people are pissed at goverment spending, but not when it's for a cause they care about

N.J. voters deny 7 of 9 school-construction questions

By Rita Giordano

Inquirer Staff Writer

Voters in seven of nine school-district referendums around the state said no to new taxes Tuesday, rejecting 12 school construction and renovation proposals.

One of the two New Jersey proposals that passed was a $10 million project, eligible for almost $3.5 million in state aid, to replace the roof and install solar panels at Cumberland Regional High School in Bridgeton. The other was for partial roof replacement and repair at an elementary school in Montague Township, Sussex County.


http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/82873422.html

My interpretation of the vote results is:
Politicians will not understand what this means, they will simply move ahead on the failed referendums in other ways; so they can make rich freinds richer. NJ is tired of being taxed, but as a society we see the need for renewable energy. We want to move ahead in reasonable manners. The votes on the referendums prove that.
Elio

BPU faces big changes

Governor Christie's transition team has recommended significant changes to the Board of Public Utilities, with more emphasis on business and less on the environment.

The team's Energy & Utilities report recommends that the Clean Energy Program, a centerpiece of former Gov. Jon Corzine's energy master plan, be moved from the BPU to the Economic Development Authority, where its focus would switch from promoting use of more renewable energy sources to supporting economic growth.

The BPU should "aggressively drive wind and solar renewable energy, but only if we can get the manufacturing built in N.J., utilize the ports, and drive down the cost of this renewable energy over time," the report said.

"The BPU is not focused on its core mission [to regulate utilities] and is trying to do too many things, especially trying [and failing] to manage the Office of Clean Energy," the report said.

Given the state's financial crisis, the report suggested that $1.1 billion in Clean Energy funds be "directed" to the EDA for business-related programs to grow energy-related programs and grow the state's economy.

The report drew immediate criticism from the Sierra Club, which called it, "a major step back'' for energy and the environment.

The organization objected to what it called a "raid" on the Clean Energy Fund that is earmarked for special programs.

The reports also called for the number of commissioners to be cut from five to three (its size until 2001) and that BPU headquarters be moved from Newark to Trenton, where the agency now has a second office.

The staff of 267 would be slashed by 10 percent to 20 percent.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/environment/82474852_Advisers_prefer_a_BPU_focused_on_business.html

things you can do to cut energy usage that won’t cost a thing

While there are plenty of costly ways to save on your utility bills this winter like buying a high efficiency furnace or solar-paneled roof, there also are things you can do to cut energy usage that won’t cost a thing. Effective energy solutions can be implemented simply by knowing what to look for around your home. Following are no-cost energy saving tips:

Ceiling fan. A ceiling fan circulates air while using very little electricity making it naturally energy efficient. A ceiling fan can help warm you up in the winter as easily as it can cool you down in the summer. One of the most economical ways to save energy is to run your ceiling fan in the proper direction. When operated correctly, a ceiling fan that’s sized appropriately for a room can save you up to 10 percent on your heating bills. Most ceiling fans have a switch that controls the direction of the blades. A fan running counter-clockwise blows air down to cool your house during warmer months. A fan running clockwise circulates warm air near the ceiling which makes the room warmer. This places less demands on heating systems and allows you to comfortably turn down your thermostat to save on energy costs.

Programmable thermostat. According to Energy Star, approximately 70 percent of consumers find programmable thermostats too difficult to operate and, as a result, lose out on energy savings. Turning down your thermostat one degree can save you two percent on your heating bills. Programmable thermostats save energy with pre-programmed temperature settings that allow you to scale temperatures back as you leave your home and warm things up upon your return.

Home electronics. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), up to 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Power continues to run through home electronics even when you have them turned off. Common household devices that consume electricity while not in operation include: computers, TVs, cable boxes, cell phone chargers and other power adapters – basically anything with a microchip that requires at least some electricity to keep its inner clock ticking. Use a power strip for often-used devices found in groups, such as the TV, cable and surround sound system or the computer, printer and scanner. It allows you to run a number of devices from one power source.

Performing an energy audit will help you understand how you and your home consume energy. An energy auditor will find air leaks or insulation problems and recommend energy saving products. Call your local energy company to see if they offer free professional audits. If you’d rather do this yourself, the Department of Energy provides a free, do-it-yourself plan that can be found at http://www.eere.energy.gov.

in coal country -- mountaintop removal versus the environment

http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/82283972.html

Updated: 7:36 AM Jan 22, 2010
Massey CEO, Environmentalist Face Off in Coal Debate
Don Blankenship and Robert F. Kennedy Junior are certain they could win over the world if only the public could see mountaintop removal mining through their eyes.
Posted: 3:59 PM Jan 21, 2010
Reporter: Associated Press; Jessica Ralston; Kallie Cart

same, same and always the same

PSE&G solar plan raises questions
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Matt Fair
STAFF WRITE

http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1264056305233770.xml&coll=5

PSE&G wants to install solar fields, and the citizens surrounding the areas are coming out in protest.
When will we learn, invest the money to install solar on individual homes and businesses..
No were going to waist time and money fighting people.

Solar Power Is Now an Option for Even the Most Cash-Strapped Suburbanites

By Yasha Levine, AlterNet. Posted January 16, 2010.

Residential solar leases offer a no-money-down, low-monthly plan that makes solar electricity cheaper than the stuff we get by wire -- and you don't have to buy the panels.

Say hello to the thing that could save our sun-splashed suburban lifestyle: affordable residential solar power that puts roof-top solar panels within reach of the most cash-strapped America consumer. This breakthrough is not a result of technological innovation, but a new financing scheme cooked up on Wall Street called a "residential solar lease," a no-money-down, low-monthly plan that has made solar electricity cheaper than the stuff we get by wire. It's an old approach to a new source of energy, and it is taking California by storm.

"Go solar for $0 down. Now you can afford to go solar without the high initial cost of installing a system. Instead of buying the equipment, you simply lease it," boasts the Web site of SolarCity, a well-financed Silicon Valley start-up that has been pioneering the residential solar lease.

A solar lease is a fairly simple arrangement that is not unlike a car lease. Instead of dishing out tens of thousands of dollars upfront to buy and install a rooftop solar array, homeowners simply borrow one for a low monthly fee. Like a car lease, customers sign a contract that locks them in for a specified period of time with the option of extending their lease or buying the panels at the end of the contract. It makes sense when you consider that a typical homeowner would have to cough up between $20,000 and $50,000 to buy and install a solar panel system. A solar lease, on the other hand, would only cost them somewhere around $100 a month.

California, the world's third-largest solar-power market, saw twice as many people file for solar power permits in 2009 than in 2008, with much of the surge in demand being driven by this newfangled solar product. (Demand is so high that a black market for stolen solar panels has sprung up in the Golden State.)

SolarCity, one of the first companies to aggressively market solar leases, signs people up for 15-year contracts that run an average of $110 a month (with a 3.5-percent increase every year). SolarCity says customers can typically expect to shave 15 percent off their electricity bill from day one, with savings potentially growing over time if energy costs continue to rise. Competing companies -- like SunRun out of San Francisco or American Solar Electric out of Scottsdale -- offer the same basic deals.

A $100 electricity bill is a steal for California, a state that takes fifth place for highest electricity rates in the country, especially for the millions of people who inhabit the southern, sun-baked reaches of the state.

“My bill goes over $200 during summer when we keep the central AC going twelve hours day,” explained Paul Bosacki, who sits on the city council of Hesperia, a rustic, sprawling exurb on the edge of the Mojave Desert 90 miles east of Los Angeles. Bosacki was the first -- and so far the only -- person to sign up for SolarCity’s lease program in his town, but he won’t be alone for long. Because now he pays $89 a month and gets all the juice his household needs, while saving $21 dollars off his average electricity bill.

We walk around to Bosacki's backyard, where a single Joshua tree keeps watch over a jacuzzi and a panoramic view of the Mojave Desert, and he gives me a tour of his solar system: a slim grid of black panels on the roof and a box that converts its electricity to proper voltage. Bosacki might have to spend a couple of bucks a month on additional electricity from his local utility in the summer, but in the few months he’s had the system, he’s been well in the clear. “I turned it on in September and haven’t gotten a bill since," he says, adding that he would never be able to afford the $40,000 his solar setup retails for without the solar lease.

Not only do homeowners like Bosacki save money with solar, but they stand to make some, too. The beautiful thing about the technology is that it allows you to feed all your surplus electricity -- like when you're on vacation, at work or taking a nap -- into the grid. The only downside is that, until 2010, local utilities in California paid customers in electricity credits rather than in real money. But a new law will now force them to pay in real money, as in cold hard checks they'll soon start getting in their mailboxes. Called Consumer Net Metering, this new regulation finally does an end-run around an insane California law that only allowed utility companies to sell electricity; a restriction that had been putting a serious damper on small and alternative solar projects. Now even the small-time homeowner could actually make an honest buck on the energy market. Welcome to the cheap new world of debt-financed green energy.

"We've been selling like crazy down here because of the lease program," a SolarCity rep told the Orange County Register, explaining that the company had not been able to meet demand in Southern California, which has been so high it outstripped SolarCity’s meager financing ability. In April 2009, 3,000 people signed up, biding their time until SolarCity lined up more investors to fund the installations -- a wait the company predicted could take a year to clear. Other solar lease companies are seeing similar growth.

"Falling prices, rising utility rates and new government incentives may finally be driving serious growth in the region's market for residential solar power," wrote the Sacramento Bee in September 2009, when applications for solar panel installations suddenly quadrupled in the Sacramento region.

Even in this harsh credit freeze climate, investors seem to be rushing in to fill the need. While loans to American businesses have dropped by 17 percent compared with last year, solar leasing companies have taken in hundreds of million of dollars in new funding. SunRun received $105 million in financing from U.S. Bankcorp earlier last year and another $90 million in December. The bank also doubled SolarCity's funding to $100 million. National Bank of Arizona gave SolarCity $5 million for solar leases in Arizona. Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs all have been in the solar lease game from the beginning, in large part because they have been able to rig the financing and government subsidy structure in a way that guarantees profits, allowing them to easily recoup their investments through complicated tax credit and green energy derivatives schemes -- all of if risk free.

California goes the extra mile, providing the largest solar subsidies of any state ($2.2 billion has been made available through 2016). Investors can expect to be credited 80 percent of their products’ retail cost, meaning that financiers like Goldman Sachs are able to turn an instant profit for their investors on every solar panel array -- before customers even pay their first solar lease bill. The handouts have been so good, in fact, that investors are constantly demanding bigger profits.

"Investors historically expect seven percent to eight percent, which includes the tax benefits and a slice of profit during the life of the fund," wrote Green Tech Media about the amazing profits being squeezed out of the residential solar market. "Now they want ten percent or more."

Solar start-ups are popping up to compete for customers and the billions of dollars of federal and state subsidies for solar and renewable energy. Some companies are pioneering do-it-yourself solar kits you'll be able to buy at Home Depot, while others are working to integrate solar panel technology into building materials like roof shingles and siding.

Looking through slick Web sites and optimistic sales pitches, yet with nothing real to sell, is reminiscent of the dot-com bubble. It seems like solar hype is about the only thing for sale, and a sign that America's solar energy market is probably entering the same dangerous bubble-burst territory Spain found itself in last year, when the government heated up the solar market with with $1 billion in subsidies and then crashed the party when it ran out of money and was forced to suddenly cut funding, causing a world-wide solar recession and a glut in solar panel parts that persists even today.

But bubble or not, there are huge ramifications from this full-on race to develop affordable, ubiquitous residential solar technology.

Peak oil theories have been gaining strength ever since the real estate market collapse turned vast stretches of sub-prime suburbs into vast stretches of ghost sprawl, giving us a scary glimpse into our post-oil future. Its preachers have been pounding the empty oil drum, warning the masses about our helpless dependence on cheap oil and how a shortage would reduce us to pathetic hunter gatherers -- all the while urging people to stock up on dry astronaut food and how-to farming guides for urbanites through their online stores.

"[T]he truth is that no combination of solar, wind and nuclear power, ethanol, biodiesel, tar sands and used French-fry oil will allow us to power Wal-Mart, Disney World and the interstate highway system -- or even a fraction of these things -- in the future," James Howard Kunstler, the populist apostle of peak oil for this generation and failed Y2K theorist, prophesied in a Washington Post op-ed titled "Wake Up, America. We're Driving Toward Disaster." Even the New York Times has joined the scare fest with stuff like this: "Suddenly, the economics of American suburban life, idealized around the world, are under assault as skyrocketing energy prices inflate the costs of reaching, heating and cooling homes on the distant edges of metropolitan area."

Standing in Paul Bosacki’s backyard, on the edge of Southern California’s suburban sprawl, it is hard not to agree with the suburban doomsayers. With a panoramic view of the Mojave Desert, you can see the sub-prime suburbs creeping deeper into the open desert. This is one of the most arid, inhospitable places in America, yet it is also one of the fastest-growing, swelling to a population of almost 400,000 over the past few decades, then booming higher and crashing harder than most other regions in the country. Looking at this failed McTractHome paradise and left-behind carnage -- half-built master-planned communities and a sea of vacant homes with dead lawns dry and rotting in the heat -- it seems there is no way it can survive, not with its four-hour daily commute to Los Angeles and summer air-conditioning bills that can feel more like mortgage payments.

But affordable roof-top solar has the power to nip a suburban energy freakout in the bud. Not only can it power the most outlandish McMansion palaces out in the hottest reaches of the American West, but it can also power the cars that get people there and back.

“You’ll be able to plug in electric vehicles into these things to charge them off your own panels,” says Bosacki, intuitively picking up on the possibilities that residential solar power have opened up for suburbia. “One day, we’ll be probably be able to lower energy costs for cars to zero. That’s one of the unintended benefits of these things.”

That is exactly the future that SolarCity seems to be angling for. The company was created in part by Elon Musk, a Silicon Valley millionaire and the man behind Tesla Motors, the experimental electric car company that recently rolled out its first model: the souped-up, $100,000 base price sports car called the Tesla Roadster that does 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The San Francisco Business Times wrote about Musk:

At 37 years old -- and with a net worth estimated at more than $300 million from past endeavors like PayPal -- Musk is making contributions to clean energy that may become his legacy. Tesla was the first company to produce an electric car that gets more than 200 miles per charge, and SolarCity is one of the largest installers of solar panels in the country. SolarCity was also the first company to market solar-power systems with no down payments that could save customers money from day one.

Rumor has it Tesla is working to unveil a mass market all-electric sedan sometime after 2012, with SolarCity playing a part. SolarCity already offers charging stations as a deluxe option for its residential solar power systems; the company equipped over 2,500 electric vehicle charging stations so far and recently installed five experimental Tesla charging stations along Highway 101 from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It’s all part of a bigger strategy to provide the foundation for cheap, readily accessible solar electricity, and a ray of hope as far as our suburban lifestyle is concerned.

The fact that the biggest suburban growth has been taking place in the sunniest spots in the United States -- California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona -- means that these sweltering locales will become even more popular with solar power. After all, who can say no to trading up to a larger home and reducing energy bills at the same time? And that just might make solar the thing that will sucker us into the next reckless speculative real estate boom. Amen to that.

Solar energy could help restore Walker Lake

The sun's energy would be tapped to power a new process with the potential to aid an ecologically ailing Walker Lake.

Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno are developing a "solar pond" with a newly patented membrane distillation system that could be used to remove excessive levels of salt from Walker Lake and similarly troubled bodies of water.

"This is the only thing that's been proposed as far as cleaning up the lake as opposed to bringing more water to the lake," said Amy Childress, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UNR.

The process developed by doctoral candidate Francisco Suarez and colleagues traps solar heat within a 400-gallon laboratory tank, with collected energy powering the distillation system that removes concentrated salts.

"We can create pure water from this system," said Suarez, 29. "You could take this system and drop it anywhere, and you could create fresh drinking water."

Scientists hope to build an open-water system, perhaps hundreds of acres in size, in a portion of Walker Lake to test its effectiveness on a much larger scale.

Water levels at Walker Lake have plunged about 145 feet since the early 1880s, largely because of upstream agricultural diversions. Dropping water levels have resulted in spiking levels of salts and impurities, places the lake's fish and other wildlife in peril.

Millions of dollars have been spent pursuing strategies to get more water flowing to the lake, including through the use of alternative crops.

The solar pond technology could offer an opportunity to clean the lake's waters, with Nevada's plentiful sunshine providing a ready energy source to do so, researchers said.

"This can operate 24 hours a day using the stored energy. Very little electricity would be used," Suarez said.

The process could generate three acre-feet of clean water a year for every surface acre of water treated, he said.

Scott Tyler, another UNR professor involved in the research, said the process could be applied to other lakes with declining water levels and impurity problems. They could include places such as California's Salton Sea, the Great Salt Lake and Asia's Aral Sea.
By Jeff DeLong • jdelong@rgj.com • January 18, 2010

Christie taps energy adviser for DEP

By MICHAEL MILLER, Staff Writer | Posted: Thursday, January 14, 2010 | 0 comments

Two nominations for state office Gov.-elect Chris Christie made Wednesday may signal his priorities on education and the environment.

Christie's choice to head the Department of Environmental Protection, Robert Martin, of Hopewell Township, is a Republican donor and retired consultant who has a summer home in Avalon.

He is a former partner at the publicly traded consulting firm Accenture, where he worked in energy and utility consulting. In November, Christie appointed Martin to his transition team to cover those two issues. He was nominated Wednesday to take the job held by acting Commissioner Mark N. Mauriello.

To some environmentalists, Christie's DEP pick, Martin, is a virtual unknown.

"We don't know where he stands on a lot of issues," said Jeff Tittel, spokesman for the Sierra Club.

"We want to see where he stands on protecting clean water, beaches, cleaning up toxic sites, sprawl and open space. There is a lot to learn."

Tittel said Martin has experience with clean-energy issues that New Jersey will face in trying to accomplish its goal of providing 20 percent renewable energy by 2020.

"He has a strong management background in information technology. From a management standpoint, he'll be a very good commissioner," Tittel said.

Martin made an unsuccessful bid for state Senate in 2007 in Mercer County's 15th Legislative District.

He could not be reached for comment Wednesday at his home outside Princeton.

In the past decade, he has been a regular political contributor, donating thousands of dollars to Republican candidates, county parties and the Republican State Committee.

Last fall, he donated $3,400 to Christie's campaign.

He also donated $2,000 to Republican Doug Forrester's 2005 unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign against Gov. Jon S. Corzine and another $2,600 to help former Assemblyman Bill Baroni, R-Mercer, win re-election that year.

He made $1,000 donations to the Cape May County Republican Organization in 2003 and 2004.

'A man of enormousability and talent'

"He's a man of enormous ability and talent," Cape May County Republican Party Chairman David Von Savage said.

Von Savage said Martin would approach New Jersey's environmental regulations with an appreciation for how they affect individuals and businesses.

"I think he understands how stifling and onerous it is for the private sector to get approval for any project," Von Savage said. "I'm not talking about the Pinelands, either. I'm talking about the DEP's refusal to grant a permit … to install a bulkhead along the Delaware Bay shoreline to keep a house from falling into the bay, which is outrageous and shows how out of touch the tenured DEP bureaucrats have become."

Martin was appointed last year to an advisory committee for the nonpartisan Reform Institute, a public-policy group that U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., founded.

Martin and his wife, Brenda, own a summer home assessed at $2.1 million on 17th Street in Avalon.

Avalon waged a successful battle against the DEP last year over the agency's insistence that municipalities install public bathrooms and allow 24-hour access to beaches replenished with state money.

Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi declined to comment Wednesday on Martin's nomination.

"But I don't think I'll have to worry about putting in public restrooms every half mile. You can put that in there," Pagliughi joked.

The nominations must be confirmed by the state Senate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Michael Miller:

609-272-7247

MMiller@pressofac.com

Posted in New_jersey on Thursday, January 14, 2010 2:20 am

TU Concerned for Marcellus Drilling

Date:

01/13/2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Erin Mooney
703-284-9408
National Press Secretary

TU Concerned About Fish and Wildlife Protection as Pa. Leases New State Forest Land for Marcellus Drilling

Leasing agreement to allow drilling on 32,000 acres

Arlington, Va. – Pa.’s plan to award gas drilling rights on 32,000 acres of state forest land to energy companies for Marcellus Shale drilling could have a detrimental effect on fish and wildlife habitat.

The state legislature decided last fall to lease state land for gas drilling activities to generate revenue for the state. At the same time, the Pa. legislature and Gov. Ed Rendell declined to require a severance tax on gas drilling that would have generated significantly more revenue for the state. Pennsylvania is one of just a few states with natural gas resources that does not require a severance tax.
"The decision by Pennsylvania’s legislature to require the leasing of state forest land for gas drilling is a failure to protect public resources for the citizens of the Commonwealth now and in the future," said Elizabeth Maclin, Trout Unlimited’s Vice President for Eastern Conservation. "The state seems more concerned with generating revenue in a manner acceptable to gas companies than it does with protecting its natural resources."

The 32,000 acres of public state forest land are located in north central Pa. in the Elk, Moshannon, Sproul, Susquehannock, and Tioga State Forests in Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton, Potter and Tioga Counties, places that are renowned for trout fishing. Eastern brook trout are found in this area. The only trout species native to the East Coast, their habitat is becoming rapidly diminished. The brook trout is Pennsylvania’s state fish.

"With one-third of our state forests now open to gas drilling, we are concerned that public recreation and water quality is at risk. We have already seen detrimental effects to water quality on our state forest land due to drilling, and find this unacceptable," said Dave Rothrock, President of the Pa. Council of Trout Unlimited. "The state budget should not be balanced at the expense of hunters and anglers."
TU is concerned about the long-term ecological impacts of drilling in these areas, particularly the clearing of trees, habitat fragmentation, and sedimentation due to road crossings and construction. The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, a multi-agency partnership, found in its comprehensive review of the species that habitat fragmentation and sedimentation are two of the major impacts limiting the health of brook trout populations.

Each Marcellus well also requires up to eight million gallons of water to extract the gas from beneath the earth’s surface. This water is often taken from rivers, streams and other sources near the drill site. In addition, the water is mixed with toxic and other chemicals and must be disposed of after being used at a drill site. The safe disposal and treatment of this water is an additional concern.
Over 990, 000 people hunt and fish in Pa. each year. Hunting and fishing in the state generates over $3.9 million in revenue each year.
TU supports the responsible development of Marcellus Shale gas, but believes this development must take place in a manner that protects the irreplaceable fish and game habitat in the region.

Trout Unlimited is North America’s leading coldwater fisheries conservation organization, with more than 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.

Gov. Jon Corzine's State Of The State

We are implementing a comprehensive Energy Master Plan that will meet our aggressive carbon emissions objectives in the decades ahead.

We installed more solar panels than any state except California.

And we're blazing a trail in off-shore wind.

http://cbs3.com/wireapnewsnj/Text.of.NJ.2.1421450.html

Getting the Most Cash Back From Your Green Home

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: January 12, 2010

Filed at 10:41 a.m. ET

Under a $300 million federal rebate program that started last month, consumers can trade in their energy-sucking appliances for more efficient models, but there are other ways to save money while making a home more energy efficient.

Most utilities, states and even some local governments offer their own programs to give homeowners a break when they buy new appliances, insulate, or install alternative energy sources like solar or wind power. The federal government also recently increased its two tax credits to help pay for more efficient heating, cooling and water-heating equipment, as well as wind, solar and geothermal systems and fuel cells.

The programs run the gamut with some states funneling hundreds of million of dollars into certain programs and through utilities, said Justin Barnes, a policy analyst at the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, or DSIRE.

''The tricky part is finding all these programs,'' Barnes said.

The DSIRE lists all available incentives and rebate programs by state on its web site at www.dsireusa.org.

The greening of American homes saves consumers money, protects the environment and helps stimulate the broader economy. By adding more insulation to the attic and walls, for example, homeowners can cut their heating consumption up to half. And whether homeowners tackle projects themselves or hire professionals, that spending helps retailers, manufacturers and ripples through other industries.

Of course, homeowners may still have to shell out thousands of dollars to make energy efficient improvements, and that might be a tough decision in lean times.

''They care about putting food on the table, paying the mortgage and college tuition,'' said Steven Nadal, executive director at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, or ACEEE. ''This is not a top priority in a lot of households.''

So far, the effects of the federal tax credit has been minimal on Tom Higgins' business in Boulder, Colo. Homeowners just don't have access to the cash they once did, the owner of Superior Home Improvements/Siding said, and he believes the government should double the credit cap to $3,000 from $1,500 to motivate consumers.

''The concept is well received, but it's still not enough,'' he said.

On the other hand, there's been great success with New Jersey's Clean Energy Program administered through the state's utilities, said Tom Testa, owner of Home Energy Diagnostics in Bloomfield, N.J. Since the program's launch in 2003, its funding and publicity have increased.

''There are a lot of younger people calling because they want to do the right thing,'' Testa said, ''and then I get calls from Wall Street types who want the best return on their home improvements.''

Megan Blank can't wait to see her heating bills this winter. Last year, she spent $500 a month to heat her three-bedroom house in Bloomfield. She had Testa perform an energy audit last February after putting up with cold drafts for seven years.

''We had to walk around with sweaters on top of sweaters,'' Blank said.

Testa discovered there was no insulation in the walls and only a tiny bit in the attic of the 1940s house. In May, Blank had professionals insulate the attic, basement and walls. The total cost to retrofit her home was $5,300, but the state utility program is picking up about half that tab because Blank will cut her energy consumption by at least 25 percent.

Utilities have long been the big funders of energy efficient programs, pouring about $3 billion a year into them, according to the ACEEE.

But some states have also been leaders. Seventeen states offer rebates on energy-efficient products, 16 of them give personal tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements and eight exempt sales tax on certain environmentally friendly products like dishwashers, ceiling fans and programmable thermostats, according to DSIRE.

Cities and counties are also playing key roles. In Maryland, for example, both Howard and Prince George's counties offer a property tax credit on solar panels and geothermal heating systems. That's on top of a geothermal and solar energy grant program the state offers.

These programs are all part of a larger public push to protect the environment, from Copenhagen to Cincinnati (which offers tax abatements for green homes). The revolution is happening one Energy Star appliance at a time.

New solar energy-related company to be announced, says Hinchey

KINGSTON – Congressman Maurice Hinchey briefed reporters Monday on the need to increase funding for clean energy manufacturing, and he anticipates more federal money to help The Solar Energy Consortium in the region.

Last year Hinchey helped secure nearly $12 million for TSEC and its member companies, part of the $31 million he’s brought to the region since TSEC was created in 2007. And that funding will start to flow into the region this year.

TSEC has already created about 200 jobs, and that job creation is expected to multiply in the next few years.

“We’re anticipating about a 1,000 new jobs over the next few years,” he said.

And that job creation will be bolstered by new TSEC initiative with the state, which will lead to those 1,000 jobs to be created over the next two or three years, he said.

“We are anticipating that announcement will come up in the next few weeks,” he said. “It will be a new business, new company and new jobs that go above the 200 we’ve already created.”

Hinchey said time can longer be wasted to create clean energy jobs in the Hudson Valley as China and India ramp up their efforts to join the green manufacturing sector.

“While we stop importing oil, we will be importing solar energy technology from China or someplace like that,” he said “That is absolutely something we should regard as unacceptable and unreasonable. We need to be generating that technology right here.”

Hinchey also anticipates more federal stimulus money to flow into the region, two-thirds of which has not been doled out yet.
“Of the two-thirds left, there will be stimulus money for school districts, for infrastructure and new technology,” he said.

---

HEAR today's news on MidHudsonRadio.com, the Hudson Valley's only Internet radio news report.

Environmentalists want a renewable-energy firm to move its solar project to avoid tortoises

10:00 PM PST on Saturday, January 9, 2010

By DAVID DANELSKI
The Press-Enterprise

Environmentalists say they will urge a renewable-energy developer to relocate a planned solar project in the Mojave Desert to avoid harming a population of genetically unique desert tortoises.

BrightSource Energy proposes to use 6.2 square miles of public land near Interstate 15 at the eastern border of San Bernardino County to install thousands of mirrors that will focus heat on water-filled steel boilers mounted on towers. The steam would drive turbines to generate clean electricity for some 140,000 homes.

The project is being watched closely because it would be the first large-scale solar development in a wave of proposals triggered by California's mandate that utilities supply 20 percent of their customers' power needs with renewable energy by this year and 33 percent by 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More than 120 solar and wind projects have been proposed on public land in the California desert.

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Environmentalists want a solar project moved to a different part of the Mojave Desert for protection of a species of desert tortoise.

The federal government also is pushing for large-scale alternative energy development and announced in November that BrightSource's project would be fast-tracked.

Some environmentalists say the solar array, as proposed, would destroy prime habitat for the desert tortoise, a species listed as threatened with extinction, in the Ivanpah Valley between I-15 and the Clark Mountains.

The animals have unique genetic characteristics that could be important to the species' survival, and moving them could put them at risk, said Ileene Anderson, a biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Last year, Army officials stopped relocating tortoises from Fort Irwin after dozens of the reptiles died, mostly as a result of coyote attacks.

Anderson's group, the Sierra Club and the Western Watersheds Project are expected Monday to attend a California Energy Commission hearing in Sacramento focusing on environmental issues BrightSource faces.

Representatives of the groups say the solar development could be built on land closer to I-15 or on a dry lake bed that is poor tortoise habitat but has just as much sunshine.

Keely Wachs, a spokesman for the Oakland-based BrightSource, decline to comment on calls to move the project. He said such concerns will be addressed during this week's public hearing.

Documents submitted to the energy commission say the company plans to move about 25 tortoises to other parts of the Ivanpah Valley.

Wachs said the company will protect tortoise habitat elsewhere that is three times the size of the land taken for the solar development.

Environmental groups say it's important to protect the Ivanpah Valley tortoises because of their uniqueness.

A 2007 study published in the journal Chelonian Conservation and Biology found that the Ivanpah tortoises are genetically different from most other desert tortoises.

That most likely is because mountain ranges isolated the population from other tortoise communities, said the lead author, Robert W. Murphy, senior curator of herpetology at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

"There is genetic variation in that population that is unique, and that diversity is something we want to maintain," Murphy said Friday in a telephone interview.

The researchers analyzed DNA and completed other genetic tests on blood from 753 Mojave tortoises. The blood was gathered for federally funded disease studies.

The study did not identify what the genetic differences are, but Anderson noted that the Ivanpah tortoises' shells appear to be less round than those of tortoises in other parts of the Mojave Desert.

Genetic diversity is important to the survival of all animals but especially to those, like the desert tortoise, on the brink of extinction, said Michael Connor, a wildlife biologist and California director of the Western Watersheds Project. He said he will speak at Monday's hearing.

The greater the genetic diversity, the more traits a species will have in its evolutionary toolbox to recover or survive changing conditions, Connor said.

Since the Ivanpah tortoises have adapted to a higher-altitude valley at 3,200 feet, they may have traits needed for the species to survive global warming, which is expected to force many plants and animals to move to higher, cooler ground, he said.

BrightSource's Wachs declined to answer questions about the genetic study, saying it would be addressed at the energy commission hearing.

Sid Silliman, a member of Sierra Club's San Gorgonio Chapter, said in a letter to the energy commission that large-scale solar projects like BrightSource's proposal are needed to reduce global warming. But such projects should go on land already disturbed by farming and other human activity, and preferably on privately owned land, he said.

Reach David Danelski at 951-368-9471 or ddanelski@PE.com

Environmentalists want a renewable-energy firm to move its solar project to avoid tortoises | Inland News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

Environmentalists want a renewable-energy firm to move its solar project to avoid tortoises | Inland News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

GE Narrows Scope of Solar Power Investment

Solar power prices collapsed last year. They dropped nearly 50 percent in 2009, and analysts predict prices could drop another 20 percent in 2010, helping the industry become cost-competitive with other energy resources but squeezing some companies out of business. The economic downturn and falling power demand in the United States and Europe have contributed to the price collapse, but the major cost driver has been the fluctuating supply of polysilicon, the primary raw material used to develop solar energy units. Polysilicon has gone from a major shortage to massive oversupply, and bank analysts have projected an oversupply of polysilicon until 2012.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/01/08/08climatewire-ge-narrows-scope-of-solar-power-investment-77307.html

Drilling the Marcellus Shale for gas is a mistake.

This is a good website to get the basic of the Marcellus gas reserve.
http://geology.com/usgs/marcellus-shale/

This site gives you a more realist view of the potential accidents involved with the drilling.
http://www.stargazette.com/article/20091108/NEWS01/911080372&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL


This video is great, shows the actual problems involved, and the NY state lack of action.
http://nywellwatch.org/2009/11/10/ny-drilling-regs-woefully-insufficient-video/

This is a video on some of the hazards of this practice.
It was made by a conservation group in Arkansas.
http://nywellwatch.org/2009/11/07/drilling-for-gas-polluting-water-caution-video/

New twist to this, the waste water is radioactive.
http://nywellwatch.org/2009/11/09/schuyler-steuben-gas-wells-test-positive-for-radioactivity-map/

PSE&G to build four solar farms in NJ

Public Service Electric & Gas will build four large solar farms in New Jersey that could generate enough electricity to power 1,300 homes, the utility announced today.

Construction on the $50 million project is scheduled to begin this spring at sites owned by the utility in Edison, Hamilton, Linden and Trenton. J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, of Hackensack, will build the 2 megawatt solar farm in Edison. It will involve installing 8,500 panels on 5.7 acres.

The projects are part of PSE&G’s $515 million investment in solar over the next three years that will increase electric bills by 10 cents a month on average. The utility is also installing solar panels on more than 200,000 utility poles across New Jersey.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/environment/010610_PSEG_to_build_four_solar_farms_in_NJ.html#comments

Financial incentives bring renewable energy businesses — but not experience

Buoyed by some of the nation’s most generous financial incentives and relatively little regulation, New Jersey’s renewable energy industry — particularly solar power — has exploded with activity. Scarcely a month passes without news emerging of some major new renewable power facility planned for southern New Jersey. PJM, the multistate organization that manages the regional energy grid, lists 52 proposed renewable energy projects due for interconnection studies, 24 of which are south of Trenton.

Read more at www.pressofatlanticcity.com