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.”
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.
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.”
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
On September 18th, the Wausau City Pages ran a cover story called, “Forest Watchers” about ELPC and Habitat Education Center’s work to protect the Northwoods. Wausau reporter Pat Peckham accompanied ELPC staff and our scientist clients when we toured the Northwoods, and conducted fly-overs and on-the-ground tours of the forests, in August. ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner and scientists Dave Zaber and Don Waller were interviewed for the article. Read Pat’s story here.
Monday, October 13, 2008
On October 8th and 9th, a group of national farm energy leaders gathered at ELPC’s headquarters to discuss implementing the Farm Bill’s Energy Title. The dynamic meeting featured presentations by experts who worked through details to set priorities and make the most of these new clean energy programs. USDA and Department of Energy officials attended the conference and shared the latest policy and clean energy development news with our colleagues.
Visit www.farmenergy.org to learn more about the Farm Bill’s clean energy programs.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Voters in Missouri will decide whether to require utilities to buy 15% renewable energy by 2021. St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Kim McGuire asked ELPC Co-Legislative Director Barry Matchett about the impact of the Illinois Renewable Energy Standard that takes effect this year. It requires utilities to buy 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2015 and 25 percent by 2025. The article quotes Barry:
“Since the legislation was passed establishing the standard, the state has seen an influx of green jobs, said Barry Matchett, co-legislative director for the Environment Law and Policy Center in Chicago.
“‘Three years ago there was one wind company in Illinois, and today there are seven,’ Matchett said. ‘Each of them provides 100 to 300 good jobs at their headquarters. That’s not to mention the field jobs.’”
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
ELPC’s Howard Learner has been outspoken on the huge global warming pollution impacts of the eight planned oil refinery expansions in the Great Lakes region. He shared his views with a conference in Toronto entitled, “How the Oil Sands Got to the Great Lakes Basin: Pipelines, Refineries and Emissions to Air and Water.” The University of Toronto’s Munk Centre sponsored the event and issued an accompanying report that spells out the pollution linked to the refinery expansions that are needed to process tar sands crude, along with the new pipeline networks needed to transport the oil. The report says this creates a “pollution delivery system” connecting Alberta to the Great Lakes region of Canada and the U.S. Read the Toronto Globe and Mail article.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
These are tough economic times, and in times like these, businesses can’t afford to waste energy and drain their bottom lines from high energy bills. Smart businesses view their energy efficiency investments as a profit-center, argues ELPC President and Executive Director Howard Learner in his Southwest News Herald OpEd:
“Let’s face it. America’s economy is bad shape. Some will seize upon the troubled times to argue that we should cut back on investing in clean energy and environmental protection. But that’s the wrong direction both for today and for the future.
For today, energy efficiency makes even more sense in tight financial times. Businesses can’t afford to waste energy and drain their bottom lines from high energy bills, while causing more pollution to our environment. Improving energy efficiency is an investment that can achieve a healthy return. Smart businesses view their energy efficiency investments as a profit-center.”
Learn more at Howard’s blog here at elpc.org.
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