated Press examination of U.S. Department of Energy records and information provided by utilities and trade groups shows that more than 30 traditional coal plants have been built since 2008 or are under construction.

The construction wave stretches from Arizona to Illinois and South Carolina to Washington, and comes despite growing public wariness over the high environmental and social costs of fossil fuels, demonstrated by tragic mine disasters in West Virginia, the Gulf oil spill and wars in the Middle East.

The expansion, the industry's largest in two decades, represents an acknowledgment that highly touted "clean coal" technology is still a long ways from becoming a reality and underscores a renewed confidence among utilities that proposals to regulate carbon emissions will fail. The Senate last month scrapped the leading bill to curb carbon emissions following opposition from Republicans and coal-state Democrats.

"Building a coal-fired power plant today is betting that we are not going to put a serious financial cost on emitting carbon dioxide," said Severin Borenstein, director of the Energy Institute at the University of California-Berkeley. "That may be true, but unless most of the scientists are way off the mark, that's pretty bad public policy."

Federal officials have long struggled to balance coal's hidden costs against its more conspicuous role in providing half the nation's electricity.

Hoping for a technological solution, the Obama administration devoted $3.4 billion in stimulus spending to foster "clean-coal" plants that can capture and store greenhouse gases. Yet new investments in traditional coal plants total at least 10 times that amount - more than $35 billion.

No county rail tax referendum this fall

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

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

The last chance for a countywide commuter rail sales tax referendum in November died in committee Tuesday despite calls from rail opponents to let the public be heard.

About 30 people spoke at the County Board’s Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting, all of them supporting a proposal to ask voters whether they supported a half-cent sales tax for commuter rail between Middleton and the town of Burke.

Expressing a common criticism, Colleen Curtin, a single mother from Madison’s West Side, said she wouldn’t take the commuter train to work in McFarland because it would be too difficult to pick up her child from daycare. She said it felt like the $250 million commuter rail proposal was being “shoved down our throats.”

“We feel hopeless, that we have no voice,” Curtin said. “And you guys are demonstrating that even more by pushing off this referendum.”

The committee’s 2-2 vote prevented the resolution from advancing to the County Board. Committee chairman Sup. Matt Veldran, of Madison, said the Regional Transit Authority is working on a transit plan that must be completed before a vote can be taken.

“I fully believe there will be a vote,” Veldran said. “I understand the frustration, but I believe the RTA is what I approved and I would like them to come up with a complete question.”

State speeds train spending

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

From an article by Jason Stein and Patrick Marleyin the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

$300 million in contracts projected this year, far above $50 million announced earlier

Madison — The state is steaming ahead with establishing a federal high-speed rail line, projecting it will commit $300 million this year - far more than the roughly $50 million in spending previously announced.

The project's price tag isn't changing. Instead, Gov. Jim Doyle's administration is hustling to move forward with the planned passenger rail line between Milwaukee and Madison, which Republicans say is an attempt to make it harder for the next governor to cancel.

GOP gubernatorial candidates Scott Walker and Mark Neumann have said they would stop the train line regardless of how much the state spends in the next few months because of concerns about taxpayer subsidies to operate the system. Calling the accelerated spending a bluff, Walker said Monday that a new governor could get the state out of contracts entered into by the Doyle administration.

"By the end of the year it is anticipated we will have expended $300 million," state Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi said Sunday in an interview on "UpFront with Mike Gousha."

Busalacchi aide Cari Anne Renlund clarified Monday that the state will have spent or entered into contracts for roughly that amount by the end of the year but won't necessarily have spent that much. The construction of the $810 million line is being paid for by the federal government, but the state could be on the hook for both the spending and possibly the contracts signed on it so far if the state doesn't finish the construction.

Walker, the Milwaukee County executive, said he did not believe Busalacchi's new figure of $300 million. He said the state may sign contracts worth $100 million or so before the end of the year, but he believes as governor he would be able to break those contracts and pay only for the work that has actually been performed.

"I think this is all just part of the political rhetoric to try to intimidate people into thinking this is a done deal, and I just don't think people are going to buy it," Walker said. "I think in the end this is more a bluff on their part."

The route, which is supported by Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and previously had the backing of then GOP Gov. Tommy Thompson, would be an extension of Amtrak's existing Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line and eventually could be extended to the Twin Cities. It would start service in 2013 at a top speed of 79 mph, increasing to 110 mph by the end of 2015.

Wisconsin high-speed rail - Madison rail station discussion, Aug. 31

Monday, August 23, 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Wisconsin Department of Administration
101 E. Wilson Street
Open house meeting – stop by anytime!

This is an opportunity for the public to provide input on the station design and to learn about station preliminary cost estimates, conceptual site layout and platform layouts.

For more information visit www.wisconsinrail.gov

Community workshops for high-speed rail project scheduled in Sun Prairie and Waterloo

Friday, August 20, 2010

From a news release issued by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation:

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is announcing two community workshops to discuss the design process for the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail project. The workshops are scheduled from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on August 25, 2010 and August 30, 2010. The August 25 workshop will be held at the Sun Prairie Municipal Building, 300 E. Main Street, Sun Prairie, WI. The August 30 workshop will be held at the Waterloo High School at 865 N. Monroe Street, Waterloo, WI.

At the workshop WisDOT and consultant staff will be available to discuss design activities in the Milwaukee-Madison rail corridor. Staff is also interested in hearing from the community on issues of concern to them as design continues to get underway. The team preparing the planning and environmental studies for rail stations in the corridor will also be on hand to answer questions about the station development process.

The public is encouraged to attend the meeting, provide input and ask questions concerning this project. Maps showing project corridor and potential station sites will be on display.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, or would like more information, contact Alyssa Macy at (414) 550-9407. Written comments regarding the project can be mailed to Alyssa Macy, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, High-Speed Passenger Rail Program Management Team, 433 W. St. Paul Avenue, Suite 300, Milwaukee, WI 53203-3007. To request an interpreter for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, please call 711, the Wisconsin Telecommunication Relay System, at least three working days prior to the meeting. Ask the communication assistant to contact Alyssa Macy of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation at (414) 550-9407.

For more information, contact:
Alyssa Macy, High Speed Rail Program
(414) 550-9407, WisconsinRail@dot.wi.gov

Doyle announces Interstate 39-90 expansion

Thursday, August 19, 2010

From an article by Barry Adams in the Wisconsin State Journal:

A plan to spend an estimated $1 billion to expand Interstate 39-90 between the Illinois border and Madison is moving forward.

Gov. Jim Doyle has announced that he will convene the Transportation Projects Commission this fall to review the proposed project that would replace existing pavement along the 45-mile corridor, add a third lane in each direction, replace two bridges over the Rock River and reconstruct 11 interchanges.

Economic development leaders in Rock County have pushed for the project because they say it would make the highway safer, the area more attractive for business development, and aid the state's tourism industry, which draws many of its visitors from south of the border.

"The single most important thing government can do is set the table for economic growth, and that includes infrastructure improvements," said John Beckord, president of Forward Janesville. "We look forward to the project being enumerated and scheduled for construction."

The Department of Transportation is required to submit its proposal to the TPC by Sept. 15 with the TPC meeting in December to make a recommendation to the governor or governor-elect, the Legislature and Joint Committee on Finance.

Perhaps sprawl cost us after all

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

From a commentary by Mike Ivey in The Capital Times:

Old Madison fave Richard Florida is back with a good piece in the New Republic titled Roadmap to a High Speed Recovery.

There, Florida opines that America needs to stop subsidizing what he calls the "auto-housing-suburban complex." Think McMansion, Kwik-Oil, Strip Mall Takeout and the rest of it.

Florida -- who gave Madison raves for its gays, music and urban tech scene in his 2002 "Rise of the Creative Class" -- wants to end government subsidy of the sprawl housing industry.

That means eliminating the mortgage interest tax deduction along with federal backing of the secondary mortgage market.

"Federal policy needs to encourage less home ownership and a greater density of development, along with the construction of smaller and more low-energy houses," he says.

That's not just green -- but it frees up capital to invest in technology development for a future economy.

Florida's reasoning is that homeownership worked well for a nation whose workers had secure, long-term careers like in the days before NAFTA and 401(k)s. But now, he says, being tied to a mortgage impedes the flexibility of a labor market that requires people to move around and change jobs several times.

Instead of new housing, Florida says the government should be promoting things like high-speed rail. He says modern rail can help create inter-connected mega-regions, like the Boston-Washington corridor and the Char-lanta region (Atlanta, Charlotte, and Raleigh Durham).

GreenMax Home completed in Stoughton

Friday, August 13, 2010

John and Rebecca Scheller built one of the region's first net zero energy homes that can be reasonably and affordably replicated in a cold-climate region.

Mass transit just a matter of time

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

From a column by Dave Zweifel in The Capital Times:

The times they keep a-changin’.

For the first time ever, the venerable Chicago Tribune/WGN poll shows that a majority of residents in the suburbs have joined their city brethren in believing that expanding mass transit is preferable to spending more on roads and highways.

For 30 years now, the poll has been asking the question: “Which should have greater priority, improving/adding to expressways and tollways, or to the public transit system?”

This year, 76 percent of city residents, most of whom forgo cars to ride commuter rail or the buses, answered “public transportation,” while 15 percent picked roads. (The remainder weren’t sure.)

What surprised the pollsters this year, though, is that suburban dwellers, who have typically relied on cars to get back and forth to work, also said they favored investing in public transportation over roads, although by a closer margin, 52 percent to 32 percent. In the past, suburbanites have strenuously objected to having their tax dollars go for improving what was once thought to be an expensive perk only for city residents.

Many of the respondents who would put public transit ahead of highways pointed to the growing stress that comes from highway congestion and high gasoline prices. Some identified the impact on the environment and health. The poll indicated that more and more people are concerned that sitting in traffic breathing exhaust fumes isn’t conducive to one’s well-being. Some 17 percent of the people polled said they had switched this past year from driving to using public transit.

According to the Tribune, the director of a Chicagoland civic organization called the results “phenomenal.”

“People are seeing that a car-oriented culture is limiting economic development and quality of life in the region,” said Frank Beal, executive director of Chicago Metropolis 2020.

County Clerk Bob Ohlsen: Why all-RTA vote nearly impossible this fall

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

From a column by Dane Co. Clerk Bob Ohlsen in The Capital Times:

There has been a great deal of talk, including in The Capital Times, about why the RTA referendum question will more than likely not be on the November ballot, mostly pointing at me, the county clerk, for saying it was nearly impossible to do so. Here is my response:

Only the RTA board has the authority to call for a binding referendum at a regularly scheduled election. Two conversations with the chair of the RTA board, one in February and one in July, indicated that the question would probably not be ready for the November election. With the difficulty in making sure only the people within the RTA boundaries could vote, work had been started to set up the voting boundaries. For the cities, towns and villages entirely within the RTA district, that wasn’t a problem -- everyone could vote on the issue. The concern lay in the municipalities that are only partially within the district.

Meetings were held with each of the local clerks, going over maps to identify those addresses that are in the district. Because the RTA boundaries do not follow political boundaries, the district combos for the voters (combinations of the political districts: Senate/Assembly, county supervisory, school, utility districts, wards) would be affected, along with the address ranges (addresses on each street within the district combos) set up in the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS). Many of the current address ranges would have to be changed, taking voters out of one range and putting them in another.

When the SVRS system was created, RTA districts were not included, so there were changes to the system that would be necessary. Because it is essential for election inspectors to correctly identify the voters who are allowed to vote on the referendum, it was felt that a different set of numbers should appear on the poll list. By adding a dash and an extra number, the voter’s district combo would appear differently, and at first glance, the inspector would be absolutely sure the voter was getting the correct ballot. The SVRS staff was skeptical whether this change would work in the system. After some preliminary testing, however, it was determined that it was possible and they began to write scripts for the system and do the extensive testing that was necessary. The hope was to get it done by July 1, giving the clerk’s staff time to verify the information and make all the necessary changes (a time-consuming, complex process) in the system, along with the SVRS staff, to be ready just in case a November referendum was called.

Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. The go-ahead has yet to be received. The July 1 date would have made it difficult to get the necessary work done, but at this late date, it is truly nearly impossible.

UW-Madison's Charter Street coal plant embarks on its transition to cleaner fuels

Friday, August 06, 2010

From an article by Ron Seely in the Wisconsin State Journal:

It's not easy going green.

Just ask John Harrod Jr., who is helping guide the $250 million green makeover of UW-Madison's Charter Street Heating Plant.

The coal-burning plant will be converted so that it burns natural gas and cleaner, farm-grown fuels such as switchgrass. The changeover that has won praise from the plant's many critics, including the Sierra Club, which sued the university for violating the Clean Air Act. Gone will be the giant, dust-generating pile of coal that has become a symbol of the plant and its grimy history.

But Harrod, director of the UW-Madison Physical Plant, said getting rid of that coal pile and moving to cleaner biofuels has brought its own set of problems to solve — accommodating longer and more frequent trains, for example, or expanding the plant's footprint in its already squeezed urban setting, or figuring out new air standards for burning biofuels when even environmental regulators aren't quite sure what those final standards will be.

Those issues and others will be up for discussion Wednesday when UW-Madison hosts a hearing on the final version of the environmental impact statement for the project. The hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Room 1106 of the Mechanical Engineering Building, 1513 University Ave.

Cow Power project breaks ground

Thursday, August 05, 2010

From a news release issued by Governor Doyle:

WAUNAKEE – Governor Jim Doyle today broke ground on a $12 million community digester project that will help clean Dane County air and lakes, and generate enough clean energy to power 2,500 homes. Governor Doyle joined Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk for the groundbreaking of the “Cow Power” project at the Ripp’s Dairy Valley farm in Waunakee.

“The Dane County Digester demonstrates the best of our past and future in agriculture – putting to work three local farms to power our homes and clean our environment,” Governor Doyle said.

"With the turn of these forks today, we begin new, exciting work to clean up our lakes and turn a big problem into a valuable commodity," County Executive Kathleen Falk said. "Thanks to the help of the Governor, the courage and willingness of these farmers to be good stewards of the lakes and lands we love, and the ingenuity of Clear Horizons, we're pioneering an innovative solution to generate green energy and curtail an environmental problem."


In March 2009, Governor Doyle announced his support for the project. The state is providing $3.3 million in assistance for the first of two Dane County Digesters. The community digester is the first of its kind in the state – involving three family farms: Ripp’s Dairy Valley, White Gold Dairy and Richard Endres Farm.

Construction is expected to be completed later this year. Once operational, the facility will convert manure from the farms into nearly $2 million worth of electricity per year. Electricity generated by the digester will be enough to run 2,500 Dane County homes annually.

The community digester will create construction jobs and full-time jobs to run the digester. The project will also help local farms expand their operations.

County clerk calls commuter rail tax referendums a 'huge waste' of money

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

From an article by Mathew DeFour in The Capital Times:

Opponents of Dane County commuter rail are urging municipalities to place an advisory sales tax referendum on their November ballots, but County Clerk Bob Ohlsen is warning that would be a "huge waste" of taxpayer dollars.

County Board Sup. Eileen Bruskewitz, of Waunakee, said she would urge her village board to put the question to local voters because the County Board won't likely approve a proposal she supports that would put the question to all county voters.

The recently created Regional Transit Authority has said it will hold an advisory referendum within its boundaries before imposing a half-cent sales tax for local transit. But it's unlikely the referendum will be held this November because Ohlsen said his office won't be ready to divide ballots in municipalities split by the RTA boundary.

"We need to guarantee some way that the public is going to have a chance to vote on whether a sales tax should be used on commuter rail," Bruskewitz said. "The RTA is moving forward on that assumption. Before they get too far ahead, it's time to give them a reality check."

Ohlsen sent a memo to local clerks Tuesday reminding them that his office charges a local government $300 per polling place and about five cents per ballot for local referenda. Besides school referendums, for which the clerk charges school districts, local referendums aren't held very often, he said.

"Should your municipality vote to put it on, please (be) aware that it isn't going to make one bit of difference," Ohlsen wrote. "The RTA commission will call for a referendum at some point and only the people in the RTA district will be allowed to vote."

Trains - for the future

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Scott Walker and Mark Neumann shouldn't stand in the way of a future that includes a balanced transportation network and a fast rail line connecting key cities.

Gov. Jim Doyle and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last week that a fast rail project linking Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and eventually Minneapolis can't be stopped. GOP gubernatorial candidates Scott Walker and Mark Neumann say that if elected they will stop it.

We're not sure that they can stop it; what we do know is that they shouldn't. And not just because the state would have to repay the money already spent on the line before the change of administration next year.

Rail can serve as a valuable economic development tool. We're not talking about old choo-choos here any more than expanded freeway advocates talk about the Model A; we're talking about modern rail that would provide convenient and fast service between major cities in the Midwest; service that would provide wireless Internet for busy business travelers who don't like to be tied up in traffic on highways that represent an older technology.

We have some questions about placement of the stops on the route and some about finances, especially on whether there would be federal money for operating costs, as LaHood suggested last week, and just how operating costs will be met. But in general, we believe that if it's done right, fast rail could provide a vital link for businesses and families in the Midwest and should be a strong transportation option.

Field trip to growing power in Milwaukee, Aug. 7

Monday, August 02, 2010

There’s still some room for you to come along on Saturday’s field trip to Growing Power.

What’s Growing Power? It is a non-profit organization that runs urban farms that are pretty darned amazing. Growing Power teaches about and promotes a high-yield, environmentally-sustainable system for urban agriculture developed by Will Allen, a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" awardee. The Growing Power Vision: Inspiring communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound, creating a just world, one food-secure community at a time.

(Growing Power's Will Allen - One of Time Magazine's 100 people who most affect our world)

When: THIS Saturday, August 7. The tour starts at 2:30 p.m. We should leave Monona by 12:30-ish.

Where: Milwaukee Headquarters and Urban Farm, 5500 W. Silver Spring Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53218

Who: We have space for 15 more people in the tour.

How much: The tour is $10 per person, payable to Growing Power when we take the tour.

How to sign up: Send an email to info@tnsmonona.org, and since we'll arrange carpools, please let me know if you would like to offer to drive or need a ride. It would be helpful to also have a phone number, just in case.

How to get there: We’re carpooling. (Total Travel Estimate: 1 hour 29 minutes / 80.52 miles / Roundtrip Fuel Cost: $16.30 at 27 MPG)

In our backyard: Oil spill fouls the Kalamazoo River and threatens Lake Michigan

Friday, July 30, 2010

From an editorial by in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

In a heartbreakingly familiar scene, workers are slogging into swollen waters to rescue wildlife and skim oil after a massive spill.

Only this time it's happening in Michigan, and this time the oil threatens not the Gulf of Mexico, but Lake Michigan. The oil must not be allowed into the lake. Federal and state officials should do everything they can to see to that.

The oil - about 1 million gallons of it - leaked from a pipeline owned by Enbridge Energy Partners before the breach was discovered and the pipeline shut down on Monday, federal officials say.

The oil quickly ran into the fast-moving Kalamazoo River and by late Thursday was 35 miles downstream, though still 80 miles from Lake Michigan. The oil slick so far has killed fish, coated wildlife and forced several evacuations. Part of a shift at Kellogg Co., the Battle Creek, Mich., maker of Frosted Flakes and other popular cereals, was halted because of the strong petroleum odor on Tuesday.

In what may be a sign that certain lessons still haven't been learned, a frustrated Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm called the response from Enbridge and the federal Environmental Protection Agency "wholly inadequate." Both EPA and Enbridge promised to do whatever it takes to clean up the spill. . . .

Oil remains the nation's lifeblood. Pipelines occasionally have problems; this pipeline was built in 1969 and may have shown signs of wear, if early reports are to be believed.

But if we've learned anything from the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, it's that vigilance is virtue. Regulations must be tough and enforced. Companies must understand their responsibility. We urge officials to examine both the company's actions and inspection regimens.

But first, stop the spill and protect the lake.

Transportation secretary: High-speed rail is 'here to stay'

Thursday, July 29, 2010

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

WATERTOWN - Responding to critics of a passenger rail line between Madison and Milwaukee - including the leading Republican candidates for governor who are vowing to stop the project - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday the plan is going forward.

"High-speed rail is happening and it's here to stay," LaHood said here in announcing the second installment of an $810 million federal grant for the project.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, who are seeking the GOP nomination for governor, have called the project a boondoggle and waste of taxpayer money.

Both have said they would halt the project if elected, despite the fact that by the time the new governor takes office, the state will have already spent between $60 million to $100 million on contracts, designs, locomotives and rail cars. That does not include money spent by the four cities along the route on train stations.

Although the federal government has said the stimulus money can only be spent on rail projects, Walker said he would push Congress to let the state use the money for roads and bridges instead.

High-voltage power line would link Madison, La Crosse

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

From a blog post by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

American Transmission Co. announced Monday that it will seek to build a 345,000-volt power line linking Madison and La Crosse, with the cost of the project tentatively pegged at $425 million.

The Pewaukee-based power company says two years of study have shown that a 150-mile line would boost electric system reliability, savings for utilities buying power in the Midwest wholesale power market and improve access to wind power generated west of Wisconsin.

No route has yet been selected and the company will spend the next two years exploring routing alternatives in the corridor shown above. A detailed cost estimate will be available once potential routes for the line are selected, said ATC spokeswoman Anne Spaltholz.

The company will host open houses with the public and stakeholders beginning this fall to explore routing choices, she said.

The line, which has been given the name Badger Coulee Transmission Line, is expected to offset the need for about $140 million in lower-voltage upgrades in western Wisconsin communities, ATC said, citing its own studies.

ATC is a transmission-line company that is owned primarily by the local electric utilities in eastern Wisconsin.

Details about the location and cost of the line will be announced when ATC submits a formal application for the line to the state Public Service Commission in 2013. At that time, the company will submit detailed routing information about two alternatives for the commission to consider.

If approved, the line would be built by 2018.

7th Annual Kickapoo Country Fair, July 24-25, 2010

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Now in its seventh year, the Kickapoo Country Fair is the Midwest's largest organic food and sustainability festival. In La Farge, Wisconsin, nestled among the ancient hills of the Kickapoo Valley, the fair serves up a generous helping of fun for all in celebration of family, culture, and community, all the while looking toward a healthy, sustainable future.

Held July 24-25, 2010, on the grounds of Organic Valley headquarters Kickapoo Country Fair will bring together thousands of attendees for two fun-packed days of food, music, bike and farm tours, cooking demonstrations, theater, kids' activities, dancing, author readings, and speakers—all offered at an affordable price for families.

*Authors, activists and innovators including Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human
*Live music all weekend on two stages
*Musical headliner Miles Nielsen — Good ol' heartland rock 'n' roll, main stage, Saturday night
*Wisconsin Author Michael Perry reading from his latest book Coop and performing with his band, the Long Beds
*"Green Village," green building and lifestyle workshops
*Delicious local and organic food
*Farmers market
*Farm tours and exhibits
*Vendors and artisans
*Fourth-annual Butter Churn Bike Tour
*Children’s activities
*Stiltwalkers and other surprises!

Renewable Energy for International Development with Madison Area Technical College - Winter break 2011

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Would you like to start off 2011 traveling in Costa Rica, while learning about renewable energy? Would you like to help residents of developing countries to meet their energy needs by implementing low cost and environmentally sustainable renewable energy projects? Would you like to provide solar lighting to families so they can work and study at night after sundown? Would you like to earn college credit for this experience? If you answered yes to any of these questions, please read on…

Madison Area Technical College is once again offering the popular course Renewable Energy for International Development, in January 2011. This is a 3-credit course that will combine 9 days of field work in Costa Rica with 8 weeks of additional online instruction. The course credits may be applied to meet the requirements for the MATC/CERET renewable energy certificate.

Additional details on the course including a Fact Sheet, Frequently Asked Questions, and examples of projects from previous classes are available on the course webpage at: http://ceret.us/RE4IntlDev/default.shtml

Application materials to join the January 2011 class can be obtained from the Madison Area Technical College International Education Office at: http://matcmadison.edu/international/renewableenergy

NOTE: The College is currently accepting applications for the 2011 course, and participation is limited to 11 individuals. Registration for the course is first come first serve, and we encourage interested individuals to submit the application paperwork and financial deposit quickly to reserve their space. For additional assistance with application and registration paperwork contact:

Kirsten Holdwick
Program Specialist
Center for International Education
Madison Area Technical College
kholdwick@matcmadison.edu
608.243.4461

Let’s have real debate about transportation fund

Monday, July 19, 2010

From a column by Bill Berry in The Capital Times:

STEVENS POINT — A chorus of voices, orchestrated by the transportation lobby in Wisconsin, is calling for amending the state constitution to prevent raids on the sacred state transportation fund.

Several counties are dancing like good, little puppets, passing resolutions for advisory referendums this fall to pressure legislative candidates. Newspapers have fallen in step with pseudo-patriotic editorials tut-tutting about raids on the transportation fund to support a wobbly state economy.

OK, so let’s have a discussion about the transportation fund. Maybe a constitutional amendment is in order, especially if it addresses the real costs of our transportation system and how to pay for them.

Fortunately, we have new information. The American Public Health Association released a report in May, "The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation.” It addresses how our transportation system contributes to soaring health costs and prevents progress toward improving public health.

Among other things, it notes that U.S. traffic fatalities and injuries remain unacceptably high, about 40,000 a year. Meanwhile, the American Automobile Association says traffic crashes in 85 urban areas cost $164.2 billion a year, roughly $1,051 per person, in 2008.

Jonathan Patz, director of global environmental health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has conducted research that found cutting down on the number of short car trips and reducing the number of miles driven by about 20 percent would save hundreds of lives, avoid hundreds of thousands of hospital admissions, and save billions of dollars in health care costs in the Midwest alone.

Many other costs are often referred to as “hidden,” but they’re really quite visible. They include the toll of physical inactivity, rising asthma and obesity rates in both adults and children, and degraded air quality. In the end, we’re all helping to pay some of those bills.

Who should vote on commuter rail sales tax?

Thursday, July 15, 2010

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

Some Dane County Board members are pushing to hold a countywide referendum this November asking voters to approve a half-cent sales tax to pay for commuter rail.

The proposal, which board Chairman Scott McDonell said will not be able to get enough support to move forward, comes after County Clerk Bob Ohlsen said his office won’t be ready to hold a Regional Transit Authority referendum this fall.

Madison and county officials have long promised to hold an advisory referendum before raising taxes in the Regional Transit Authority area to pay for local transit. But holding a referendum is not easy because any RTA referendum would only appear on ballots within the RTA area, which includes seven cities (except a small part of Fitchburg), five villages, four entire towns and parts of 11 other towns.

That means the state’s Government Accountability Board has to create a new voting district, and after that the county clerk’s office must compile the names of eligible voters and prepare additional ballots, while making regular election preparations.

“From what I’m hearing from the clerk’s office it would be very difficult if not impossible to have the voter file ready by the fall election,” RTA board Chairman Dick Wagner said.

MGE needs help to plan for future with electric cars

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The Oil Spill and You

Monday, July 12, 2010

From a commentary by Michael Vickerman:

Commentary
by Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin
July 12, 2010

About 100 people gathered in downtown Madison in early July to take part in “Hands Across the Sands,” an internationally organized protest against continued oil drilling in and along the world’s coastal waters. Against the backdrop of the weed-choked waters of Lake Monona, they joined hands for 15 minutes to express their fervent desire to see a cleaner, less destructive energy future emerge from the liquid melanoma spreading across the Gulf of Mexico.

No doubt the protestors would like to do more, much more, than simply engage in ritualized protest in front of a few camera crews. But we live in a society that is organized around the expectation of a limitless supply of nonrenewable hydrocarbons feeding concentrated energy into our economic bloodstream. Most of us have not bothered to comprehend the yawning gulf that lies between our best intentions and our abject dependence on the wealth-producing properties of petroleum. Nor how this addiction fills us with delusions of godlike mastery over our environment while blinding us to the reality that we humans have grossly overshot our planet’s carrying capacity.

For those who read and still remember the science fiction classic Dune, the “spice” on Arrakis remains the quintessential literary analogy to the reality of Earth’s oil. Like our oil, the spice held a special place in that world as the ultimate prize worth waging wars and plundering hostile environments for. . . .

Need I mention that once you begin to appreciate the finitude of the Earth’s endowment of petroleum, there’s nothing to stop you from taking immediate steps to curb your personal consumption of this irreplaceable fuel. Whatever you do to lessen your dependence on petroleum will turn out to be a much more satisfying and meaningful response to our energy predicament than any canned protest promoted through Facebook.

As for myself, I made two resolutions since the Macondo well erupted. The first is to go through this summer without activating the household air-conditioner. So far, so good, I can report. (Luckily, we were spared the triple-digit temperature swelterfest that gripped the East Coast last week). It wasn’t that long ago that life without air-conditioning was the norm rather than the exception. If we all resolved not to turn on air-conditioners, we could force the retirement of two to three coal-fired plants in this state.

The other change was to ratchet up my reliance on my bicycle and make it the default vehicle for all my local travels, irrespective of weather conditions. I have been a fair-weather bicycle commuter for many years, but after watching everyone on TV blame someone else for the catastrophe, I felt the need to push myself a little harder. My objective here is to regard my car as a luxury that one day I might do without.

Though the extra perspiration and the occasional dodging of raindrops may take some getting used to, you are going to sleep better at night. Trust me on this.

If the oil spill has prompted a similar response from you, feel free to describe them and send them to the moderator of our Peak Oil blog or post them in a response.

Manitowoc wind tower maker plans to hire 60 workers

Friday, July 09, 2010

From an article by Charlie Mathews in the Manitow Hearld Times Reporter:

MANITOWOC — Paul Smith is excited to hang a "Jobs Open" sign at Tower Tech's manufacturing plant on the Manitowoc River peninsula.

With two major new contracts, the wind tower company's chief operating officer said about 60 people will be hired in the next month, increasing the work force to more than 200.

"It feels pretty good to bring some individuals back from layoff, as well as hire new to do welding, painting, blasting and assembling," said Smith.

The recession hit the wind industry hard, but contracts awarded in late June and this week to supply 265-foot, 200-ton towers for Danish-based Vestas and Spanish firm Gamesa Technology Corp. will keep the Manitowoc plant operating at full capacity for the next year.

"Our people have a work ethic combined with basic fabrication and welding knowledge that enable us to build some of the heaviest towers in the industry better than anybody," Smith said.

It also helps that Milwaukee-based We Energies was looking for Wisconsin suppliers for its $367 million Glacier Hills Wind Park to be erected in 2011 in Columbia County. Tower Tech will build 90 towers for the project.

Wind stakeholders cite uniformity as key to more projects

Thursday, July 08, 2010

From a news release issued by RENEW Wisconsin:

Collectively drawing upon the individual roadblocks that developers experienced in permitting wind energy projects in Wisconsin, a group of renewable energy stakeholders urged the Public Service Commission to adopt standards that can’t be undermined by additional restrictions imposed by local governments.

The comments, submitted on behalf of 38 signatories, addressed the draft siting rule published by the Commission in mid-May. The draft rule proposed standards applicable to all wind energy systems -- large and small -- erected in Wisconsin. In the next phase of this proceeding, the Commission will review the public comments before issuing a final rule in August.

The rule will specify, among other things, setback distances from neighbors, sound limits, shadow flicker durations, procedures for decommissioning inoperable turbines, and mitigating electronic signal interference.

Noting that local governments would have discretionary authority going beyond the legislation’s intentions, renewable energy supporters recommended specific changes to give developers a greater sense of certainty in the permitting process.

“We are willing to work collaboratively and cooperatively with political subdivisions to establish mutually agreeable provisions beyond the requirements of the rules,” the stakeholders said in their joint comments. “However, we cannot develop wind projects in Wisconsin if current uncertainty regarding political subdivision requirements continues.”

Will we create a grid smart enough for the 21st century?

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

As daylight fades, Manhattan continues to gorge on power. New York City is tied to fuels like natural gas, with less than one percent of its electricity coming from wind or solar.

From an article by Joel Achenbach in National Geographic, with photos by Joe McNally

Can we fix the infrastructure that powers our lives?

We are creatures of the grid. We are embedded in it and empowered by it. The sun used to govern our lives, but now, thanks to the grid, darkness falls at our con­venience. During the Depression, when power lines first electrified rural America, a farmer in Tennessee rose in church one Sunday and said—power companies love this story—"The greatest thing on earth is to have the love of God in your heart, and the next greatest thing is to have electricity in your house." He was talking about a few lightbulbs and maybe a radio. He had no idea.

Juice from the grid now penetrates every corner of our lives, and we pay no more attention to it than to the oxygen in the air. Until something goes wrong, that is, and we're suddenly in the dark, fumbling for flashlights and candles, worrying about the frozen food in what used to be called (in pre-grid days) the icebox. Or until the batteries run dry in our laptops or smart phones, and we find ourselves scouring the dusty corners of airports for an outlet, desperate for the magical power of electrons.

The grid is wondrous. And yet—in part because we've paid so little attention to it, engineers tell us—it's not the grid we need for the 21st century. It's too old. It's reliable but not reliable enough, especially in the United States, especially for our mushrooming population of finicky digital devices. Blackouts, brownouts, and other power outs cost Americans an estimated $80 billion a year. And at the same time that it needs to become more reliable, the grid needs dramatic upgrading to handle a different kind of power, a greener kind. That means, among other things, more transmission lines to carry wind power and solar power from remote places to big cities.

Most important, the grid must get smarter. . . .

Milwaukee support for new rail transit systems dips below 50%

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

From an article by Larry Sandler of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

But expansion of I-94 finds increased support

Support for new rail transit systems has dipped below 50% in the Milwaukee area, while I-94 expansion receives stronger backing but still falls just short of a majority, according to a recent poll.

At the same time, The People Speak Poll found majority support throughout the four-county area for a new half-cent sales tax in Milwaukee County only to fund the county's transit system, despite skepticism about empowering a regional transit authority to levy a broader sales tax.

The Public Policy Forum's People Speak Poll is a tracking poll, designed to follow changes in public opinion on key local issues over time. The latest telephone poll of 386 residents in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties focused on transportation issues and was the third such poll in a year to ask about plans for high-speed trains, commuter rail and streetcars.

Last fall, 57% backed plans for high-speed trains linking Milwaukee to Madison and Chicago. Narrower majorities supported plans for commuter trains from Milwaukee to Kenosha and Racine and modern streetcars in downtown Milwaukee. Those results didn't change much in the spring.

But when the latest poll was conducted June 1-4, support had dropped to 41% for high-speed rail and 42% each for downtown streetcars and commuter rail, the Public Policy Forum reported.

By contrast, a new question about adding lanes to I-94 between Milwaukee and Waukesha drew 49% in favor to 39% opposed, with the rest voicing no opinion.

Those results reflect inroads by vocal rail transit opponents, as well as public concern about the economy and strained government budgets, Public Policy Forum President Rob Henken said.

Communities can reach 25×25

Friday, July 02, 2010

From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle on the success of the ten communities in Energy Independent (EI) Pilot -- Brown County; Chequamegon Bay (including the cities of Ashland, Bayfield and Washburn, the towns of Bayfield and La Pointe, the counties of Ashland and Bayfield, the Red Cliff tribe and the Bay Area Regional Transit authority); Columbus; Evansville; Fairfield; Marshfield; Oconomowoc; Osceola, including the school district; Platteville and Lancaster; Spring Green, including the school district:

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today announced ten Energy Independent (EI) Pilot Communities are well on their way toward achieving “25 x 25” – getting 25 percent of their electricity and 25 percent of their transportation fuels from renewable sources by 2025.

“Through the EI Pilot program communities have found ways to reduce their overall 2025 fossil fuel-based energy consumption by 30 percent,” said Governor Doyle. “This is significant considering we spend $16 billion on fossil fuel energy every year in Wisconsin, and all those dollars go outside of our state. We are finding ways to reduce our dependence
and generate jobs in Wisconsin.”

Two independent reports released by the Office of Energy Independence revealed how the ten EI Pilot Communities were able to accomplish 98 percent of their collective 25 x 25 goal.

The communities reduced their overall 2025 fossil fuel-based energy consumption by 30 percent and reduced their 2025 carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent.

The information gathered by the EI Pilot Communities will assist Wisconsin local units of government including the 140 EI Communities to decide which strategies will work best with their unique assets and capitalize on the diversity of their resources.

The reports were conducted by two non-partisan research and policy organizations: the Local Government Institute and the Energy Center of Wisconsin.

Madison rail station will be at 101 E. Wilson

Thursday, July 01, 2010

From an announcement by Governor Jim Doyle:

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle announced today that Madison’s high speed rail station will be located at the Wisconsin Department of Administration building at 101 E. Wilson St in downtown Madison. Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz joined Governor Doyle for the announcement. . . .

“For Madison, this location not only means a successful high speed rail line downtown, but it also means an exciting redevelopment of the surrounding blocks,” Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said. “This site brings tremendous potential for an intermodal station as well as economic development. I want to thank Governor Doyle and DOT for considering public input in their decision. We are excited to continue working with the state to make this station successful and to capitalize on the potential it creates.”

About 200 people attended public workshops hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to discuss the location of the rail station. According to public comments regarding the location, people are looking the station to provide good intermodal connections for buses, taxis, bicyclists, and pedestrians. People commenting also said that design of the station is important and the station design should focus on overall customer experience.