|
UWUA Power for America Training Trust FundAbout the Trust Fund - In the News - Industry News
last updated (05-12-2012)
After decades of outsourcing, manufacturing jobs coming home to US
13-Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence
Billions Needed to Upgrade America’s Leaky Water Infrastructure
Workers File Federal Labor Complaint Against Asheville Call Center
UN Climate Conference in Durban, South Africa
Give union-made gifts
Panasonic Designs Energy Efficient LED Bulb That Looks Like an Incandescent
How long do we have to wait before solar technology reaches 'grid parity'?
Out of Our Element
Switching from Coal to Natural Gas Would Do Little for Global Climate, Study Indicates
Protesters Against Wall Street At this point, protest is the message: income inequality is grinding down that middle class, increasing the ranks of the poor, and threatening to create a permanent underclass of able, willing but jobless people. On one level, the protesters, most of them young, are giving voice to a generation of lost opportunity. The jobless rate for college graduates under age 25 has averaged 9.6 percent over the past year; for young high school graduates, the average is 21.6 percent. Those figures do not reflect graduates who are working but in low-paying jobs that do not even require diplomas. Such poor prospects in the early years of a career portend a lifetime of diminished prospects and lower earnings — the very definition of downward mobility. Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/opinion/sunday/protesters-against-wall-street.html?_r=2 Hooked on the Numbers Worried about Obama losing in 2012, democrats pay close attention to those end-of-the-week government reports on unemployment claims, consumer spending and housing starts. Looking for a signal that the economy is “recovering,” we know this is a charade to give the president cover against republican attacks. If those numbers don’t budge, the white house could fall into the hands of a republican who would make George W. Bush look like Hubert Humphrey. Of course this president didn’t ruin the economy. That was a 40-year project, engineered by business elites determined to “discipline the labor markets” through union-busting, deindustrialization and financial schemes to hook wage-earners on debt and speculation instead of pay raises. That’s one reason we’re so frustrated and disappointed that President Obama passed on an historic opportunity to channel public anger and take on wall street and the banks. And yet those very same corporate and financial institutions Mr. Obama let off the hook are paying him back by refusing to hire or lend. Even worse, the only way the economic picture will improve for now is for American consumers to start spending again. Yes, we long for those days of traffic jams at Wal-Mart parking lots. Liberals and progressives are stuck. We can’t give ultra-conservatives the keys to the federal government but don’t believe that our side has the vision or the guts to lead the nation. So we will cheer a half-percent drop in the unemployment rate or an uptick in consumer spending and pretend that’s how America will find its way back on track. Read More: http://laborlou.com/2011/10/hooked-on-the-numbers/
Protesters Against Wall Street At this point, protest is the message: income inequality is grinding down that middle class, increasing the ranks of the poor, and threatening to create a permanent underclass of able, willing but jobless people. On one level, the protesters, most of them young, are giving voice to a generation of lost opportunity. The jobless rate for college graduates under age 25 has averaged 9.6 percent over the past year; for young high school graduates, the average is 21.6 percent. Those figures do not reflect graduates who are working but in low-paying jobs that do not even require diplomas. Such poor prospects in the early years of a career portend a lifetime of diminished prospects and lower earnings — the very definition of downward mobility. Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/opinion/sunday/protesters-against-wall-street.html?_r=2 Economy Building Through Energy Regulation by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News For an economic stimulus package that didn’t have to by approved by Congress, the Obama Administration agreed with the International Energy Agency to release 30 million barrels of crude oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The IEA will let go another 30 million stored by some of the other 27 members. For the U.S. 30 million barrels of oil represents about 4 percent of its 727 million barrel stash set aside for rainy days. Economically the U.S. is having a rainy day. The news of the release sent the price of oil down a few dollars, but the price of gas at the pump should take a few weeks to drop. It was dropping anyway. The SPR release, along with the market-driven price decline will push gasoline further south over the next few weeks or months, provided the Gulf of Mexico doesn’t get hammered with a hurricane or two. It’s supposed to be a busy season. Last year gasoline was about a dollar less per gallon than now. A dollar difference at the pump can add up to $100 to $200 or more commuters are spending on gas each month. For people living on the edge in this edgy economy 100 bucks can be lot of money. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heal the Economy With Energy Inventions More inventions. That’s what the United States needs to pull itself out of its economic ditch. Fortunately, within this diverse country there is no shortage of ideas. Unfortunately, thinking up new inventions, new ideas and innovations is the easy part. Bringing ideas to market is what’s hard. It’s very, very hard. The work needed to commercialize and bring them to market has ruined marriages, damaged people’s health, destroyed personal economies and wrecked people’s lives. People have died under the stress of developing new innovations. It’s no wonder many good inventions never make it beyond the dream stage. Still, the desire to invent and innovate runs deep. The spinning gears of creative and inventive minds never stop. A good idea is rarely forgotten. Individuals innovate, so do companies. Since this publication is about energy I’ll explore a few recent energy-related innovations, that are, well, diverse. --- Both U.S. Gypsum and CertainTeed are now selling environmentally-friendly, energy-saving drywall. Yes that’s correct - energy saving drywall, also known as wallboard or sheet rock. The new products are up 30 percent lighter than old drywall. U.S. Gypsum calls their product Sheetrock(r) UltraLight Panels, CertainTeed calls theirs Easi-Lite (r). For the drywall hanger (the guy that carries, fits and installs drywall to a building’s framing) the dramatically lighter product is a life-changer. There’s personal energy saved, less hefting. But the real energy saving is in the shipping of the product to distributors. Imagine what better fuel economy a truck gets when its drywall load weighs 30 percent less? Pretty substantial. The new drywall is an instant success in building supply stores. It’s priced about the same as now old-fashioned drywall. For retailers and distributors still stocking old heavy drywall, good luck getting rid of your inventory. U.S. Gypsum UltraLight CertainTeed, Easi-Lite Will Abundant Natural Gas Muscle Out Clean Renewables? There are efforts here in U.S. to make better use of the abundant supply of natural gas trapped in rock formations far below the surface of the land and waters off the coastline. Proponents say it’s mostly about clean energy and energy independence, but it’s also a way to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions in an attempt to slow the warming of the planet. When burned as fuel natural gas emits about 30 percent less carbon dioxide than oil, and just under 45 percent less carbon dioxide than coal. The efforts to exploit more natural gas is not confined to the U.S., of course, they’re global. The International Energy Agency has titled a new report “Are We Entering a Golden Age of Gas?” that presents a scenario where the use of natural gas rises by more than 50 percent above 2010 levels and accounts for more then a quarter of global energy demand by 2025. The report laments that natural gas could muscle out the development of emission-free renewable energies and nuclear power. Read More Iowa Department of Economic Development: Iowa Leads Nation in Wind Energy Generation According to the 2010 the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Industry Report, Iowa continues to lead the nation in wind generation with 15 percent of its electricity coming from wind. That number is expected to reach 20 percent later this year when Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy completes its expansion, bringing Iowa one step closer to its goal of generating half the state's electricity from wind by the year 2030. That would also allow it to export 30 percent of its wind energy to other states. Read More Next Generation Lighting an Investment, Not a Consumable Next year, new light bulb standards in the U.S. take effect. Bulbs being manufactured or imported after the first of the year must be 25 percent more efficient. But you can keep your old bulbs. If you want to hoard old-style bulbs, feel free. Retailers can sell old stock. Section 321 of the Energy Independence and Security Act, signed into law by President Bush, is about making residential lighting more efficient and saving consumers money. From a technical standpoint the law is about light output per watt. The law doesn’t specifically ban incandescent bulbs. The law phases in, bulb-by-bulb over time. By January 1, 2012, new light bulbs with the light output of a traditional 100-watt bulb will be replaced as old stock is depleted with bulbs that use only 75 watts. Other bulb sizes will be phased in over time. The law doesn’t promote one technology over another. Incandescent bulbs aren’t going away. New generation incandescent bulbs, such as Philip’s Ecovantage line, already meet and beat the new government standard: an Ecovantage halogen-technology bulb that runs on 72 watts will put out as much light as an old 100 watt. Other lighting technologies such as CFLs and LEDs met the new standard before it became law. Manufacturers and developers of LEDs in particular have been gearing up their product lines hoping consumers will jump on the energy-efficient bandwagon come the first of the year by buying the most efficient bulbs possible. LEDs already far exceed the new lighting efficiency standard. Philips, for example, has introduced its EnduraLED A21 LED which has the same light output, 1100 lumens, as an old 75 Watt incandescent bulb. The company says in a press release, “As with all bulbs in the Philips LED lighting family, the new EnduraLED A21 17-watt has a rated life of 25 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb. Over its lifespan, the EnduraLED A21 17-watt could save a business or household about $160 per bulb. Available during the fourth quarter of 2011 in the US, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for consumers has not yet been finalized but is expected to be in the range of $40 - $45.” Read More PREMIUM PRICES PAID FOR EXISTING SOLAR HOMES. Few Americans keep their homes long enough to pay off their traditional 30-year mortgage. Usually there’s a reason to move on: the kids leave home, a new career awaits elsewhere, or often people just want to move up to a better home. Often, too, the move to a new home is unplanned and unexpected: a corporate relocation, a marriage or divorce, the care of a loved one or a death in the family, or, as in the case of the current recession, a sudden loss of job or a failed business. The average length of homeownership in the U.S. ranges from 7 to 12 years, depending on the source. Solar photovoltaic panels have a life span (to be conservative) of 20 - 25 years. The manufacturer’s warranty is a good guideline as to the expected longevity of a solar system. Though panels could last longer than the warranty, all solar panels will eventually degrade in power output over time and need replacement. The payback period for a solar electric system varies so much depending on individual installation that it’s not wise to include that in this story. However, it’s safe to say that newer systems with improved technologies and higher efficiencies, along with generous government incentives, will be paid back in savings from buying power from the grid in a much shorter period than those systems installed a decade or more ago. So, is it smart to install a solar system on a house that might be sold a few years later? If the results of a study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of California homes sales hold true nationally, yes: Installed solar electric systems add considerably to the value of a house. “We find compelling evidence that solar PV systems in California have boosted home sales prices,” says the lead author Ben Hoen, a researcher at Berkeley Lab. “These average sales price premiums appear to be comparable with the average investment that homeowners have made to install PV systems in California, and of course homeowners also benefit from energy bill savings after PV system installation and prior to home sale.” According to the Berkeley Lab press release: The research finds that homes with PV in California have sold for a premium, expressed in dollars per watt of installed PV, of approximately $3.9 to $6.4/watt. This corresponds to an average home sales price premium of approximately $17,000 for a relatively new 3,100 watt PV system (the average size of PV systems in the Berkeley Lab dataset), and compares to an average investment that homeowners have made to install PV systems in California of approximately $5/W over the 2001-2009 period. Read More Questions for AFL-CIO’s Richard Trumka at the Press Club AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka speaks at a National Press Club luncheon on Friday, an appearance billed thusly: Trumka will speak out on recent efforts to curb collective bargaining rights in several states, including Wisconsin and Ohio. He also will discuss the political outlook for the 2012 elections, and the impact of austerity budgets on local, state and federal workers. All good topics. Here are a few others that the reporters could raise during the Q&A period that traditionally follows Press Club remarks. Read More Chamber of Commerce in Wonderland President Obama is considering a proposed executive order that would require government contractors to reveal all of their campaign-related spending. Among other things, this would require many large corporations to reveal if they are giving money to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for campaign-related purposes. And so the Chamber is apoplectic over this very modest reform proposal. (You can download the draft Executive Order and read it yourself.) An email action alert from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is remarkable not only for its sky-is-falling rhetoric, but also for its Alice-in-Wonderland logic. The Chamber, in effect, argues that the Executive Order will do exactly the opposite of what will happen in the real world. The Chamber’s email is copied below, but consider the following “highlights.” Here’s the title of the action alert: Rewarding Political Donors ... With Your Tax Dollars? Help Us Stop the White House’s Proposed "Disclosure" Order. Reality-based comment: The Executive Order has nothing to do with rewarding political donors. It is about requiring donors to reveal their expenditures. And there’s no need to put “disclosure” in quotes. You can like or not like it, but either way, it’s about disclosure. Here’s how the action alert starts: How would you like your tax dollars only going to those companies or contractors that have contributed to a particular political party? Sounds like pay-to-play, right? Reality-based comment: Yes, it does. “Pay-to-play” is the slang name for the phenomenon of campaign contributors being given preferential access for contracting. Why would the Chamber be making this point? Well, read on. Here’s what’s next in the action alert: Well, that’s exactly what could happen if the White House, as expected, issues a new Executive Order (EO) requiring American employers seeking federal government contracts to disclose their political contributions in excess of $5,000. Reality-based comment: Unbelievable! The draft Obama executive order is intended to — and will in fact — reduce the incidence of pay-to-play abuses. The best way to prevent pay-to-play abuses is simply to ban campaign spending by government contractors. But short of that, disclosing campaign expenditures — as the Obama Executive Order would mandate — is the best way possible to limit the potential for abuse. Disclosure of government contactors’ campaign spending will help shine a light on the contracting process and diminish the likelihood of abuse and waste of taxpayer monies. There’s more: We understand that elections have consequences. But one of those consequences shouldn’t be the ability to use your tax dollars to reward — or punish — political donors. Reality-based comment: Here the Chamber is trying to argue that if the government knows which companies are making political expenditures, the administration in power will reward those it likes and punish those it doesn’t. There are many problems with that logic. Here’s one: The government already knows. Company political action committees must disclose their spending. Direct contributions by company executives and employees are already disclosed. What is not disclosed publicly are the secret contributions that corporations funnel through trade associations and front groups to influence elections. Thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, more than $130 million in secret money was spent in the 2010 election, and that figure is certain to skyrocket in 2012. These secret donations are expenditures that corporations can use to extract special access and consideration — without even the check of the public knowing about the corporations’ leverage. That’s not all the Chamber has to say: But this is about politics, plain and simple. Consider the fact that the big labor unions would not be required to disclose their political spending under the proposed executive order — the same unions that spent more than $100 million in the 2010 elections. Reality-based comment: The executive order actually will apply to unions, in cases where they may be government contractors. But more to the point: There was legislation considered last year that would have required disclosure of all union contributions to groups making campaign-related expenditures. That legislation — the DISCLOSE Act — was defeated by a single vote in the Senate ... thanks to the opposition of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its allies in the Republican Party. Concludes the Chamber: We can’t allow the White House to be distracted with mandates that would do nothing to address the great challenges that face America — and do little to restore taxpayers’ faith in our government. Reality-based comment: Sure. But the proposed Executive Order would impose very little on business. It would do quite a bit to restore taxpayers’ faith in government, by shining a light on the campaign spending-contracting nexus, and reducing the likelihood of corruption. And although every government action does not need to “address the great challenges that face America,” this one would — by strengthening our democracy and reducing the improper influence of corporate campaign spending. Why is the Chamber so agitated over the draft Executive Order? Sure, it wants to protect the general power of corporations to funnel millions into trade associations and front groups secretly. But the Chamber has more than a general interest here. The number one recipient of such corporate funds is ... the Chamber itself. So, as you evaluate the Chamber’s claims, and wonder about why this issue has the Chamber so worked up, it’s worth keeping in mind the Chamber’s concern that its ability to function as a secretive channel for corporate monies is at stake. If you haven’t yet, add your name to out petition urging President Obama to sign the Executive Order. The Joy of Driving Slow Think about it. We don't need vehicles costing ten's of thousands of dollars to run out for a gallon milk or take the kids to school. High speed isn't an issue either. You get there just as fast crawling along at 20 miles per hour in a conventional car as you do speeding along at 20 miles per hour with wind in your face in a golf car. Rainy weather? Tough it out. Wear a rain coat. Can’t survive a few minutes without AC or heat? Wimp. Politicians in Washington battle fiercely to pass legislation to cut fuel consumption by small amounts by forcing manufacturers to build more efficient vehicles. But cities and towns can can cut people's fuel consumption and change what people drive simply by bolting on new speed limit signs. Already many states allow low-speed vehicles (LSV) on roadways marked at 35 miles per hour or less. There are also golf-cart communities out there where the small gas or electric vehicles are used exclusively for in-town transportation. Read More Alaska Marine Research Institute Goes Green, Saves Green. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. That's how much carbon the Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute (TSMRI) in Juneau, Alaska, is putting into the environment to heat the 66,000 square foot NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) facility, now that it has shut down its oil-fueled heat pumps and has made the transition to a new heat source: cool seawater. The process is truly genius. Read More DOL's OSHA Sites Facility, Proposes $487k in Fines DOL's OSHA cites Parker Hannifin facility in Mississippi with 33 safety and health violations, proposes more than $487,000 in fines [05/03/2011] The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued 33 citations to the Parker Hannifin Corp. plant in Batesville, alleging numerous safety and health violations as the result of an inspection that began November 2010. Proposed penalties total $487,700. Cleveland, Ohio-based Parker Hannifin has 170 facilities throughout the U.S. and manufactures machinery for hydraulics, air conditioning, refrigeration and aerospace systems. NASA Releases Scorecard On Energy And Sustainability Goals On April 19, 2011, NASA released its fiscal year 2010 scorecard on sustainability and energy performance. Out of seven benchmarks, NASA received five green and two yellow ratings. Green ratings indicate that metrics have been met, and yellow indicates that progress is being made. This is the first year federal agencies have published their scorecards. Read More New Battery Produces Electricity Where Freshwater Meets Saltwater - April 28, 2011 Scientists long have known about the possibility of producing electricity from differences in the salinity, or saltiness, of water. So the new study focused on development of more practical ways of tapping that potential. Read More STORING RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY IN OIL Did the story title grab your attention? It should. This is something new and different. Something really innovative. First, from the company – PyroPhase – press release: “A new technology, radio-frequency (RF) heating, can store massive amounts of renewable energy by heating heavy oil deposits, and producing liquid fuels without CO2.” Read More Paul, recipient of coal money, leery of new coal miner protections U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) isn’t sold on the need for more protections for coal miners. That shouldn’t be too surprising given that his campaign benefited from millions of dollars of expenditures from the coal industry. GOP Wins Deep Cuts in Environment Spending "The Obama administration has dumped money into the EPA over the past two years, and what the American people have seen as a result is a slew of new regulations pouring out of the agency," said Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho). Mr. Simpson, chairman of the Interior subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, helped fashion the EPA cut in the spending deal. On Mr. Obama's watch, the EPA's budget has risen sharply, to $10.3 billion in the 2010 fiscal year, after years in which its funding hovered between $7.5 billion and $7.7 billion. Most of the EPA cuts will reduce aid to help states implement health and environmental-protection laws. Mr. Obama had proposed cutting those programs, but only by about $200 million. "These federal cuts make our job to provide a clean environment that much harder," said R. Steven Brown, the agency's executive director, who said the practical effect would be to derail roughly $1 billion in improvements to sewage-treatment and drinking-water plants. The deal also cuts by $149 million, or 33%, a federal fund for buying land for environmental purposes. Programs related to climate change would be cut by $49 million, or 13%. The position of the president's special adviser on climate change would be eliminated. The post has been open since Carol Browner left the administration earlier this year, and the White House has said it will not name a successor. But the job had not been formally eliminated. Read More How Much Is Nature For Sale For? As far as I am concerned, trying to weigh the natural environment in dollars and cents is like trying to ascribe a price to democracy. I imagine some dedicated souls could try and postulate the American premium of being a democracy instead of a dictatorship, but whatever number they come up with would be irrelevant because democracy is not for sale at any price. Similarly, clean drinking water has a market value and we could tabulate it’s cost at all parts of the globe and multiple it by its natural quantity, but the fact remains that there is no price that would make the depletion of the earth’s drinking water an acceptable “transaction” for our race. The same goes for the rest of the natural world. The dollar value has relatively little meaning given that its very existence is trying to represent something unquantifiable. What is the difference between saying that the annual value of all the natural capital in the world is $33 trillion vs. $35 trillion? Both try to convey that environmental systems are really, really valuable, but both are wrong. Nature isn’t valuable, it’s invaluable. Read More Relicensing of Salem, Hope N-plants Advances in NJ - 4/5/11 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says there are no environmental or safety reasons to prevent three nuclear reactors in southern New Jersey from being relicensed for another 20 years. The license renewal review process involves two tracks: one for the review of safety issues and another for environmental issues. Part of the review entails evaluating how the plant operators plan to take into account the aging of the plant when assessing its future safety. The NRC said its review found that PSE&G Nuclear has identified actions that have been or will be taken to manage the effects of aging in safety systems, structures and key components of the plant. These functions will be maintained during the proposed 20-year extension. Read Full Article A Solar Power Contract in California Will Bring New Solar Manufacturing to the State. San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and a subsidiary of CSOLAR Development have signed a 25-year contract for up to 150 megawatts (MW) of solar energy to be generated at the Imperial Solar Energy Center (ISEC) West's proposed 1,057-acre solar energy facility near El Centro, California. The project will create nearly 300 construction jobs in the Imperial Valley during the two-year construction period. The solar power plant will use concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology from Soitec of France. To supply its technology for the Imperial Solar plant, as well as other contracts that may come along, Soitec will build a new factory in the San Diego region to manufacture its proprietary CPV modules. With an annual production capacity of 200 MW, the new manufacturing facility will generate up to 450 direct jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs. Soitec http://www.soitec.com San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) http://www.sdge.com New transmission concept for wind turbines: Higher energy yield with torque vectoring gears - 3/30/2011 Wind turbines have a problem: Depending on the wind's force, the rotational speed of the turbine and thus of the generator changes. However, alternating current must be fed into the grid with precisely 50 (or 60) hertz. Typically the generated alternating current is first rectified and then transformed back to alternating current of the required frequency. Scientists have now developed an active transmission that makes this double transformation superfluous. Read More at Science Daily Wind and solar can reliably supply 25 percent of Oahu's electricity need, new study shows - 3/27/2011 When combined with on-Oahu wind farms and solar energy, the Interisland Wind project planned to bring 400 megawatts (MW) of wind power from Molokai and Lanai to Oahu could reliably supply more than 25 percent of Oahu's projected electricity demand, according to a new study. Read More at Science Daily US Nuclear Industry Watching, Waiting - 3/24/2011 Japan's reactor crisis has renewed anxiety about nuclear safety and could derail efforts to revive the U.S. industry as a clean alternative energy source. Utility officials assure the public that Southern California's seaside nuclear plant is safe. But San Clemente residents wonder if the facility is vulnerable to the shaking and flooding that caused breaches at the plant in Japan. The failure of the Japanese reactors' backup cooling systems and the explosions that followed are likely to lead U.S. regulators to re-evaluate nuclear plant designs and safety. The heightened scrutiny could increase costs for new and existing reactors and make it harder to raise money for new plants. The crisis comes just as the U.S. nuclear energy industry is starting to build the first new reactors in a generation. Read More DISRUPTIVE OIL - 3/17/2011 It is outrageous that shutting off the tap from a relatively minor oil player should have any impact on global markets: There’s plenty of oil out there. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Agency most recent data (2007) shows U.S. imports from the North African country as statistically irrelevant. Why then should U.S. drivers pay a high price for oil they do not burn? The excuse from oil marketeers is that the unrest might spread to other nations in the region such as Saudi Arabia. Now THAT would be a problem. Until that happens – if at all – the oil companies will profit handsomely from lives lost and the likely collapse of the nation. Read More at Green Energy News Aeronautica Wind Turbines Certified as Made in USA - 3/14/2011 Made in USA Certified, Inc. has announced that Massachusetts based, Aeronautica Windpower has successfully completed the Made in USA Certified proprietary audit process and is the first and only U.S. wind turbine manufacturer in the entire United States to be granted license to use the qualified Made in USA Certified Seal. Read More Subcommittee Digs for Mine Safety - 3/8/2011 “I know that it is possible for a mine to be a safe place to work for miners and a profitable business for operators,” proclaimed Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary for the Mine Safety and Health Administration, at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. In prepared testimony, Main echoed earlier statements calling for legislation to address the enforcement needs of the agency charged with protecting the nation's miners. The hearing, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), highlighted new training programs MSHA has implemented since 2010 to improve quality and consistency in their enforcement, reforming the pattern of violations system and the need for strengthened whistleblower protections in the mining industry. Read More Coalition on Privatization - 2/28/2011 So consider this thought, why do the men and women who work in the public sector have to sacrifice their jobs and place their families in turmoil to balance the state budget for the sake of privatization? They have their own Household Budgets to worry about. That would consist of paying mortgages, rent, food, utilities, and college and car payments to name a few. Yet while they struggle on a daily basis to make ends meet the wealthy have been given a pass to pay their fair share of Taxes which could go a long way to balance the budget and not place the full burden to do so on the backs of these workers and the middle class. Read More 2011 Good Job Green Jobs Conference: Career Insights - 2/15/2011 This week, lots of great responsible career insights were shared at the 3rd Good Jobs Green Jobs (GJGJ) Conference in Washington, DC. The GJGJ Conference is a unique conference created by the BlueGreen Alliance, 'a national, strategic partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy'. This alliance between environmental activists and unions workers is really at the center of what the global socio-eco innovation movement aims at accomplishing: getting business done better by advocating for the growth of jobs that pay employees livable wage (not minimal wage) while creating operational practices across sectors that are environmentally sustainable. Michigan OSHA Program in Danger - 2/12/2011 Senate Bill 14, sponsored by Republican State Senator Mark Jansen, will repeal the Michigan Health and Safety Act (MIOSHA) in favor of a federal OSHA program. The elimination of MIOSHA would be a significant step backward for workplace health and safety in Michigan. During a time when job creation and sustainability is so important for Michigan, our lawmakers continue to divert their attention to issues that are simply political payback for greedy corporate CEOs. Repealing MIOSHA will not help Michigan. Over a half million workers will not be covered under a federal OSHA program, and Michigan will receive substantially less amounts of money to keep our workers safe on the job. Take Action Now Offshore Wind Energy Meets Offshore Wind Energy Storage - 2/21/2011 Eventually the United States will get its first offshore wind farm. No one is taking bets as to when it will go online. There have been many proposals, but so far resistance onshore has kept those projects from being built. Still, wind resources are much better offshore than on and those windy resources are often near heavily populated areas that will be able and willing to consume electricity generated by those reliable ocean breezes. Read More at Green Energy News U.S. Air Force Academy Harnesses Wave Energy with Nearly 100 Percent Efficiency - 2/13/2011 Air Force Academy researchers have harnessed 99 percent of the energy in a simulated ocean wave, and are preparing to take their emerging technology to the next level. The energy research is part of a National Science Foundation-funded research project to create the world’s first free-floating, fully submerged wave energy converter that generates electrical power from deep ocean waves. “The successful experiment was the first demonstration of the efficiency of cyclodial wave energy conversion, a major step toward real-life application of this technology,” said Dr. Stefan Siegel, who is leading the research effort at the Air Force Academy. Read More at Green Energy News Buffalo Wild Wings Introduces Florida’s First Restaurant-Based EV Charging Station - 2/7/2011 Sunshine Restaurant Corp, the Central Florida developer of Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants/sports bars joined Progress Energy Florida and NovaCharge to introduce Florida’s first restaurant-based electric vehicle charging station and to emphasize Central Florida’s commitment to support electric vehicles. Immediately following the announcement, the group hosted the region’s first electric vehicle showcase, bringing an unprecedented number of electric vehicles together for a free public event. The showcase included displays and test drives from most of the electric vehicles currently or soon to be available in the United States. Attendees test-drove the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan LEAF, the Tesla Roadster and more. Read More at Green Energy News Good Jobs Green Jobs National Conference - 2/1/11 The fourth Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference will take place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. on February 8-10, 2011. Join us in 2011 for the leading forum for sharing ideas and strategies for building the green economy. This year’s Conference focused on putting these ideas into practice in your community and creating good green jobs across the country will bring together leaders from the labor, environmental and government and business communities for a critical discussion on how to move our economy forward with good, safe jobs that help to protect the environment for the next generation. Read More and Sign Up Bring Back the Solar Decathlon Competition - 1/29/2011 No wonder people complain about the U.S. Government. Knowing full well that a major component of President Obama’s agenda is environmental sustainability, officials at the National Park Service decided – on short notice – to kick one of the nation’s premier sustainability events – The Solar Decathlon – off the National Mall. The reason for the boot? The Park Service is concerned about the impact of public events on the long term sustainability of the historic Mall. The Park Service has funding to restore the Mall’s health, for example plant some really tough grass. It’s unclear whether the Park Service will put a stop to other Mall-damaging events such as the Independence Day Celebration on July 4. Solar homes for the 2011 Decathlon competition, scheduled for September, are already under construction by student teams from 20 universities. The teams rely on the prominent location in Washington to attract visitors and as a draw for corporate contributions. The Decathlon’s Solar Village can be seen from the steps of the Capital, is within walking distance of the White House, and just steps from all the major Smithsonian Museums. The last Decathlon in 2009 drew nearly 310,000. The U.S. Department of Energy, which provides funding for and organizes the competition, is seeking a new location, but solar teams, for obvious reasons, would rather stay on the Mall. Will you sign a petition asking President Obama and members of Congress to put the Decathlon back on the Mall? US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Competition http://www.solardecathlon.gov The Petition: http://www.petition2congress.com/3973/help-put-us-department-energys-2011-solar-decathlon-back-on-natio/ Actually, The Retirement Age is Too High - 1/25/11 The most dangerous conventional wisdom in the world today is the idea that with an older population, people must work longer and retire with less. Such cuts have a perversely powerful logic: "We" are living longer. There are fewer workers to support each elderly person. Therefore "we" should work longer. Read More Home Energy Audit Can Cut Heating, Cooling Bills - 1/17/11 That shudder that just went through your body could mean one of two things: You just opened the front door of your home, allowing a blast of January air to hit you smack-dab in the face - or you just opened your utility bill. Read More at Columbia Dispatch BlueGreen Alliance Statement on December Unemployment Numbers - 1/10/11 WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 7, 2011) After the release of the December unemployment statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed that the nation's unemployment rate dropped to 9.4 percent and employment increased by 103,000, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director David Foster: "While we've seen steady growth in the economy, it's clear we need to take greater steps to put Americans back to work. The smartest and quickest way to do that is to ramp up the proven programs in clean energy deployment that will move our nation forward to a clean energy economy. These are programs that we know will create good jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and leave a better environment for future generations. "It's imperative that our leaders in Washington - whether Democratic or Republican - pursue common-sense policies that will create these good jobs and get our economy back on track. These policies include a federal Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), long-term incentives for clean technology deployment and manufacturing like 48C and Section 136, energy efficiency programs that lower utility bills and create jobs, and efforts that will ensure we have safe and healthy workplaces and communities." Read More at Blue Green Alliance. 5-MW Rooftop System for Warehouse - 1/5/2011 Solar Power, Inc. has announced that it has entered into a contract to design, engineer, and construct a 5-MW rooftop system for installation on the expansive White Rose Food distribution warehouse located in Carteret, New Jersey. The building serves as White Rose Food’s corporate offices and as a major hub in its distribution network. White Rose Food serves supermarket chains, independent retailers and members of voluntary cooperatives, providing more than 18,000 food- and nonfood products to more than 1,800 stores from Maryland to Connecticut. The solar project is scheduled to begin in January, 2011 and conclude early in the second half of the year. NuGen Capital Management and KDC Solar have formed a joint venture to own and operate the system. Solar Power, Inc http://www.solarpowerinc.net KDC Solar http://www.kdcsolar.com Magma under Hawaii said close to surface - geothermal opportunity knocks. - 12/26/2010 COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers studying the magma chamber that forms the Hawaiian Island chain say the molten rock lies much closer to the surface than previously thought. Scientists from Ohio State University say the discovery could help in predicting when Hawaiian volcanoes may erupt, and also suggests Hawaii has huge potential for geothermal energy production, a university release said Monday. Read More at UPI New Jersey Approves Six Combined Heat and Power Projects - 12/21/2010 The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) has approved over $15.1 million in funding for six projects under the Clean Energy Solutions ARRA Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Program. This competitive grant program was supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and was jointly developed by the EDA and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU). Launched in September though a competitive solicitation, the program offered project-based grants to support the development, design and construction of commercial, institutional and industrial entity (including public and not-for-profit entities) CHP projects in New Jersey. The program made available grants equal to $450 per kW of installed electric generation, up to a maximum of $5 million. The six approved projects are expected to leverage more than $101.3 million in total public/private investment, lead to the creation of an estimated 240 construction jobs and 18 new, full-time jobs, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 85,695 tons annually. The six projects approved for funding include:
Grant Program Passed, Thousands of Renewable Energy Jobs Saved - 12/17/2010 Washington, D.C. -- In typical fashion, the U.S. Congress passed a suite of last-minute tax laws last night, including an extension of the Treasury Grant Program (TGP) for renewable energy project developers. Trade groups in Washington have been pushing hard for an extension of the program, which provides a cash payment of up to 30% of equipment costs in place of the Investment Tax Credit. The grant program was responsible for a large portion of the renewable energy projects built throughout the U.S. in 2010. Originally passed as part of the 2009 stimulus package, the TGP was supposed to expire at the end of December. Because there are still a limited number of financial institutions able to finance projects by taking advantage of tax credits, the TGP has opened up new sources of capital for project developers. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the grant program spurred over 1,100 solar projects and $18 billion dollars of investment in 2010. Read More at Renewable Energy World In Cancun and Congress, Pressing for Clean Energy Jobs ASAP - 12/12/2010 As the Cancun climate talks proceed in balmy 75 degrees weather, the U.S. Senate stands on the precipice of a vote on a controversial new tax bill. Unfortunately, key omissions in both the evolving international climate deal and the tax legislation threaten to plunge the vision of a clean energy economy into a deep freeze. In Cancun, NWF has been working as part of the BlueGreen Alliance for inclusion of provisions that seek to ensure that the transition to a greener economy require sustained commitment of national resources to create and retain good union jobs. Known as “Just Transition,” the provisions were removed from the opening section (known as the “Shared Vision”) of the draft climate treaty. These provisions were the only anchor in the deal that addresses how efforts to address global warming can support jobs and workers. There are significant and ongoing efforts to add this piece back into the agreement (supported by the United States and other countries) but as of now it still remains out. Simply put, it needs to be placed back into any final agreement. Read More at the National Wildlife Federation Blog. Whale-Inspired Ocean Turbine Blades: US Naval Academy Researchers Look to Convert Tidal Energy Into Electricity - 11/28/10 Interest in developing alternative energy sources is driving the consideration of a promising technology that uses underwater turbines to convert ocean tidal flow energy into electricity. Now lessons learned from the ocean's largest mammals has inspired United States Naval Academy researchers to tackle one of the serious challenges of this technology: the low velocity associated with many tidal flows and the difficulty of extracting useful energy from low speed flows using current designs. They are presenting their findings at the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) meeting in Long Beach, CA. Click here to Read More at Science Daily enXco and Indianapolis Power & Light Break Ground on 205.5 Megawatt Lakefield Wind Project. - 11/23/10 enXco and Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) today celebrated the construction phase of the 205.5 megawatt Lakefield Wind Project with a groundbreaking ceremony. The renewable energy project is expected to be operational in the Fall of 2011 bringing additional carbon-free electricity into the IPL generation portfolio as part of their effort to power the nearly 470,000 customers served by the utility. Developed and owned by enXco, the Lakefield Wind Project, spans an area of approximately 20,000 acres of farmland near Lakefield Minnesota in Jackson County. It consists of 137 GE 1.5 megawatt turbines with the capacity to generate clean renewable energy for more than 68,000 homes. IPL will purchase the power generated under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Read More at Green Energy News ‘Smart’ Meters Draw Complaints of Inaccuracy By TOM ZELLER Jr. - 11/15/2010 NOLANVILLE, Tex. — Sgt. John Robertson 2nd, an Army mechanic at nearby Fort Hood, is fuming about the so-called smart electric meter his local utility has installed on the side of his tidy, 1,800-square-foot home. Like thousands of consumers with the new meters around the country, Sergeant Robertson suspects the device is not as smart as advertised. In his case, he says it is inaccurately measuring his family’s power use and driving up his bills — some months by as much as 50 percent, to as high as $320 — since it was installed in December. This, he said, is despite his efforts to cut back on energy use. Read More at The New York Times MSHA issues more than 550 violations during September impact inspections - 10/28/2010 ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 499 citations, 61 orders and three safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 15 coal and 15 metal/nonmetal mine operations last month. These concentrated inspections, which began in force last April following the explosion at Upper Big Branch Mine, target mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including high numbers of violations or closure orders; indications of operator tactics, such as advance notification of inspections that prevent inspectors from observing violations; frequent hazardous complaints or hotline calls; plan compliance issues; inadequate workplace examinations; a high number of accidents, injuries or illnesses; fatalities; and adverse conditions such as increased methane liberation, faulty roof conditions and inadequate ventilation. During this most recent round of impact inspections, MSHA coal inspectors issued 275 citations, 53 orders and three safeguards, while metal/nonmetal inspectors issued 224 citations and eight orders. Read More at US Department of Labor Funneling Solar Energy: Antenna Made of Carbon Nanotubes Could Make Photovoltaic Cells More Efficient - 10/17/2010  Using carbon nanotubes (hollow tubes of carbon atoms), MIT chemical engineers have found a way to concentrate solar energy 100 times more than a regular photovoltaic cell. Such nanotubes could form antennas that capture and focus light energy, potentially allowing much smaller and more powerful solar arrays."Instead of having your whole roof be a photovoltaic cell, you could have little spots that were tiny photovoltaic cells, with antennas that would drive photons into them," says Michael Strano, the Charles and Hilda Roddey Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and leader of the research team. Read More at Science Daily Natcore Technology Introduces NanoShades Wall Mounted Solar Energy Collectors - 10/11/2010 Each NanoShade(TM) that can be mounted on vertical surfaces of new and existing buildings comprises a set of angled slats or flat strips fixed at regular intervals in an aluminum frame. The 6"-wide slats are aluminum extrusions to which solar cells are affixed. The slats are positioned at the optimum angle to maximize solar exposure at the building's latitude. The silicon-based solar cells can be fashioned in a variety of shapes and sizes. NanoShades showcase the company's ability to integrate solar panels onto a variety of shapes and architectural surfaces. Although they can be sized to fit any configuration, a typical NanoShade unit will be about eight feet high and five feet wide. Current designs call for nine slats within each frame. Read More at Green Energy News SOLON to Develop and Build Breakthrough 18MW Solar Power Plant for Arizona Public Service - 10/6/2010 SOLON Corporation, of Tucson, Arizona, a crystalline silicon solar module manufacturer and provider of turnkey solar power plants, has announced a contract with Arizona Public Service (APS) to develop, design and construct an 18-megawatt (MW) solar power plant featuring SOLON’s turnkey system design, high-efficiency modules and single-axis trackers. APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electric utility, serves more than 1.1 million customers in the state. Read More at Green Energy News Zotos International Breaks Ground for Largest Wind Project of Any US Manufacturer - 9/28/2010 Hair-care manufacturer Zotos International Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido Co. Ltd. that manufactures hair-care and styling-aid products under the Zotos, JOICO, ISO, and Senscience brand names, among others, celebrated the official groundbreaking of its $7 million, 3.3 MW on-site wind power project at its manufacturing plant in Geneva, N.Y. Hundreds of employees and supporters were on hand for the celebration. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year. “This is truly a historic day, not only for Zotos as a company, but for Geneva as a community, and our nation as a leader in the global, green economy,” said Anthony Perdigao, vice president of plant operations at Zotos. “With this wind project — the largest of any manufacturer in the US and a first in the beauty industry — Zotos is leading the way toward a better, cleaner, more prosperous future for our children and grandchildren.” Read More at Green Energy News Fossils With a Bright Future - 9/25/10 Oil, coal and natural gas will continue to grow and prosper well into the 21st century based on recent trends. FOR ALL THE HOOPLA SURROUNDING alternative energy, fossil fuels still show vibrant signs of life. Global producers see crude oil, coal and natural gas—often from unconventional sources—quenching the world's thirst for energy well into this century. Although climate change is a major concern, many executives and policy makers say the availability and affordability of energy will be the key focus in coming decades. "Much of the extra demand is expected to be met by fossil fuels," said Shosuke Mori, chairman of Kansai Electric Power, one of Japan's largest utilities, at the World Energy Congress in Montreal earlier this month. Read More at Barrons.com Home's Electrical Wiring Acts as Antenna to Receive Low-Power Sensor Data - 9/20/10 ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2010) — If these walls had ears, they might tell a homeowner some interesting things. Like when water is dripping into an attic crawl space, or where an open window is letting hot air escape during winter. The walls do have ears, thanks to a device that uses a home's electrical wiring as a giant antenna. Sensors developed by researchers at the University of Washington and the Georgia Institute of Technology use residential wiring to transmit information to and from almost anywhere in the home, allowing for wireless sensors that run for decades on a single watch battery. The technology, which could be used in home automation or medical monitoring, will be presented this month at the Ubiquitous Computing conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read More at Science Daily Taiwan turns Plastic Junk to Green Gold - 9/13/2010  The mountains of used plastic bottles at a recycling station in Taipei emit a faint smell of garbage dump, but soon they will be turned into wigs and clothes that people will wear.From fake hair to football jerseys and building bricks, Taiwan is breathing new life into its massive plastics waste, creating a booming new business at the same time as it aims to go green. The island started recycling plastic more than a decade ago amid growing environmental concerns, and today it boasts about 73 percent recycling rates, according to the cabinet's Environmental Protection Administration. Click Here to Read More at SpaceMart.com Iberdrola Renewables Begins Construction of 74 MW New York Wind Farm - 9/7/10 Iberdrola Renewables recently began construction at its newest wind farm project, in Herkimer County, New York. Large wind turbine components arrive almost daily by truck, laying the groundwork for the 74 megawatt (MW) Hardscrabble Wind Power Project in the towns of Fairfield, Norway, and Little Falls. The nearly $200 million wind project, which is expected to complete construction and begin delivering emission-free electricity at the end of the year, is one of seven new wind farms Iberdrola Renewables currently has under construction around the U.S. The project has already created nearly 200 construction jobs so far, which includes pouring turbine foundations, transporting components, installing electrical systems, and building roads, with the on-site crew increasing now that turbine installation has begun. Once complete, the project will permanently employ a staff of six technicians to operate the site. Read More at Green Energy News MSHA reminds mining industry about miners’ right to make hazardous condition complaints, protections against discrimination - 9/4/2010 ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced the release of two new program information bulletins pertaining to the rights of miners who make hazardous condition complaints and request inspections, as well as miners' protections against discrimination. MSHA decided to distribute these guidelines based on testimony delivered in May during a House Education and Labor Committee hearing in Beckley, W.Va., as well as testimony delivered during recent Senate hearings. Statements from family members of miners who died in the April 5, 2010, explosion at Upper Big Branch Mine indicated that workers who had expressed concerns over safety conditions existing prior to the deadly blast feared retaliation by mine management. Section 103(g)(1) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 provides that a miner or miners' representative has the right to obtain an immediate MSHA inspection if there are reasonable grounds to believe that an imminent danger, a violation of the Mine Act, or a violation of a mandatory safety or health standard exists. The agency will conduct a special inspection to determine if a violation or danger exists, issue a citation or order as appropriate, and take all reasonable steps to maintain and assure the confidentiality of the complainant. Read More at United States Department of Labor Beacon Solar Energy project OKed; first solar thermal project approved in 20 years -8/29/2010 For the first time in 20 years, state energy regulators have approved construction on a solar thermal farm. The California Energy Commission gave the Beacon Solar Energy project a unanimous go-ahead Wednesday. The installation, set to unfurl across 2,012 private acres in Kern County, is one of a group of solar proposals hustling to break ground before a federal grant expires at the end of the year. Read More at LA Times. Hi-Tech Rechargeable Batteries Developed For Military - 8/26/2010 Scientists reported progress in using a common virus to develop improved materials for high-performance, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that could be woven into clothing to power portable electronic devices. They discussed development of the new materials for the battery's cathode, or positive electrode, at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), being held here this week. These new power sources could in the future be woven into fabrics such as uniforms or ballistic vests, and poured or sprayed into containers of any size and shape, said Mark Allen, Ph.D., who presented the report. He is a postdoc in Angela Belcher's group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Read More at Energy-Daily.com
|
 |
 |