Author Archives Laura Arnold

The Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC) provided this update on the renewable energy bills still pending before the 2009 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Now that both SB 420 and SB 300 passed the Indiana House, these bills return to their Senate authors, Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Monticello) and Sen. James Merritt (R-Indianapolis) for further deliberations before the session ends at the end of April. Both Senators are likely to return the language of their bills back closer to the way they passed the Indiana State Senate earlier this year. Neogotiations will begin next week after Dissent Motions are filed and conference committee members are appointed. Watch this blog for updates!

House Passes First Comprehensive Green Jobs Bill, Thanks to Your Efforts. Your Help Needed in the Final Stretch!

In a bi-partisan fashion, Indiana's House of Representatives passed the first comprehensive green jobs bill in Indiana`s history. However, ultimate victory is not yet ours! House and Senate negotiations now take place on two different versions of SB 300.

The House version of SB 300, which HEC strongly advanced, would require that 15% of Indiana`s electricity come from wind, biomass and solar (not coal) by 2025 and would enable, in unprecedented ways, Hoosiers to produce more affordable clean, renewable energy at their homes and businesses.

SB 420, a competing renewables bill re-defines so-called "clean coal" as renewable energy, also passed the House. These bills will now go to conference committee.

Please continue your support in these last weeks of the legislative session by contacting the expected members of the conference committee and encouraging them to support SB 300, the HEC supported Green Jobs Development Act and oppose SB 420.

For a comparison of these two dramatically different energy visions, see HEC's policy brief. Conference committee member information can be found here. (This is the list of likely conferees since conferees have not been named yet.)

Click here to see the Roll Call on SB 300. 51 House Democrats voting "Yes", 11 House Republicans Voting "Yes", 37 House Republicans Voting "No" and the Speaker "not voting".

Click here to see the Roll Call on SB 420. 93 House Democrats and Republicans voting "Yes", 3 House Democrats voting "No", and 4 including the Speaker "not voting".

We received this Action Alert from Citizens Action Coalition and wanted to share their views on pending renewable energy legislation with you. We also recommend entering your zipcode + 4 at www.votesmart.org to obtain information on your elected officials.

Please note that both SB 300 and SB 420 were recently amended substantially in the House Commerce, Energy, Technology and Utilities Committee. SB 300 was amended to add revised provisions from HB 1347 and HB 1349 introduced by Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-South Bend). SB 420 was amended with revised language from HB 1305 introduced by Rep. Dale Grubb (D-Covington). Also HB 1360 was amended in the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee and it now contains substantially the language of SB 300, SB 201 and SB 420 as these bills passed the Senate on third reading during the first half of the session. Therefore, we urge that you review the new language in each of these bills.

Are you confused now? You should be confused and it is likely your state legislators will be confused, too. Therefore, craft your message carefully. It is unclear at this point which one of these bills will become the vehicle for a renewable energy Conference Committee during the last two weeks of the session. PLEASE STAY TUNED!

There are 3 different energy bills moving at the Statehouse dealing with the issue of renewable energy that require your immediate attention:

Tell your State Representative to SUPPORT SB 300 and to OPPOSE SB 420!!!

House Switchboard: (800) 382-9842

Click here for the direct office phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the Indiana State Representatives.

Tell your State Senator to OPPOSE HB 1360!!!

Senate Switchboard: (800) 382-9467

Click here for the direct office phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the Indiana State Senators.

Click here to look up your State Senator and Representative.

If you call the direct office numbers of your State Senator and Representative, you will get the voicemail of their Legislative Assistants, and you can leave a message at anytime. If you call the Switchboard numbers, you will have to call between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday thru Friday.

SB 300 will require investor owned utilities to get 15% of their electricity from renewable resources by 2025 and will expand Indiana's net metering rule to allow all customers to generate up to 1 megawatt of electricity and sell the excess power back to the utility. SB 300 will be voted on in the House on Monday April 13th. A clean renewable energy standard and updated net metering rule will generate thousands of new jobs for our State, save ratepayers money, and vastly improve the quality of our environment and public health.

Please contact your State Representative today and urge him/her to SUPPORT SB 300!

SB 420 is a renewable energy standard that defines coal as a renewable resource. The definition also includes waste to energy which will allow the incineration of tires to qualify as a renewable resource. SB 420 also forces us as utility customers to pay for utility infrastructure to ethanol and bio-diesel facilities. Please contact your State Representative today and urge him/her to OPPOSE SB 420! Remind him/her that there is nothing clean or renewable about coal and that we should not be expected to subsidize ethanol plants! Urge them to VOTE NO on any renewable energy standard that includes coal as a renewable resource. Please contact your State Representative today as SB 420 will be voted on in the House early next week!

HB 1360 is an atrocious bill that must be stopped. This bill includes coal, coal bed methane, and nuclear power in the definition of renewable energy, and will also allow the incineration of tires to qualify as a renewable resource. HB 1360 also forces us as utility customers to pay for utility infrastructure to ethanol and biodiesel plants, and would allow investor owned utilities to raise rates automatically with no regulatory oversight. But HB 1360 goes even further, by attempting to add new nuclear reactors to the Construction Work in Progress, or CWIP, statute. CWIP forces us as Indiana ratepayers to pay for the construction of unnecessary and enormously expensive power plants before those plants are producing a single drop of electricity. Wall Street is refusing to finance these plants, so this will boost utility profit margins at our expense. Please contact your State Senator today and urge him/her to OPPOSE HB 1360. Remind him/her that there is nothing clean or renewable about coal or nuclear power. Remind him/her that consumers are the ones that need protection, not utility companies with a captive ratebase, a monopoly service territory, and guaranteed profit. Please call your State Senator today as HB 1360 will be voted on the Senate early next week!

For more information about these bills, visit our website: www.citact.org

Thank you for your continued support of CAC's efforts to protect Indiana consumers, Indiana's environment, and the health of all Hoosiers.

Sincerely,
Kerwin Olson
Program Director
Citizens Action Coalition
www.citact.org

We hope you join us to celebrate our sustainable
brewery with the release of our new Helios Pale Ale.
Live music on Upland's patio!

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For Immediate Release: March 12, 2009

Washington DC -- Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Chu today detailed an investment of nearly $8 billion in state and local weatherization and energy efficiency efforts as part of the President’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. With an investment of about $5 billion through the Weatherization Assistance Program and about $3 billion for the State Energy Program, the Department of Energy will partner with state and local governments to put 87,000 Americans to work and save families hundreds of dollars per year on their energy bills.

To jump-start job creation and weatherization work, the Department of Energy is releasing the first installment of the funding – about $780 million -- in the next few days. The Department will release additional funding over time as states demonstrate that they are using the funding effectively and responsibly to create jobs and cut energy use.

"This energy efficiency funding for states is an important investment in making America more energy independent, creating a cleaner economy and creating more jobs for the 21st century that can’t be outsourced," said Vice President Biden.

The funding will support weatherization of homes, including adding more insulation, sealing leaks and modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment, which will pay for itself many times over.

"Even as we seize the enormous potential of clean energy sources like wind and solar, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act makes a major investment in energy efficiency, which is the most cost effective route to energy independence," Chu said.

The Weatherization Assistance Program will allow an average investment of up to $6,500 per home in energy efficiency upgrades and will be available for families making up to 200% of the federal poverty level – or about $44,000 a year for a family of four. [$55,140 for Alaska and $50,720 for Hawaii]

The State Energy Program funding will be available for rebates to consumers for home energy audits or other energy saving improvements; development of renewable energy projects for clean electricity generation and alternative fuels; promotion of Energy Star products; efficiency upgrades for state and local government buildings; and other innovative state efforts to help save families money on their energy bills.

GUEST EDITORIAL

There has been a great deal of talk about what we need to get the economy moving in Indiana and across the country. Getting angry at Wall Street or politicians will not work, and neither will asking for more bailouts or hand outs.

Workers and businesses in Indiana, and across the country, need opportunity. If we have the chance, there is no doubt in my mind that we can overcome any challenge confronting our economy.

But what will that opportunity be? First, it is to not repeat the past. Making products that can be made cheaper overseas is not how to revive our economy. Second, it is not going to be government busy work where we pay people to dig and refill holes.

No, if we want to compete and succeed in these tough times we must either make new products or improve existing technology, and do it better than the rest of the world.

Fortunately, what many are calling the “clean energy economy” gives us the chance to do all of those things. This term means any job involved in manufacturing, distributing, and installing products and technology that cut energy consumption. This would include renewable energy like wind power and efforts to make technology more energy efficient.

According to a report by CleanEdge Incorporated, clean and renewable energy is expected to grow to over $250 billion by 2017. Although our economy has been slumping, since 2006 investments in energy technology have gone up 60 percent.

With this kind of growth expected, Indiana has a great opportunity to make renewable energy a significant part of its economy and help create jobs across the state. Right now my business in St. John makes solar-powered attic fans and we know that as demand for cleaner energy rises our company will only grow.

In addition to their growth potential, another advantage is that these are not jobs that can be easily outsourced to China and India. Because of the limits on energy storage and transport capabilities, companies gain no advantage in harnessing solar or wind energy in foreign countries and selling it to America. In fact, moving the energy generated from overseas will end up costing more than locating a plant in the U.S.

But how do we jump start this new clean energy economy?

Most economic analysts and scientists agree that the best way to attack this is by putting a cap on carbon pollution, which causes climate change. Carbon pollution comes from the burning of fossil fuels like oil and natural gas, so by cutting carbon levels you give companies the incentive to produce new cleaner sources of energy.

In addition to encouraging economic growth in new industries, capping carbon emissions will also cut pollution levels and help move our economy away from relying on oil, most of which comes from unstable areas like the Middle East.

Things are very hard for workers and business across Indiana, but unless we get serious about developing new sectors of the economy things will become much worse. Taking advantage of the opportunity to cut pollution and create cleaner energy sounds like best way to move forward.

Hopefully our leaders in Congress agree.

Bill Keith
SunRise Solar Inc.
St. John, Ind.

Bill Keith, President of SunRise Solar is a Founding member of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.