ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner discussed the Midwest role in the climate debate on E&E TV’s On Point.  The Midwest has the potential to be a big part of the solution and through its key swing votes, is playing a critical role in the Senate debate.  Watch the interview here.

Click here to hear the podcast.

Click here to download PDF slides from the webinar.

Price shifts, market changes and supportive policies are coming together in ways that can help solar power accelerate fast around the region. The economics of solar power are becoming more favorable due to a confluence of factors:

• Solar photovoltaic (PV) module prices have fallen sharply due to excess supply in the global market.
• Federal and state policies are working to support solar power. The federal economic stimulus legislation and other initiatives are providing new incentives and support for solar energy development. In the states, for example, Illinois has created a “solar carve out” in the state’s strong renewable energy standard that will provide a procurement market for 700-750 megawatts of solar power by 2015.
• Large-scale solar developments are going forward on former industrial sites where there is unobstructed sunlight and low-cost access to the electrical grid. In some cases, brownfield redevelopment, recovery bonds and other tax credits and subsidies are available.
• In the current economic downturn, there are skilled workers looking for “green jobs” installing solar systems.

This vision, shared by ELPC and many of our allies, is quickly coming into focus.

Explore the items below to learn more:

Watch video highlights from the evening program

View a photo slideshow from the celebration

Check out our interactive high-speed rail story

Download a special high-speed rail publication

Vision to Reality: Getting Onboard Midwest High Speed Rail from gwstv on Vimeo.

This interactive online presentation, displayed at the event, features images, maps, and facts highlighting the need for a Midwest High-Speed Rail Network. Click here to view

Learn how ELPC’s and our allies’ many years of hard work are making the difference in the fight to turn the vision of a regional high-speed rail network into a reality for all Midwesterners. Click here to download the PDF

On Monday, August 24th, this federal funding cycle began in earnest when states were required to submit their bids for the first round of funding.  The states involved in the Midwest high-speed rail network are coordinating their bids for federal funding as a result of an agreement reached in late July by each of the states’ governors and Chicago Mayor Daley.

ELPC hosted a special webinar on September 1st on high-speed rail development featuring ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner and Deputy Director Kevin Brubaker.  You can watch and listen to the briefing below to learn what’s at stake in the initial cycle of federal funding for high-speed rail, including a summary of the proposed Midwest high-speed rail projects and what to expect as we move closer to realizing our goal of high-speed rail in the Midwest.

Watch and listen to a podcast of the webinar.

Slides from the webinar also are available for download here [pdf file].

Learn more about ELPC’s efforts to bring high speed rail to the Midwest here.

Congress is now considering legislation that would create the first national energy efficiency standard, Illinois is advancing a new statewide energy efficient residential building code and the Chicago Climate Action Plan and other local initiatives call for rapidly expanding energy efficiency retrofits of buildings in our communities.

The webinar featured ELPC’s Executive Director Howard Learner, ELPC Clean Energy Policy Advocate Barry Matchett, and Craig Sieben, President of Sieben Energy Associates. They described  how the federal economic stimulus funding is being designed and implemented, assessed the potential impact of new Illinois Energy Efficient Building Code and summarized a case study of how a commercial office building can gain efficiency benefits.

Listen: the webinar is available as a podcast for playback; click here to listen to the 30-minute energy efficiency presentation.

On May 16 and 17, ELPC met hundreds of new supporters at Green Festival in Chicago. We asked them to pledge to help solve global warming and protect our environment. Together, pledges like these can make a difference. Thanks to everyone who took the pledge!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The April issue of Chicago Magazine includes a profile of Howard that highlights some of ELPC’s successes, including bringing renewable energy and energy efficiency standards to Illinois,  reducing mercury pollution in Illinois waters and working to bring high-speed rail to the midwest.

You can view a video of the green award winners and read Howard’s profile  on Chicago magazine’s website.

Watch the video here