“Purchasing any car requires thoughtful consiaderation of many variables – on brand, color, price – and purchasing an electric car can involve an extra layer of research,” said Madeleine Weil, Senior Policy Advocate at ELPC. “PlugInChicagoMetro.org can help consumers by providing a central resource of information about the differences, benefits and decisions involved in being an electric car owner here in Chicago and the suburbs.”

ELPC is working to advance policies that support electric cars and public charging infrastructure in Chicago and the Midwest. “Electric and hybrid cars reduce our dependence on foreign oil, produce less pollution than conventional cars, and can help consumers save money at the gas pump,” said ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner. “We should also seize the opportunities to grow the clean car jobs of the future in the Midwest auto industry.”

According to Learner, government support for public charging stations powered by clean wind and solar power, entrepreneurial ingenuity in the business community and low-cost power available for nighttime charging are just some of the ingredients that will make Chicago a market leader. “The Chicago area can become one of the nation’s leading markets for these new clean electric, natural gas and hybrid vehicles,” he said.

More and more consumers are becoming interested in learning about electric vehicles. “There’s a lot of information about electric cars out there – from dealers selling a particular model, from ‘car guys’ obsessed with the innovative technology, from critics who will scrutinize any and all changes to the status quo – but we’re not any of those people,” Weil added. “We realize purchasing a car is a personal decision. We just want to provide a forum to help Chicago-area consumers make car-buying decisions for themselves and their families.”

For more information about electric vehicles available in the Midwest in 2012, please go to www.PlugInChicagoMetro.org.

New! Check out our Wisconsin Google Map showing the wind industry supply chain in your neighborhood! WindSolar This ELPC report finds that Wisconsin is home to more than 250 wind and solar supply chain businesses that are tied to more than 12,000 Wisconsin jobs. Old-line manufacturing companies are re-tooling to supply growing markets for clean energy equipment. July 2011 Illinois

New! Check out our Illinois Google Map showing the wind industry supply chain in your neighborhood! WindSolarGeothermal This ELPC report finds that over 300 Illinois companies are working in the wind, solar or geothermal energy industries and employing over 18,000 people in the state. From old-line steel fabricators to high-tech start-ups, renewable energy is powering job growth and launching Illinois to the forefront of the green economy. April 2011 Michigan

New! Check out our Michigan Google Map showing the wind industry supply chain in your neighborhood! WindSolar This ELPC report finds there are 121 Michigan businesses working in solar energy and 120 companies involved in wind power. From old-line manufacturing  companies retooling for this growing market to high tech R&D, renewable energy is driving business growth in Michigan.  Solar and Wind power provide over 10,000 jobs in Michigan.  The state ranks fourth in the nation for number of jobs in the solar industry and first in the nation for clean energy patents.Listen: ELPC Briefing January 2011 Ohio

New! Check out our Ohio Google Map showing the wind industry supply chain in your neighborhood! WindSolar This ELPC report finds that 106 Ohio companies are doing business with the wind power industry and 63 Ohio companies are part of the solar energy supply chain. Ohio’s strong manufacturing base and skilled workforce, together with supportive policies and smart investments have helped make Ohio a center for clean energy manufacturing. From major companies like First Solar and Cardinal Fastener to over 100 small manufacturers, developers and service firms; clean energy means business for Ohio.Coverage: Columbus DispatchCoverage: Toledo Blade
November 2010 Iowa

New! Check out our Iowa Google Map showing the wind industry supply chain in your neighborhood! Wind This ELPC report finds that Iowa’s wind power supply chain comprises 80 Iowa companies with a total of over 2,300 employees in manufacturing alone.  The state ranks second nationally in total wind energy generation. With local manufacturers building everything from huge turbine blades to small electrical components, and service firms providing maintenance, legal, marketing and other support to the industry, wind power means business for Iowa.The report states that a commitment to business development combined with tax incentives, a skilled workforce and a central location have helped make Iowa a leader in the wind industry.Listen: ELPC BriefingCoverage: Cedar Rapids Gazette
November 2010 Illinois Wind This ELPC report finds that more than 100 Illinois companies with a total of over 15,000 employees. These companies range from old-line manufacturers who are retooling to build wind turbine components for the new clean energy economy to corporate headquarters for major wind power developers, to software, financial and support services.Listen: ELPC’s BriefingCoverage: Chicago Sun Times
]]> http://elpc.org/2011/07/31/supplychainreports/feed 7 http://elpc.org/2009/01/29/ohios-gov-strickland-promises-passenger-rail-to-strengthen-ohio http://elpc.org/2009/01/29/ohios-gov-strickland-promises-passenger-rail-to-strengthen-ohio#comments Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:54:29 +0000 Kcoleman http://elpc.org/?p=597 In his recent State of the State address, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland listed passenger rail service between Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland as a key part of the plan to stimulate economic growth and make Ohio stronger. He received a standing ovation from the audience as he said:

“We will work toward the restoration of passenger rail service between Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. Our goal is to link Ohio’s three largest cities by passenger rail for the first time in 40 years.  This will be a first step toward a rail system that links neighborhoods within a city, and cities within our state.”

Ohio’s Department of Transportation and Amtrak have begun planning for rail service that would connect the state’s 3 largest cities by 2010. The state has requested federal stimulus funding for this project and for development of the more extensive Ohio Hub System. ELPC is working with partner organizations such as All Aboard Ohio to organize the already strong grassroots support for smart, efficient passenger rail transportation in Ohio.

Take Action: Ask Congress to adequately fund passenger rail in the economic stimulus 

Full text of Governor Strickland’s speech is available here

Advancing Renewable Energy

Revising Building Code Standards

Advancing High-Speed Rail

Promoting Energy Efficiency

Increasing the efficiency of electricity is often the cheapest and easiest way to reduce global warming pollution and conserve natural resources.  Ohio now requires investor-owned utilities to file 3-year energy efficiency plans describing the programs the utilities will implement to help reduce energy consumption.  ELPC is working in Ohio to ensure that utilities meet or exceed their energy efficiency requirements, and in the process reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, improve environmental quality, and save Ohioans money.

Advancing Renewable Energy

By 2025, 12.5% of Ohio’s energy must come from renewable sources, such as solar and wind.  ELPC is helping to create the necessary markets for renewable energy development in Ohio and leveraging our solar energy efforts in other Midwestern states to create a policy that will help develop clean, renewable sources of energy in Ohio.

Following ELPC’s legal advocacy, Ohio Utility Company FirstEnergy has agreed to obtain long-term renewable energy development contracts through a competitive bid process. As a result, roughly 3,000 homes will now be powered with Ohio-sited renewable energy.

Revising Building Code Standards

ELPC is working with a wide range of private, public, and non-profit partners to revise Ohio’s residential building code standards and help Ohioans live in more comfortable, cost effective homes.  By setting stricter requirements for efficiency through minimum standards for insulation, windows, and heating and cooling, homeowners will save money while reducing fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Advancing High-Speed Rail

In an era of high gasoline prices, expressway congestion at all hours, airport capacity constraints, and a shrinking pool of rural transportation choices, the Midwest needs improved passenger rail service now more than ever. With ten major cities within a 400-mile radius of Chicago, the Midwest represents the nation’s greatest opportunity to develop high-speed rail. A regional high-speed rail network would significantly reduce traffic congestion, travel time, air pollution, and urban sprawl. In Ohio, this can start with the “3-C Line.”  Connecting Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati by passenger rail will allow Ohioans to move quickly, easily, and efficiently across the state.  By starting with the 3-C Line, Ohio can be poised for expansion into a wider, regional high-speed transportation network.

REAP provides funding to rural small businesses and agricultural producers to help finance the installation of renewable energy systems or energy efficiency improvements. Grants and loan guarantees are available for businesses interested in installing an on-site renewable energy generation system using wind, solar, biomass and/or geothermal technology. Funding is also available to install energy efficiency improvements designed to reduce energy use and better control energy costs.

The half-day workshop features keynote addresses from the USDA-Rural Development Undersecretary Tom Dorr and Ohio Ninth District Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo. Presentations from USDA, the Ohio Energy Office and others will help participants start the research, planning and grant application process for the upcoming 2009 program year.

The Clean Energy Funding Opportunities Workshop is sponsored by the Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT), USDA-Rural Development, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and the Ohio Farmers Union.

Contact CIFT at www.cift.eisc.org for registration and more information. There is no cost to attend the workshop, but seating is limited.