Supporting plug-in vehicles means providing public charging stations, streamlining the process to install home charging stations and providing incentives to reduce the amount of pollution created by charging plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner told the Tribune, “We need to get the right policies in place, moving forward, soon. And when I say soon, I mean get them in place over the next six months to a year.” ELPC is working with the public and private sectors in Chicago to maximize the environmental benefits of plug-in vehicles.

Read the article here Learn more about plug-in vehicles at elpc.org/plug-ins

“Illinois has the opportunity to be a very significant solar energy leader between the two coasts,” Learner said.

Read the full article in the Chicago Tribune

Interconnection is the process of linking clean distributed wind power and solar energy sources of electric generation to the grid. The new standards create a clear process for Iowa citizens and utilities to bring their clean energy sources online with standard forms, affordable fees and reasonable insurance requirements.  Iowa previously had loose interconnection guidelines that resulted in a complicated patchwork of rules.

The new Iowa standards are built on a model by ELPC in Illinois and South Dakota. The goal is to “facilitate the addition of distributed generation” to the electric distribution system.  The rules minimize burdensome insurance requirements and application fees for small systems, and they include standard forms and contracts to streamline and provide transparency to the process.

The Iowa Utilities Board’s Final Order which includes the final interconnection rules, forms and standard agreements is available here: https://efs.iowa.gov/efiling/groups/external/documents/docket/041781.pdf

The Iowa Utilities Board Staff Memo describes the process: https://efs.iowa.gov/efiling/groups/external/documents/docket/041952.pdf

Watch the story on CBS 2

On May 26, the Illinois General Assembly passed two bills that will create more than 5,000 new jobs and bring more than 3 million kilowatt hours of solar electricity to Illinois consumers by 2014.

“By removing barriers to solar power developers, these measures will create approximately 5,000 new jobs between now and 2015,” said Assistant Senate Majority Leader Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), a chief sponsor of HB 6202 in the Illinois Senate.   “The cost of solar power has dropped dramatically, and by investing in solar energy now Illinois will be well-positioned to attract solar manufacturing and installation jobs and businesses.”

“This puts Illinois in a strong position to attract good, clean energy jobs in the growing solar energy industry,” said State Representative Will Burns (D-Chicago), who sponsored HB 6202 in the Illinois House. “Solar power offers potential jobs in communities that need them most, and cleaner air for all of us to breathe.”

“We’ve been talking about a clean energy future for a long time; now that future is here,” said Barry Matchett, Policy Advocate for the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “More than ever, we need to put people to work and create clean, safe sources of energy and that’s what these bills do.”

The Solar Ramp Up bill (HB 6202) sets annual targets for the amount of solar power used in Illinois between 2012 and 2015, these targets give industry a green light to invest in solar power and create new jobs, revenue and clean energy here in Illinois.

“Soon some of the electricity powering our homes will be coming from solar energy, in addition to the wind power we have started using in recent years,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter.   “We have created thousands of new wind power jobs with those purchases, and now stand to gain up to 5,000 new jobs by growing the solar industry – all while making deep cuts in air pollution.”

Illinois passed a landmark renewable energy standard in 2007 that requires 25% of Illinois’ electricity be generated from renewable sources by 2025. The law requires that at least 6% of the state’s renewable energy come from solar power by 2015, but it didn’t provide a path for Illinois utilities to meet that goal.  HB 6202 establishes those targets and sets Illinois on the path to becoming the leading Midwestern state for solar energy.  Because of HB 6202 more than 5,000 solar panel installation, manufacturing and maintenance jobs will be created and significant pollution will be avoided.

HB 6202 is the result of an agreement between advocates like the Environmental Law & Policy Center, Sierra Club and the state’s utilities and retail electric suppliers to create a logical schedule to phase in the solar component of renewable energy.

Other supporters of the bill include the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, the City of Chicago, the AFL-CIO, Citizens Utility Board, Illinois Competitive Energy Association, Illinois Environmental Council and the Illinois Respiratory Health Association

Also on May 26, the General Assembly passed HB 5429, the Homeowners’ Solar Rights Act.   The legislation clarifies the rights of homeowners living in homeowner or condominium associations to put solar panels on the property and outlines a process for that to occur.

“This legislation removes barriers for many homeowners who want to put solar panels on their roofs, but have been prevented from doing so by outdated restrictions,” said State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D- Chicago), who sponsored HB 5429, the Homeowners’ Solar Rights Act, in the Illinois House. “Now, Illinois homeowners who want to cut pollution and their utility bills by installing solar panels will be free to do so.”

Illinois job impacts were developed by Vote Solar using the Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) model developed by the U.S. Depart. Of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

“The US EPA is stepping up to protect children’s health, the Great Lakes and our environment by reducing toxic mercury pollution from major sources,” said Howard A. Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “Mercury is a neurotoxin that can pass through a pregnant woman’s placenta and harm fetal brain development. Coal plants and these industrial smokestacks are the largest sources of mercury pollution.  Today’s announcement leads the way to better protection for children’s health and the environment.”

Farm Energy Success Stories highlights clean energy projects that were made possible with grants and loan guarantees from the Farm Bill’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

Download the Report Here

South Dakota is the fifth windiest state in the nation, but neighboring states with fewer wind resources are installing more wind power and capturing more of the wind industry’s jobs and income.  One key difference is that states such as Iowa have enacted policies that encourage wind power development.

ELPC Policy Advocate Matt McLarty said the economic benefits of wind energy in South Dakota would be much greater than the savings from the proposed measures.  “They’re talking about a budget savings of $3 million for the state when there’s the potential for billions in wind investments,” McLarty said. “These three bills will do long-term damage to South Dakota and its wind investments.”

read more in the Argus Leader

The 13 projects chosen represent critical first steps toward building a modern, national, passenger rail infrastructure and are the first significant passenger rail investments in nearly a century. These projects encompass 31 states. They enhance connectivity through a variety of technologies in the most environmentally responsible mode of regional transportation, noted Howard Learner, ELPC president.

“This is the beginning of transformative improvement to our nation’s transportation system, giving people a modern, fast, comfortable and convenient travel option,” stated Learner. This funding will put people to work while it improves our environment, strengthens key regions of our nation and enhances our ability to compete in the global economy.“

ELPC will host a National Press Club press briefing Monday, February 1, in Washington, D.C. to review the expected impact of the high speed rail investments. Panelists include Arthur Guzzetti, American Public Transportation Association, John Risch, United Transportation Union, and Thomas Simpson, Railway Supply Institute. The panel will be moderated by Howard Learner.

Currently, the Obama Administration’s total commitment to high-speed rail stands at $10.5 billion, with an additional $1 billion per year pledged to be included in the budget for the next five years. The House transportation committee has also recommended including $50 billion for high-speed rail development in the upcoming transportation reauthorization.

“Today’s awards are only the first step in a long-term process. Significant additional federal funding will be required if we are to truly realize the benefits of modern rail and compete in the global market,” Learner concluded.

To learn more about the Environmental Law & Policy Center’s high-speed rail advocacy, visit elpc.org/highspeedrail

Offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes are less likely to be built because the Midwest has excellent sites for wind power available on land, where wind power development is much cheaper than offshore. Read the article in Crain’s Chicago Business.