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RPS
Renewable Energy
The 2003 state legislative session has witnessed several attempts
by states to encourage renewable energy as a way to ensure protection
for the environment and energy independence. But a report recently
released by the Union of Concerned Scientists reveals that more
than 50% of states have yet to begin to pursue renewables. Renewables,
which tap into resources such as wind, solar, and geothermic heat,
have great potential but are not being developed because of a mentality
that maintains a dependence on nonrenewables. Renewable Portfolio
Standards (RPS) ensure that a minimum amount of renewable energy
is included in the portfolio of the electricity resources serving
a state. By increasing the required amount of renewables over time,
the RPS can put the power industry on a path toward increased sustainability.
A handful of states have incorporated RPS, including Nevada, New
Jersey and Texas. No one silver bullet solution can meet our society's
energy needs, but the future depends on energy technologies that
do not deplete our natural resources or destroy our environment.
For more information on Renewable Portfolio Standards, visit: http://www.serconline.org/RPS/pkg_frameset.html. |
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Delaware's
New State Program Targets Pollution (The News Journal 5/21)
Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner announced a voluntary program that
gives manufacturers incentives to go beyond environmental and conservation
regulations. The voluntary program targets worker protection, pollution
prevention and waste reduction as well as energy conservation and
industry relations with surrounding communities. Rewards to participants
may include accelerated permit reviews, reduced inspection schedules
and community recognition awards. Earlier this month, a task force
formed by Minner called for expanded use of formal "Environmental
Management Systems" and pointed out that wider industry adoption
of voluntary standards could help states focus limited resources
on chronic environmental offenders or poorly managed businesses.
Minner formed the task force after a badly contaminated chemical
plant near Delaware City declared bankruptcy and abandoned its site,
leaving taxpayers with a cleanup bill that could top $75 million. |
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Regulatory
Flexibility or Regulatory Loopholes?
Legislation passed in North Dakota and has been introduced in ten
other states requiring that prior to adopting any proposed regulation
or rule, each state agency must prepare a small business economic
impact statement and a regulatory flexibility analysis of how the
rule could be altered to benefit small business. First promoted
by the Bush Administration's Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) at the December 2002 American Legislative
Exchange Council's (ALEC) meeting, the model bill also requires
each agency to review all existing rules within four years to determine
each rule's impact on small business. Requiring economic impact
statements on each and every rule or regulation enacted would put
up additional roadblocks to enacting strong policies to protect
and preserve the environment. The legislation would have the effect
of making agencies justify and defend every rule and regulation,
causing delay and having a chilling effect on the rule making process.
According to Leon G. Billings, former Maryland legislator and chair
emeritus of The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, "This
is just another example of an indirect attack on environmental and
health and safety regulations by creating yet another basis for
litigation." Furthermore, the resulting massive increase in
agency work would impose significant new costs on state budgets
that are currently already in crisis. In some versions of the bill
the definition of "small business" is not small at all
– under the model bill, businesses having up to 500 employees
or having gross annual sales of six million dollars would be considered
"small." Rather than protect real small businesses, this
is an effort to undermine the rules and regulations that protect
the public and the environment. Other states considering some version
of the bill are Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
For more information, please contact The National Caucus of Environmental
Legislators at [email protected]. |
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Nevada
Development Limit Law Signed
(Las Vegas Review-Journal 5/20)
Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn has signed into law a bill that upholds
and reinforces the county level development restriction statutes
that currently protect land surrounding the Red Rock Canyon
National Conservation Area. Prior to landing on the desk of
the Governor, SB 358 made its way through the Legislature
unscathed, passing unanimously in both houses in spite of
developer Jim Rhodes' best efforts to engender public disapproval
of the measure. Rhodes, who originally purchased land adjacent
to the Conservation Area in March, had hoped to build more
house per acre than is currently allowed. For more information
about how your state can prevent sprawl, visit: http://www.serconline.org/sprawl/pkg_frameset.html. |
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Wisconsin
DNR, DOT Oppose Cuts in Funding to Buy Land
(Green Bay Press-Gazette 5/20)
Wisconsin's Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, a land conservation
effort that employs a long-term bonding system, faces a $245
million budget cut at the hands of the Legislature. The cuts
would represent 43% of the funds meant to serve the program
through the end of the decade, and could jeopardize the purchase
of a 9,200 acre tract of land in Marinette County that will
soon be up for sale and is needed to create the Peshtigo River
State Forest. Environmentalists stress that the program's
success depends on its ability to strike when the iron is
hot. When pristine land goes on the market, the window of
opportunity is as small as the number of eager developers
is many. "You do something like that, you've lost it
forever, no matter how much money you've got [later],"
said Ron Vander Loop, chair of the Brown County delegation
to the state's Conservation Congress. For more information
on how your state can fund land conservation, visit: http://www.serconline.org/conservationfunding/index.html. |
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Louisiana
Votes to Raise Wetlands Funding Cap
(Capitol Bureau, 5/20)
Louisiana's coast is closer to restoration after a House committee
voted to double the amount of money that can be placed in
the wetlands protection fund and eliminated a provision to
spend some of the money on highway construction. In addition,
the House Appropriations Committee amended a package to channel
a significant portion of the money the state gets from judgments
against oil and gas companies into the Wetlands Conservation
and Restoration Fund. Louisiana's administration stated that
these measures are critical to giving the state leverage to
seek $14 billion in federal dollars to pay for costal restoration. |
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Iowa
Officials to Keep Pushing for Air Quality
(Des Moines Register 5/19)
Recently Iowa Environmental Regulators watched as the state
legislature nullified new rules regulating ammonia and hydrogen
sulfide emissions. Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are gases
commonly emitted from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
(CAFOs) and are linked to health ailments including respiratory
problems and death. The rules were intended to put the lawmakers'
year-old law restricting pollution from CAFOs into place along
with the state's first limits on gases from livestock operations.
However, the sewer and power plant industries complained when
they realized the rules would affect them. They felt the current
set-up, having negotiations rather than fines, is sufficient
to deal with the pollution. The Iowa Environmental Protection
Commission vows to have new regulations in place prior to
the next legislature session that begins in January. Federal
officials and activists were watching the Iowa rules closely
after the recent announcement that the agriculture industry
is in amnesty talks with the EPA regarding emissions. For
more information on how your state can deal with CAFOs, visit:
http://www.serconline.org/cafos.html. |
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California
Web Site Map's Resources, Trends
(The Sacramento Bee 5/19)
California has established a new web site that maps the state's
natural resources, allowing citizens free access to the data.
The California Digital Conservation Atlas combines maps of
urban growth projections, polluted rivers, toxic sites, floodplains,
land trusts, fish consumption warnings and conservation plans;
enabling the laying of maps to view different data sets in
a corresponding manner. The California Resources Agency hopes
to use the atlas to get the most out of the $6 billion it
will spend on natural resources over the next four years and
to attract federal conservation dollars. |
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Maryland
Governor Will Veto Energy Efficiency Bill
(Baltimore Sun 5/22, ENS 5/23)
Governor Erlich announced that he intends to veto a bill that
would have saved Maryland consumers an estimated $600 million
over the next twenty years and helped reduce air and water
pollution. The legislation would have established energy efficiency
standards for nine types of appliances, targeting mostly commercial
products and therefore saving businesses money. Environmental
groups worked hard in the last few weeks trying to convince
Gov. Erlich to sign the measure, which passed both houses
with a large margin, and was the result of extended negotiations
between environmentalists and the business community. "Governor
Ehrlich missed an opportunity to support both the environment
and the business community," said Gigi Kellett of the
Maryland Public Interest Research Group (MaryPIRG). "Energy
efficiency is the cleanest, fastest, and cheapest way to address
Maryland's clean air problems while saving Maryland consumers
and businesses on electric bills." Home Depot, which
did not take part in the negotiations, urged the Governor
to veto the bill because ceiling fans were one of the appliances
covered. It remains to be seen if the Legislature will try
and override the Governor's veto next January. For more information
on how your state can promote energy efficiency, visit: http://www.serconline.org/efficiencystandards/index.html.
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Vermont
Lawmakers Reach Deal on Renewable Energy
(Rutland Herald 5/22)
Vermont House and Senate leaders reached a compromise on a
bill designed to increase the state's energy independence
by promoting the use of environmentally friendly power. The
two chambers were at an impasse over a controversial provision
in the Senate-backed bill. The Senate's bill would have required
utilities to buy 1 percent of their power from renewable energy
sources such as wind and solar in 2004, 2 percent in 2005,
3 percent in 2006 and then at a percentage set by the Public
Service Board. The House opposed this renewable portfolio
standard provision, arguing that the mandate on utilities
would increase costs for all ratepayers. After Senate President
agreed to take that provision out, the bill calls for a study
of the costs of such power and promotes a "green pricing"
program where customers could ask to buy electricity that
comes from renewable or clean sources. If that power costs
more than regular electricity, those customers alone would
bear the added expense. The program is contingent upon approval
from the Public Service Board. For more information on the
Renewable Portfolio Standards please read this week's "Issue
Spotlight." |
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