Tuesday, November 18, 2008
ELPC President and Executive Director Howard Learner outlines the public policy changes that the Obama administration and the new Congress should acheive to grow the green economy and create a cleaner environment in this article on the Huffington Post:
“It’s time to gear up to seize the opportunities to advance a greener economy and cleaner environment with the new Administration and new Congress. The Midwest and Great Plains states can become business and economic winners in growing the new green economy… Moreover, when it comes to public policy changes, the nation’s Heartland is also a linchpin to reform…
“…Let’s not kid ourselves; achieving this agenda won’t be easy. Ideological opponents are seizing on our country’s economic crisis as a reason to put off action. But the scientists tell us that we must start now to seriously reduce global warming pollution. We can’t just hit the “pause” button and hold off on corrective actions until the economy gets better. Besides, energy efficiency saves us money, and clean energy solutions can create jobs and grow the green economy.”
read the full post here
Monday, November 17, 2008
Supporters of the Illinois Clean Cars Act turned out yesterday for a rally in downtown Chicago backing the bill. The Environmental Law & Policy Center is a key sponsor of Clean Cars Illinois, the grassroots campaign advocating for the legislation. House Bill 3424 would save $8.4 billion in the cost of gas, resulting in increased spending in Illinois and over 90,000 new jobs. The legislation would require the state to adopt the same clean-car standards in place in California, which would reduce emissions here. Fuel-efficient vehicles also would improve air quality and public health, including asthma and allergies. Learn more about the clean car legislation in Breathing Free in Illinois [pdf file] a report published recently by ELPC. Read more about the rally in coverage from the Chicago Tribune.
Learn more about how you can help at CleanCarsIllinois.org.
Friday, November 14, 2008
ELPC has just released a series of public service ads for radio, which will be offered to a broad list of stations around the Midwest. The spots–which were produced by our friends at Downtown Partners Chicago–focus on how individuals can help stop global warming, energy efficiency solutions for farmers and protecting the Great Lakes from pollution.
Listen to the spots here:
Stop global warming
Solutions for farmers
Protecting the Great Lakes
If you are a broadcaster interested in airing one of our spots, please contact Pete Gray at ELPC.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
According to ELPC Senior Attorney Albert Ettinger, “consideration of alternatives” must be key to new anti-degradation rules being reviewed in Indiana. Industries, environmentalists, municipalities and government officials are working together to clarify existing water rules in Indianapolis.
Read Gitte Laasby’s article in the Gary Post Tribune.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Congress has approved an additional $800 million in authorization for the popular Clean Renewable Energy Bond (CREB) program as part of its comprehensive financial restructuring bill. This $800 million represents the total value of bonds that can be issued under this program, not the value of the tax credits themselves.
CREBs are a special type of bond, known as a “tax credit bond,” that offers cooperatives the equivalent of an interest-free loan for financing qualified clean energy projects for a limited term.
The new CREBs program allocates the $800 million equally (33 1/3%) among the three eligible sectors: units of state and local government, municipal/public power and electric cooperatives. In the previous rounds, there was a set-aside for electric cooperatives. In addition, funding was allocated to all eligible projects on a “smallest to largest” basis. In practice, this resulted in the largest projects being shut out from the funding.
For muni/public power projects, the 33 1/3% share will be equally shared by all qualifying projects proportionate to the amount they requested. For example, if one project represents 10% of the total allocation requests, then it will receive 10% of the allocation available for all public power projects.
For electric cooperative and other governmental projects, Treasury can elect any other allocation methodology it chooses but will likely continue to use the smallest to largest approach.
The other significant change in the new program is that purchasers of these bonds will receive only a credit equal to 70% of the statutory credit value. This was re-calibrated in part to reflect that principal repayment of the bond can now be in a balloon payment rather than equal installments.
No application dates or application requirements have yet been posted by the Department of Treasury. Check back at Cleanenergybonds.org for further updates.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Now that Congress has decided to fund rail corridor improvements across the nation, Wisconsin rail lines will likely benefit. According to Dave Zweifel’s “Plain Talk” in the Capitol Times:
“Wisconsin should be near the front of the line for a grant because the state has long been advocating for a Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison-Minneapolis passenger rail link.”
Read the full column.
Friday, October 17, 2008
A new report, Freeing the Grid, gives Illinois and ELPC high marks on the state’s new interconnection and net metering policies. The report highlights best and worst practices in net metering and interconnection standards across the country and describes Illinois’ relatively new standards.
“The success in Illinois resulted from effective legislation and great collaboration at the regulatory level. Workshops and hearings that had little tangible results through mid-2007 came to new life with passage of legislation requiring that the ICC establish rules. Both before and after the legislation, the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) coordinated the efforts of non-utility parties and spearheaded workshop discussions, doggedly avoiding the specter of rulemaking by attrition of interested parties.”
Download the report [pdf file].
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covered Wednesday’s news conference in Madison where Mayor Cieslewicz, ELPC and others released a plan called “Build for America: A Five-Point Plan to Get Our Economy Moving.” The national plan calls for increased funding for rail and public transit, investing in cleaner cars, and better maintenance of our roads and bridges. The Mayor and ELPC were joined by Wisconsin Alliance of Cities, WisPIRG and 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin as part of the national Transportation for America campaign.
Read the full MJS article.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Will Steger has been an eyewitness to the on-going catastrophic consequences of global warming. A formidable voice calling for understanding and the preservation of the Arctic and the Earth, Steger is best known for his legendary polar explorations. He has traveled tens of thousands of miles by kayak and dogsled over 40 years, leading teams on some of the most significant polar expeditions in history. He also is the founder of the Will Steger Foundation, which is dedicated to creating programs that foster international leadership and cooperation through environmental education and policy.
Through his expeditions, Steger has witnessed first-hand the effects of global warming. He talked recently with the Environmental Law & Policy Center about what he has seen–and the urgency of taking action now.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
On the heels of the Wall Street bailout and hours before the final presidential debate, community and business leaders joined together at Chicago’s Union Station to call on the next President and Congress to invest in better transportation policies for our changing 21st century needs.
Kevin Brubaker, ELPC’s Deputy Director, called for increasing support for rail and public transportation, saying that “Amtrak ridership in Illinois continues to break records. We’ve shown that if you build it, they will come. We need a forward-thinking transportation policy that reflects citizens’ desire to get around in a green and affordable way.”
Read the press release. Listen to the CBS radio story.
