Green Counsel

Does Your Town Hall Have Solar Panels?

Ours does! This Saturday, May 13, 2006, the Town of Greenburgh, NY (in Westchester County), will have an Energy Conservation Fair when, among other things, they will celebrate the Town Hall's new solar photovoltaic (PV) system.

The PV system is the product of several key decisions demonstrating the best in state and local government. First, several years ago the State of New York won a law suit against a Virginia utility for acid rain from coal plants, and NY Attorney General (and gubernatorial candidate) Elliot Spitzer negotiated that $2.1 million of the settlement would go to New York to install solar energy equipment on government-owned buildings in the state. The fund is administered by the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which made the money available by grant to local governments.

Paul Feiner, the Greenburgh Town Supervisor pushed the Town to apply for a grant, and after some opposition and wrangling, he succeeded in getting the project funded and completed. Greenburgh is one of twelve municipalities from New York State that are using this fund to develop solar projects. One of the goals of the NYSERDA funding was to create high visibility projects, and the Town hopes that as a result "businesses and residents will be motivated to pursue solar panels and other energy alternatives at their homes/businesses."

Greenburgh is a clean energy leader for other reasons as well: it has appointed one of the country's few local energy conservation coordinators, Nikki Coddington; and several years ago Greenburgh became the first locality in New York to require new dwellings to comply with New York Energy Star guidelines, ensuring considerably less energy use.

Coddington has organized this weekend's energy fair that will feature exhibitors and speakers to help residents learn about saving energy, energy audits, solar energy, biodiesell, hybrid vehicles, ride-sharing programs, green construction, and buying green power from wind and hydro. The Greenburgh Library is planning to take advantage of geothermal (earth energy) technology when they expand the library.

For more info on the Energy Fair, see the press release.

No Big Boxes in My Back Yard

The New Rules Project Institute for Local Self-Reliance reports on three recent developments where localities have succeeded in keeping out big box stores:

1) A California appeals court upheld (against a challenge by Walmart) a local ordinance that banned supercenters on the grounds that the ordinance was reasonably related the city's efforts to maintain stores throughout the community to support neighborhoods, and to avoid excessive driving and air pollution. (Anti-Supercenter Ordinance Upheld).

2) A Montana County unanimously adopted a 60,000-square-foot size store cap following a public hearing (Crowd of 1,400 Turns Out as Montana County Bans Big Boxes).

3) A Maine town adopted a 35,000 sq. ft. limit in an election that may have been the largest turn-out in the town's history, and three nearby towns are considering similar legislation (Damariscotta, Maine, Rejects Wal-Mart and Endorses Size Cap).  The ordinance was enacted in spite of a study, issued two weeks before the election, that was comissioned by the town and paid for by Wal-Mart, and concluded that the supercenter would be a boon to the local economy and would raise wages in both the retail and non-retail sectors. The citizens group supporting the ordiance quickly issued two rebuttals to the study, one produced by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Net Metering Bill in CT Needs Help

Renewable energy (such as PV) is booming in states such as California and NJ where there are subsidies (that help compensate for the subsidizes received by traditional energy producers) and where there is a fair legal and regulatory environment. One of the major needs is for net metering -- a mechanism that allows distributed electricity producers to place their excess electricity onto the grid and receive a credit on their electric bill. Their electric meter literally goes backwards -- hence "net metering."  This is important because renewable energy sources such as PV are intermittent frequently producing excess electricity in the day that would be wasted if it could not be sold back into the grid.

New Jersey -- that permits net metering up to 2 MW -- currently has the best net metering law in the United States, and the solar business is booming.  New York by contrast excludes commercial application and has limits of 10 kW for residential solar (25 kW for residential wind; and 125 kW for farm-based wind); as a consequence, there are many new installations of small residential solar in NY, but commercial PV applications are much rarer.

There is an important, pro-renewable energy bill in the Connecticut legislature, that has become stalled in the final days of the session: Substitute Bill No. 211, An Act Concerning Renewable Energy. Among other things, the bill would 1) increase net metering limit from 100 kilowatts to 1 megawatt; 2) increase the net metering carryover period from 1 month to 12 months; and 3) exempt solar systems from the sales tax. 

The Solar Energy Business Association of New England is requesting that Connecticut legislators be contacted, asked to move the bill forward and told that it is an important bill for the environment and the solar energy industry. Obviously, contacts from Connecticut residents will carry the most weight. Legislators to contact:  Representative Fontana [email protected] 860-240-0434 Senator Fonfara [email protected] 860-240-0043; Representative DelGobbo [email protected] 860-240-8700;Senator Herlihy [email protected] 860-240-0436

NYS Legislature Threatening to Harm Renewables in New York

The New York State Legislature is threatening to move the authority for spending money received from the Systems Benefit Charge (SBC) -- that funds substantial renewable energy projects in the State -- from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to the New York State legislature. This change will subject SBC funds to general legislative haggling and bureaucracy, and means that money raised for renewable energy and energy efficiency, may be used for unrelated purposes.

The authority to spend these funds should remain with NYSERDA.

Governor Pataki recently vetoed the legislature's attempt to make this change in the annual budget. The Senate will be voting early next week to override the veto.

It is imperative that Senators be contacted and asked to VOTE NO ON THE OVERIDE of the GOVERNOR'S VETO and KEEP SYSTEMS BENEFIT CHARGE SPENDING AUTHORITY WITH NYSERDA. You can get your NYS Senator's contact info here:

http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm

Cape Fear, Massachusetts

The Boston Globe reported this week that the Cape Wind project is nearly dead, with a new proposed amendment to the Coast Guard Bill in Congressional Committee that would defer decision-making authority to Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who is opposed to the project. It's like a bad remake of Cape Fear where you're just about to save yourself but then your internal Kennedy, so often the victim of being divided and conquered, divides and conquers yourself.  And when you're about to lift your head, the Fossil Fuel Gods come in for the final bludgeoning.

Here's Greenpeace's call for help:

*****************************

We've seen the political influence of big oil before, and even drawn a connection between financial contributions and congressional voting records - before anyone had heard of Jack Abramoff. But this takes the cake. Congress is actively killing America's first offshore wind farm, and only YOU can stop them. Even President Bush has admitted that our nation is addicted to oil and we need alternative energy. But Congress can't seem to get enough of the oil drug, or at least the financial contributions from the oil industry. Oil industry lobbyists negotiated an 11th hour back boardroom deal that could kill Cape Wind forever.

Congress comes back to Washington in two weeks, and I hope they'll return to find a mountain of angry emails, faxes and phone messages. Take Action! Tell Congress not to block the future of wind energy.

<http://usactions.greenpeace.org/action/start.php?action_id=97&ref_source=listssavecapewind>

This is just the start. We've been working to make Cape Wind a reality for more than two years, and we can't give up now. As soon as Congress comes back, you'll be hearing from us again, and I hope you'll be ready to act quickly.

Sincerely,

Kate Smolski

Clean Energy/Cape Wind Campaigner

Greenpeace USA <http://www.greenpeaceusa.org>

Plumbers Like Water... duh!

If sustainability is ever going to take off, it will  be crucial to get the trade unions suppportive.  Indeed, the idea of a a blue-green alliance between traditional blue collar workers and environmentalists has tremendous potential and is one of the motivations in the founding of the Apollo Alliance.  It could even be key in bringing the Presidency back to the Democrats.

But how to get them aligned?  In Philadelphia, the  plumbers union is blocking Liberty Property Trust's plan to install no-flush, water-saving urinals in the men's rooms at the Comcast Center. Without the toilets, the 57-story skyscraper would use extra 1.6 million gallons of water a year, and may have trouble obtaining U.S. Green Building Council certification and beating out Manhattan's Bank of America Tower as the nation's tallest green building.

According to the Phildalephia Inquirer (http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14131612.htm),  "Those involved in the urinal debate say the plumbers object to the waterless devices because they require less labor to install than the traditional kind. The city's building code has no provision for waterless urinals. And because the plumbers are so opposed to the technology, Philadelphia officials are reluctant to introduce its use in the city. . . Ironically, the Philadelphia Water Department has been looking for ways to reduce the water flowing into the city's overburdened sewer system. After a heavy rain, the city must often release untreated sewage into the Delaware River. 'Waterless urinals would certainly be in line with our sustainable goals,' said Glenn Abrams, the department's urban watersheds planner."

So how do we get people to see beyond their narrow and short-term self-interest and have a more world-centric view of life?

The Solar City

After five years of feasibility studies, legislative approvals, financing, and contract negotiations, the City of Brockton, Massachusetts announced several weeks ago that it would be breaking ground on what will be New England's largest solar array: a 425 kw project on a remediated brownfield to be constructed by Global Solar Energy. The project has a budget of $3 million, which will be paid through $2.1 million in city funds and grant funds from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust and the US DOE. The project design will commence immediately - site preparation will begin in April and system installation will begin in May.  http://www.sebane.org/news_room/news_releases_viewer.asp?id=118

During the Clinton Administration, there was much interest in placing solar panels on former urban industrial sites, turning brownfields into "Brightfields." Hopefully, this is a sign of many more similar developments. Urban solar projects make tremendous sense in cities such as New York. PV can help with:

Electricity Generation.  Peak electricity demand is estimated to grow dramatically in the near future. New York City alone will need 2,600 megawatts of new electricity resources by 2008, according to the New York City Energy Policy prepared for Mayor Bloomberg in 2004 (“NYC Energy Policy”).  The NYC Energy Policy recommends that at least some supply be met by clean on-site generation including PV.

Solar PV is becoming economically viable. The cost of PV has declined by 80-90% in two decades -- PV is now a $4.7 billion industry, projected to grow to more than $30.8 billion in 2013.  Large portions of urban areas are well positioned for PV. Many square miles of upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs consist of 3-4 floor brownstones, or 6-8 floor apartment buildings.  These building frequently have flat roof space with direct sunlight unblocked by trees or large buildings. 

PV can provide great reliability to a city’s electric system because it is not dependant upon fuel supplies, fuel costs or transmission lines. This is a particular advantage in New York City where 80% of NYC’s peak load (11,020 megawatts in 2003) must be supplied by in-City capacity.  Furthermore, PV can help shave peak demand because PV generation is greatest on hot summer afternoons when demand is greatest.

Environmental Benefits.   Over 90% of US electricity comes from unsustainable fossil fuel and nuclear plants.  The electricity industry is the single largest source of industrial air pollution in the world and one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear waste remains radioactive for thousands of years. Urban areas bear a terrible burden from power plant pollution resulting from the release of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and toxins.  PV electric generation is environmentally clean and limitless in supply.  PV use can help reduce pollutants in urban areas not in compliance with federal clean air standards, and can help meet New York's Renewable Portfolio Standard, that mandates 25% renewable electricity by 2013.

Health.   PV can alleviate the adverse health effects of industrial electricity pollution. New York City has one of the highest asthma rates in the nation. The EPA  estimates that power plant pollution shortens the lives of more than 1,200 people across the state; fine particle pollution causes 164,612 lost work days, 1,191 hospitalizations, and 28,665 asthma attacks every year. These negative health effects are often worst on hot summer days when dirty back up generators are used to meet peak electricity demands.  Since PV electricity production is greater on hot summer days, PV is an ideal way to reduce the use of such generators.

Jobs and the Economy.  Solar PV has tremendous potential for job creation.  According to a study funded by the US Department of Energy, the solar industry can create more than 100,000 jobs in the next 20 years, and Business Week recently identified solar as one of 5 innovative industries that could drive a new job boom.  For every megawatt of installed solar PV, it is projected that 35.5 jobs are created in manufacturing, installation, servicing, sales and marketing. Accordingly, 100 MW of installed PV could create as many as 3,550 jobs in New York.

Local Rules! The Feds Drool :-(

Local policy can make a huge difference in creating a sustainable economy (and is probably the only way to do it).  The San Luis Obisbo (CA) City Council just announced that 50% of new homes will be required to have solar panels by 2020. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispotribune/news/breaking_news/13990488.htm

Compare this to what our friends in Washington are doing.  The House of Representatives will vote on March 2 for a "national food uniformity" labeling law that will prevent states and localities from requiring labelling that specific foods or beverages are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning. The bill would also prevent localities from requiring labelling on genetically engineered foods and ingredients.

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2752

Male Bonding is so 20th Century; How About Climate Neutral Bonding for the 21st?

As part of its continuing effort to encourage local rules that respond to global issues, the New Rules Project of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance proposes "Climate Neutral Bonding."  Their strategy is for tax payers to convince state and local bond issuing agencies across the United States to adopt climate neutral bonding policies to allow citizens to "live lightly on the earth."

Tax-exempt bonds -- or munis  -- finance a huge number of public works projects by local governments, school boards, and public agencies.  In 2004 alone, there were about $230 billion in munis for 9,000 projects (excluding refinancings) in the United States.  These projects consume vast amounts of energy over their lifetime.

The proposal is that all projects funded by municipal bonds be climate neutral: i.e., any increase in greenhouse gas emissions caused by the project be offset by reductions elsewhere within the bond agency's geographic jurisdiction. Methods for achieving green house gas neutrality include: efficient design, renewable energy development, renewable energy purchasing and tree planting. Benefits include:

1. Reduced operating costs;
2. Job creation and new expertise of architects, engineers, and builders in efficient design and construction;
3. Environmental (not just climate, but also less pollution, fewer toxics, better air and water quality); and
4. Psychological.

The memorandum also includes a "Climate Neutral Bonding Resolution" that can be enacted by local municipalities.  The proposal is described in a February 2006 memorandum, "Climate Neutral Bonding: Building Global Warming Solutions at the State and Local Level." www.newrules.org/de/climateneutralbonding.pdf .