Southwest Education Center - Tinley Park, Illinois

Careful calibration between the vertical spacing and the depth of the mullions
  creates a perfect daylighting ratio and a self-shading aperture.
 The result is a significant construction cost savings and reduced energy
 use during daytime operation. (IMAGE COURTESY OF LEGAT ARCHITECTS)

(Environmental Design + Construction, 5/13/2013)

Rushern Baker Proposes Stormwater Runoff Fee To Help Pay Bay Cleanup Costs

Prince George’s County homeowners could pay up to $62 annually for a new fee to help fund a program to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.  The fee, subject to approval by the County Council, would appear along with other utility fees on residents’ property tax bills. It was proposed Tuesday by County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) and would take effect later this year if approved by the council. Proposed fee would cost Prince George’s County homeowners up to $60 annually.

Businesses also are subject to a fee, which would be based on the amount of blacktop and other impervious surfaces on their properties. A nine-store strip shopping center would pay about $12,000 annually under Baker’s plan.

  The county must enact some type of fee by July 1, to help pay for a program to minimize stormwater runoff, a major pollutant of the Bay. The program was mandated by the federal and state governments after a successful lawsuit by environmental groups. Several counties near the Bay, as well as Baltimore, are required to enact similar programs, and most already have.

Prince George’s officials have estimated that they need about $1.2 billion in revenue in the next

decade to pay for their program, which would help finance stormwater management systems on county government and school system property.

Under the Prince George’s proposal, homeowners and businesses could lower their stormwater fees by better managing runoff from their properties. They may install rain gardens, green roofs, rain barrels and other systems to help cleanse runoff before it flows into waterways that empty into the Bay.

Prince George’s property taxes are capped by law. However, utility fees, such as the stormwater fee, are not subject to the cap. (Wash Post, 6/18/2013)

Administrative Law Judge Rules Against Undergrounding High-Voltage Lines In Chino Hills

AAEA Supports ALJ Decision & Opposes Underground Lines In Chino Hills

An administrative law judge has ruled against undergrounding high-voltage powerlines through a portion of Chino Hills citing the state's ratepayers should not have to pay the cost of the project. A proposed decision by Administrative Law Judge Jean Vieth has denied the city's request to place the lines below ground, saying while undergrounding is feasible and could be completed on a timely basis "the cost is prohibitive and should not be borne by ratepayers at large for the benefit of a few."

However, an alternative proposed decision by state Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey sided with Chino Hills to underground a portion of the project and orders Southern California Edison to construct an single circuit line underground.

Every proceeding is assigned a ALJ and a commissioner. Both decisions were issued Tuesday.

The process continues and the full commission will consider the oral arguments in the case on June 26. 

The earliest the ALJ's decision or Peevey's viewpoint are expected to be up for discussion or vote by the PUC is on July 11.

For five years Chino Hills has insisted Edison's 5-mile right-of-way is too narrow for the 198-foot high-voltage towers, and that they cause hazards and potentially unknown health issues.
City officials and a residents group - Hope for the Hills - have been advocating the lines to be built underground, while Edison officials have said undergrounding would be expensive and makes the system less reliable.

The Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project was approved in 2009 by the PUC, but it has been on hold since 2011 as the final outcome is debated by the commission.

The 225-mile Tehachapi project costs $2.1 billion, and when complete is expected to bring wind-produced electricity from Kern County to the Los Angeles Basin. Estimates for undergrounding through Chino Hills would be an additional $268 million to $296 million, according to the ALJ's documentation.

The strip of land being considered for undergrounding through the city is about 3.5 miles long and begins west at the end of Eucalyptus Avenue and goes between Pipeline Avenue and the 71 Freeway and then into Chino and Ontario.

Six years ago in May residents first approached the City Council asking them to help fight Edison's proposed route.

 

EPA Gives $3 Million in Workforce & Job Training Grants

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the selection of 16 grantees for a total award of $3.2 million through the agency's Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) Program. The grants support local work to recruit, train, and place unemployed individuals in jobs that address environmental challenges in their communities. By providing Americans in economically disadvantaged communities with environmental job training, EWDJT grants promote environmental justice by equipping trainees with environmental health and safety certifications while creating a locally skilled workforce that advances local economies. Rather than filling jobs with contractors from distant cities, EWDJT grants provide employment opportunities for local residents to participate in the revitalization of their communities.

The EWDJT Program is unique because graduates are provided with a wide range of skills and certifications that improve their ability to secure not only short-term work, but full-time careers in the environmental field. The program also underscores President Obama’s call to strengthen job training across the United States. Program graduates  acquire training and certifications in a variety of areas, such as: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hazardous waste operations (HAZWOPER), CPR and first-aid, confined space entry, chemical  lead and asbestos abatement, landfill management, wastewater treatment facility operations and stormwater management, brownfields assessment and cleanup, Superfund site-specific cleanup, leaking underground storage tank removal, electronics recycling, emergency response and disaster site worker certification, clean energy and solar installation, weatherization, native plant revegetation and landscaping, oil spill cleanup, heavy machinery operations and hazardous waste transport (HAZMAT), and uranium mine-tailings cleanup and mine-scarred land remediation. 

As of May 2013, more than 11,000 Americans have completed training through the support of the EWDJT Program, of which, more than 8,000 have obtained employment in the environmental field. Individuals who have completed the training include unemployed, low-income and minority residents of all age groups, as well as veterans, single mothers, ex-offenders, dislocated workers who have lost their jobs as a result of manufacturing plant closures, and other individuals with significant barriers to employment.

The 16 grantees for Fiscal Year 2013 are:

Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, Connecticut – Plans to train 42 students, and place 40 graduates in environmental jobs.

Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board, Massachusetts – Plans to train 45 students, and place 31 graduates in environmental jobs.

The Fortune Society, Inc., New York – Plans to train 45 students and place 33 graduates in environmental jobs.

Pathways-VA, Inc., Virginia – Plans to train 40 students and place 32 graduates in environmental jobs.

Florida State College at Jacksonville, Fla. – Plans to train 60 students and place 45 graduates in environmental jobs.

OAI, Inc., Illinois – Plans to train 45 students and place 40 graduates in environmental jobs.

EmployIndy, Indiana – Plans to train 48 students and place at least 36 graduates in environmental jobs.

Mott Community College, Michigan – Plans to train 51 students and place 36 graduates in environmental jobs.

Southern University at Shreveport, La. – Plans to train 60 students and place 55 graduates in environmental jobs.

Rose State College, Oklahoma – Plans to train 95 students and place 70 graduates in environmental jobs.

St. Louis Community College, Missouri - Plans to train 81 students and place 55 graduates in environmental jobs.

Northern Arizona University, Arizona – Plans to train 36 students and place 35 graduates in environmental jobs.

City of Oxnard, California - Plans to train 55 students and place 45 graduates in environmental jobs.

City of Richmond, California – Plans to train 60 students and place 45 graduates in environmental jobs.

Zender Environmental Health and Research Group, Alaska – Plans to train 32 students and place 28 graduates in environmental jobs.

City of Tacoma, Washington - Plans to train 54 students and place 39 graduates in environmental jobs.

More information on EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants Program

China Tests Cap and Trade

China is getting ready to test out cap-and-trade systems to constrain carbon-dioxide emissions in seven different cities. By the end of 2013, the pilot programs will cover about 7 percent of the country’s pollution. Jane Qiu provides more detail in Nature:

On 18 June, the country will launch an emissions-trading scheme in the southern city of Shenzhen, marking its first attempt to cut emissions using market mechanisms.Under the scheme, more than 630 industrial and construction companies will be given quotas for how much carbon dioxide they can emit. Companies that pollute more than they are allowed will have to buy credits from cleaner counterparts that reduce emissions below their quota — thereby creating a price for the greenhouse gas.

 Another six such cap-and-trade schemes will be rolled out by the end of the year in the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing, and the provinces of Guangdong and Hubei. The trial will cover 864 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2015 — around 7% of China’s total emissions and about the total amount emitted by Germany each year, according to a report by the London-based analyst firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance. If these pilot programs prove effective, China then hope to roll out a nationwide system by 2016. The stated goal, at least for now, is a program that will require China’s overall carbon emissions to peak by 2020. But that’s only if things go according to plan.

Measuring and verifying emissions in such a large, sprawling country will be tricky. It’s not at all clear whether companies will be fined or punished for violating the cap. And other experts have doubts that a cap-and-trade system will actually curb emissions so long as the price of electricity in China is heavily controlled and regulated by the state. But there might be an even bigger structural problem. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science points out that the wealthy coastal provinces in China are now “outsourcing” a big chunk of their carbon pollution to the poorer inland provinces. That is, factories and coal plants in China have been migrating to less-developed areas, where they’re used to make goods that are then shipped to places like Beijing and Shanghai. Here’s a map illustrating the emissions flows:

Okay, so why does any of this matter? Because, the authors of the PNAS study note, different provinces have different targets for carbon-dioxide emissions. But if wealthier provinces can simply shift around some of their pollution to the poorer provinces, the targets could conceivably be met without any real progress being made.  We call this creating 'hot spots.' The more ambitious targets set for the coastal provinces may lead to additional outsourcing and carbon leakage.  If such provinces respond by importing even more products from less developed provinces where climate policy is less demanding. (Wash Post, 6/12/2013)

Support Tree Cuts To Prevent Wildfires Around Oakland

Center Wildfire Mitigation Program

The Center supports a proposal by the East Bay Regional Park District, the city of Oakland and the University of California, Berkeley to fell tens of thousands of eucalyptus and Monterey pine trees on more than 1,000 acres of parkland.  Officials at the park district, the city of Oakland and UC Berkeley say wildfire prevention is the main intent of the plan. The Claremont Canyon Conservancy is in favor of the tree-cutting plan.

The local officials cite what they call the high fire risk the non-native trees pose on a roughly 25-mile-long swatch of hilly land that stretches from Pinole to Lake Chabot, most of which is owned by the park district. In 1991, a wildfire in the Berkeley Hills destroyed more than 3,000 homes and killed 25 people.

Eucalyptus trees are especially flammable because the oil in their leaves is combustible and the bark takes so long to decompose. The eucalyptus trees in the East Bay were planted around the turn of the 20th century by logging speculators who intended to chop most of the trees down every two decades or so for lumber, he says.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to make a decision this summer on up to $5.6 million in funding for the project.   In May, FEMA issued a draft environmental impact statement evaluating the hillside tree clearing proposal, and is now accepting public comments until June 17. (WSJ, 6/12/2013)

2,000 Megawatts of Solar Power In California

Solar power set a new all-time high output in California of 2,071 megawatts (MW) at 12:59 p.m. on June 07, 2013. This amount of energy is enough to power more than 2 million homes across California.

This new record is remarkable considering the amount has more than doubled since last September when solar peaked at 1,000 megawatts.

California is the largest producer of solar power in the nation. Today’s peak demand was about 36,000 megawatts and solar power supplied more than five percent of demand for electricity. (California Independent System Operator)

Southern California Electricity Supply and Demand Summer 2013

Southern California's electric power system is facing a number of challenges heading into the summer peak demand season, largely because of the prolonged outage of the two units at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), which have been offline since January 2012. A combination of recent capacity additions and electric system upgrades made since June 2012 will help meet peak electric demand this summer.

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator for most of the state, noted in its Summer Loads and Resources Assessment that 2,502 megawatts (MW) of capacity (capacity adjusted for planning purposes) have been added since June 2012, with an additional 891 MW slated to come online by June 1, 2013. The two off-line SONGS units, in comparison, total 2,246 MW.

This new capacity will help make up for the loss of the generation from SONGS, but the reliability issue is more complicated than simply providing replacement generation. Geographically, SONGS is in a localized pocket of electric power demand near San Diego and Los Angeles. Given the characteristics of the electric transmission system, the loss of SONGS limits the amount of power that can be brought into the area over the transmission grid—rather than generated locally—under some conditions. Much of the new capacity lies outside of the San Diego-Los Angeles area, meaning that additional transmission upgrades are needed to supply that area.

Southern California Edison also plans to reconfigure the existing 220-kilovolt Barre-Ellis transmission line from two circuits to four by June 15, increasing the amount of electricity that transmission path can move. However, the region also needs local sources of reactive power (a portion of generated electricity which is lost in large quantities when transmitting power over long distances, i.e. importing power from some of the new generating capacity to Southern California). Capacitors will be added to several substations (see map above) by June 1, and two natural gas-fired generators at the Huntington Beach facility will be converted to synchronous condensers by June 28. Capacitors and synchronous condensers are commonly used to provide voltage support in the form of reactive power to the transmission grid. All of these system upgrades are designed to allow the system to bring more power into the region.

The two units at SONGS have been offline since January 31, 2012 as a result of mechanical problems currently being evaluated by Southern California Edison and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Replacing the power from a low-cost source of generation like SONGS already has changed wholesale electricity prices in the state. Rising natural gas prices are likely to increase that effect in 2013. In its annual report, CAISO noted that 2012 wholesale power prices were higher than prices in the previous three years even when adjusted for the lower 2012 natural gas prices. In addition, the unusually large spread in wholesale electricity prices between the northern and southern portions of the state indicates system congestion. (DOE)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rose 1.4 Percent in 2012

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from energy use rose 1.4 percent to 31.6 gigatons in 2012, setting a record and putting the planet on course for temperature increases well above international climate goals, the International Energy Agency said in a report scheduled to be issued Monday.  The agency said continuing that pace could mean a temperature increase over pre-industrial times of as much as 5.3 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit), which would be a disaster for all countries.

The energy sector accounts for more than two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions, so energy has a crucial role to play in tackling climate change.

 

The United States was one of the few relatively bright spots in the report. Switches from coal to shale gas accounted for about half the nation’s 3.8 percent drop in energy-related emissions, which fell for the fourth time in the past five years, dipping to a level last seen in the 1990s. The other factors were a mild winter, declining demand for gasoline and diesel, and the increasing use of renewable energy.
Emissions also fell in Europe.

But they rose 3.8 percent in China. That was one of the slowest increases in the past decade, and half of 2011’s rate of increase. The level of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of electricity generation has fallen about 17 percent. But China remains the largest contributor of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, with about a quarter of global emissions.

Japan’s emissions jumped 5.8 percent as the country imported and burned large amounts of liquefied natural gas and coal to compensate for the loss of electricity production from nuclear plants that have been idle since a tsunami damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex. (Wash Post, 6/10/2013)

 

Southern California Edison's Bad Decision To Close SONGS

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

I was extremely disappointed on Friday when I heard that Southern California Edison had made a dcision to permanently close the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).  My disappointment is now concern for electricity reliability in California.  At the very least, Southern Californians are going to have to pay through the nose for imported electricity to help meet demand (remember this is why Gray Davis was replaced with Arnold Swarzenegger).  At worst, there will be rolling blackouts all over Southern California if it is a very hot summer.  I know.  I know.  SCE will assure everyone that they can still deliver.  But at what price?  Californians already pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country.  SONGS can still deliver power reliably, safely and cheaply. 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) should allow SCE to run SONGS at 70% power for five months, as SCE has requested.  NRC's heavy hand in keeping the plant closed for a year and a half is unconscionable.

AND, the SONGS closure will significantly increase smog in an area that is consistently designated as a Clean Air Act nonattainment area.  We asthmatics take this very personally.  Firing up those two natural gas units down in Huntington Beach are not replacement for SONGS when it comes to smog generation.  SONGS does not emit nitrogen oxides.

Oh.  And what about carbon dioxide (CO2)?  California is just implementing a groundbreaking CO2 reduction plan and closing SONGS blows a complete hole in that plan.  Whatever reductions that are achieved via other industrial facilities will be neutralized by the closure of SONGS.

I am sure SCE never anticipated that NRC would not give them approval to restart after they voluntarily shut down after a few steam tubes (out of thousands of tubes) leaked a bit (within regulatory guidelines).  SCE would shut down again if tubes started leaking.  NRC please give SCE permission to restart now so that they can reverse this severely harmful decision to permanently close he facility.

Me at SONGS in 2005

Overlooking SONGS Control Room

Utilities Want Solar Panel Users To Pay More

Every time people install a solar system, it means the need for more power distribution is reduced and the need for more electricity generation by utility companies is reduced. But utilities contend that customers without solar panels are subsidizing those who have them — by paying more for the power generating stations, transmission lines and distribution wires that both groups use. They want regulators to change that pricing structure so people with solar panels pay more.

This is clearly point of view and point of investment.  The utilities want to maintain the return on their investment and so does the solar panel investor. 

Solar advocates say every home that installs solar panels provides a savings for utility companies, and ultimately society: Fewer generating stations must be built, fewer distribution lines must be strung.

Forty-thhree (43) states have adopted net energy metering, but the basic arrangement works like this:

Homeowners install solar panels on their roofs. On sunny days, particularly at midday, those panels can generate more electricity than the home needs. The excess automatically spills back onto the electric grid and is distributed to nearby homes, causing the solar home’s electricity meter to spin counterclockwise. The electricity generator is credited for providing the power and pays less overall than a traditional utility customer.

But at night, on cloudy days and at times of high demand, that customer still needs power from the utility company, which must provide it instantaneously, as it does for other homes. That electricity flows from the only place it can: the company’s generating stations. And it arrives over the giant network of transmission and distribution lines that utility customers pay to build, maintain and expand.

Southern California Edison, for example, serves customers over a 50,000-square-mile area.
Utility officials contend that their solar customers enjoy the benefits of that network, whenever they need it. But they pay less to build and maintain it, shifting costs onto other ratepayers. Of course, the ratepayer did invest in his own infrastructure in order to provide electricity for his or her own use.

Pacific Gas and Electric, the northern California utility, counts 85,000 solar energy users among its 5 million electricity customers. Arizona Public Service, which has 18,000 rooftop solar systems among its 1.1 million electricity customers, estimates that solar homes each shift about $1,000 in costs annually to other ratepayers.

The number of homes with rooftop solar systems in the United States has grown to about 270,000, according to the SEIA. More than 80,000 solar systems were added last year. Homeowners are now able to lease panels from solar installation companies for 20 years.

The spread of such “distributed generation,” while limited now, holds enormous potential to upend the century-old system under which monopoly utilities provide power to everyone, in exchange for a rate of return guaranteed by regulators.

One possible alternative is to charge solar customers for the right to have the utility’s services available whenever they need it. That “standby charge” went into effect two years ago in Virginia, where just 833 of Dominion Virginia Power's 2.3 million customers take part in net metering and only five produce enough power to pay the charge.

“If you have a solar panel on your house and it’s cloudy for a week and it produces no electricity, those utility assets have to be paid for.  Of course, that customer is paying for it when he uses it. (Wash Post, 6/9/2013)

San Onofre Nuclear Plant To Close Permanently

Norris McDonald at San Onofre in 2005

Edison International said Friday that it would permanently close two reactors at its San Onofre plant in California.  A Jan. 31, 2012 steam leak revealed cracks in the steam generator system and the plant has been close since the incident. 

The two reactors, built at a cost of about $2.1 billion, once provided 17 percent of the power delivered by the utility.

This closure clearly represents a blow to electricity delivery reliability, particularly if there is an unusually hot summer.  Wildfires are also threatenning transmission and distribution lines.

The Center supports the operation of the San Onofre reactors, which were relicensed to operate until 2022. We hope this is not a final decision by Edison International.  We suppor Edison's proposal to the NRC to allow Unit 3 to operate at 70% power for five months.  We believe it is a prudent proposal and know that Edison would shut down immediately again if there were any steam tube leaks.  We believe unit 2 could operate safely this summer too.

It is frustrating that the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries steam generator replacement, designed to last 20 years, failed in less than 2 after vibrations caused a few of the 9,727 heavy alloy tubes in each steam generator to rub against one another, rupture and leak.  The new steam generators were installed in
reactor unit 2 in 2009 and unit 3 in 2010.  Unit 2 was already closed for maintenance, but unit 3 was shut down after an 82-gallon-a-day leak was discovered.

San Onofre nuclear generating station

Craver said that seeking a license amendment, and fending off legal challenges, would delay a restart enough that it would no longer be worthwhile. (San Onofre unit 1 operated from 1968 to 1992.)

Edison International willld seek compensation from Mistubishi for the faulty steam-generator design. And consumer groups are seeking the refund of extra costs, including for replacement fuel. Craver said costs subject to potential refund amounted to about $1.3 billion. Edison International said it would take a charge of $450 million to $650 million and cut its earnings outlook by 20 cents a share. The company’s shares closed at $47.61 a share, up $1.25. (Wash Post, 6/7/2013)

June Is National Oceans Month

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary
The White House
Presidential Proclamation -- National Oceans Month, 2013

For Immediate Release

May 31, 2013

NATIONAL OCEANS MONTH, 2013

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

From providing food and energy to helping sustain our climate and our security, the oceans play a critical role in nearly every part of our national life. They connect us to countries around the world, and support transportation and trade networks that grow our economy. For millions of Americans, our coasts are also a gateway to good jobs and a decent living. All of us have a stake in keeping the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes clean and productive -- which is why we must manage them wisely not just in our time, but for generations to come.

Rising to meet that test means addressing threats like overfishing, pollution, and climate change. Alongside partners at every level of government and throughout the private sector, my Administration is taking up that task. Earlier this year, we finalized a plan to turn our National Ocean Policy into concrete actions that protect the environment, streamline Federal operations, and promote economic growth. The plan charts a path to better decision-making through science and data sharing, and it ensures tax dollars are spent more efficiently by reducing duplication and cutting red tape. Best of all, it puts stock in the American people -- drawing on their knowledge and empowering communities to bring local solutions to the challenges we face.

By making smart choices in ocean management, we can give our businesses the tools they need to thrive while protecting the long-term health of our marine ecosystems. Let us mark this month by renewing those goals, reinvesting in our coastal economies, and recommitting to good stewardship in the years ahead.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2013 as National Oceans Month. I call upon Americans to take action to protect, conserve, and restore our oceans, coasts, and the Great Lakes.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA

June is “Great Outdoors” Month

In 2010, President Obama issued a memorandum creating the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative as a strategy to help Americans conserve natural and wild places so that they may continue to be used for recreation. In accordance with the initiative and in celebration of the resources nature has to offer, June has been designated as Great Outdoors Month.

The year before, Center President Norris McDonald attended The White House signing of the Public Lands Management Act of 2009.

Here are some ideas and helpful tips:

1. Take a hike to explore the beauty of nature, but be sure to check the air quality and UV Index with these helpful apps before heading out.  and

2. Get the kids to enjoy sun and water with recreational fishing. June 1-9 is National Fishing & Boating Week. 

3.  Young fishing enthusiasts can discover here which kinds of fish are safe to eat.

4. Heading to the beach? Check for beach closures with BEACON 2.0 – Beach Advisory and Closing On-Line Notification.

5. Since June is also American Rivers Month, learn more about your watershed before setting out for a local river.

6. Taking a trip to one of our nation’s National Parks is a great way to get outdoors, but experiencing America’s natural environment doesn’t always require travel; enjoy the green spaces close to home by planning a picnic.  . Check out the America’s Great Outdoors website for more ideas on getting outside. 

7. Biking to work instead of driving replaces time in an indoor gym and reduces your carbon footprint. Learn more about Bike to Work Week, share personal photos, and express your thoughts or calculate your carbon footprint.

8. Creating a backyard GreenScape is an excellent outdoor option for those who want to bring nature close to home. 

9. Check out Landscape Irrigation Controllers through EPA’s WaterSense program for products and tips to help you keep your garden green while using less water more efficiently. 

10. Learn about the conditions of your lake before taking a swim using the EPA’s web app “How’s My Waterway?”

We wish you a safe and enjoyable time as you enjoy your environment during Great Outdoors Month!  (EPA)

For the 2013 Presidential Proclamation

Net Metering

Net metering is an electricity policy for consumers who own small renewable energy facilities (such as wind, solar power or home fuel cells) or electric vehicles. "Net", in this context, is used in the sense of meaning "what remains after deductions" — in this case, the deduction of any energy outflows from metered energy inflows. Under net metering, a system owner receives retail credit for at least a portion of the electricity they generate.

Most electricity meters accurately record in both directions, allowing a no-cost method of effectively banking excess electricity production for future credit. However, the rules vary significantly by country and possibly state/province: if net metering is available, if and how long you can keep your banked credits, and how much the credits are worth (retail/wholesale). Most net metering laws involve monthly roll over of kWh credits, a small monthly connection fee, require monthly payment of deficits (i.e. normal electric bill), and annual settlement of any residual credit. Unlike a feed-in tariff (FIT) or time of use metering (TOU), net metering can be implemented solely as an accounting procedure, and requires no special metering, or even any prior arrangement or notification.

Net metering is generally a consumer-based renewable energy incentive. While it is important to have Net Metering available for any consumer that interconnects their renewable generator to the grid, this form of renewable incentive places the burdens of pioneering renewable energy primarily upon fragmented consumers. Often over-burdened energy agencies are not providing incentives on a consistent basis and it is difficult for individuals to negotiate with large institutions to recover their Net Metering credits and/or rebates for using renewable energy.

In the United States, as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, all public electric utilities are now required to make available upon request net metering to their customers.  (Wiki)

Public Health and Clean Air Groups Petition California Energy Commission to Evaluate Successful Clean Energy Policy

Net Metering

Californians Against Utilities Stopping Solar Energy (CAUSE) have requested that the California Energy Commission (CEC) quantify the air quality and economic benefits associated with California’s "net energy metering" policy. Net metering provides solar consumers with fair credit for the energy they put back on the grid, which utilities then sell to other customers. Monopoly utilities in California and across the United States are trying to eliminate net metering in order to halt the consumer-driven popularity of rooftop solar.

The full list of petitioners includes: American Lung Association in California, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Brightline Defense Project, California Center for Sustainable Energy, California Environmental Justice Alliance, California Solar Energy Industries Association, Coalition for Clean Air, Distributed Energy
Consumer Advocates, Environment California Research & Policy Center, Environmental Defense Fund, Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc., Local Energy Aggregation Network, Dr. Luis Pacheco, Presente.org, Sierra Club, Solar Energy Industries Association, and the Vote Solar Initiative.

The groups believer that by driving the expansion of rooftop solar, net metering helps improve the quality of the air we breathe while creating jobs in our communities. 

The requested study would supplement analyses of the more limited impact of net metering on non-solar ratepayers’ electric bills, and would include the following benefits:

 Local job growth and increased employment throughout California

 Increased local economic activity that generates tax revenue for state and local governments

 Improved air quality through reduced need for fossil fuel power generation, including natural gas peaker plants

 Reduced death and disease associated with fossil fuel power generation

 Reduced greenhouse gas emissions

 Lower wholesale market prices for electricity due to decreased demand

 Improved grid security and reduced economic costs from power outages

(CAUSE)

Compton To Catalina Program's Two New Partners

El Camino (Compton) Community College and Compton High School have agreed to partner with the Center as a participant in our Compton To Catalina Program.  Center President Norris McDonald met with El Camino College Dean of Students Ricky Shabazz and Compton High School Principal Dr. Letitia T. Bradley on Thursday, May 30, 2013 to discuss the program.  The Center looks forward to providing students from these two leading institutions in Compton with trips to the island.  Other partners include Greater Union Baptist Church and the California Center for Economic Initiatives. The Compton To Catalina Program is funded by Southern California Edison

El Camino College, the former Compton Community College, was established in 1927 as a

Norris McDonald at El Camino College

component of the Compton Union High School District. In 1950, voters approved a bond issue separating the college from the high school district. The new college campus was then constructed at the present site. After many successful years, and several challenging years, in June 2005 the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges announced its decision to revoke Compton Colleges accreditation.  In August 2006, the El Camino Community College District Board of Trustees approved a Memorandum of Understanding to provide educational and related support services to the Compton Community College District residents.

El Camino College provides accredited instructional and related support to meet the needs of Compton Center students. El Camino College courses are taught at El Camino College Compton Center by Compton faculty.  Administration at Compton Center is led by the Superintendent/President of El Camino College. The Vice President, Compton Center, oversees the daily operations at El Camino College Compton Center.

Through the agreement, residents of the Compton Community College District continue to have access to university transfer and career and technical education opportunities, as well as financial aid, basic skills courses and related support services, right in their own neighborhood.

El Camino College Compton Center has five academic divisions which include many academic programs. Each division offers a comprehensive transfer, degree or certificate program. Compton Center offers transfer majors for students planning to transfer to a university or professional school. They also offer an extensive list of certificate programs in addition to A.A. and A.S. degrees. Their faculty members are experts in their field - all have master's degrees or equivalent. They are dedicated to student success and classroom teaching - no graduate assistants or aides teach classes.

Compton High School (CHS) is one of three (3) comprehensive high schools in the

Norris McDonald at Compton High School

Compton Unified School District (CUSD). Compton High School has a student population of approximately 2,500 students and over 175 staff members (100 certified and 75 classified). CHS is located in downtown Compton just south of the Compton City Government Offices and Courthouse Complex.

Compton High School consists of a Main Administration Building and ten (10) satellite buildings that include 83 regular classrooms, 6 science lab classrooms, 5 computer classrooms, and one multi-purpose room.  It graduated its first class in 1898. From 1898 to 1901 the student enrollment was 153 students. In 1996 Compton High School celebrated its rich 100-year history of academic and athletic excellence along with its diverse population. (El Camino College Compton Center, Compton High School)

EPA Survey Shows $384 Billion Needed for Drinking Water Infrastructure by 2030

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released results of a survey showing that $384 billion in improvements are needed for the nation’s drinking water infrastructure through 2030 for systems to continue providing safe drinking water to 297 million Americans.

EPA’s fifth Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment identifies investments needed over the next 20 years for thousands of miles of pipes and thousands of treatment plants, storage tanks and water distribution systems, which are all vital to public health and the economy. The national total of $384 billion includes the needs of 73,400 water systems across the country, as well as American Indian and Alaska Native Village water systems.

The survey, required under the Safe Drinking Water Act to be submitted to Congress every four years by EPA, was developed in consultation with all 50 states and the Navajo Nation. The survey looked at the funding and operational needs of more than 3,000 public drinking water systems across the United States, including those in Tribal communities, through an extensive questionnaire. In many cases, drinking water infrastructure was reported to be 50-100 years old.

The assessment shows that improvements are primarily needed in:

- Distribution and transmission: $247.5 billion to replace or refurbish aging or deteriorating lines
- Treatment: $72.5 billion to construct, expand or rehabilitate infrastructure to reduce contamination
- Storage: $39.5 billion to construct, rehabilitate or cover finished water storage reservoirs
- Source: $20.5 billion to construct or rehabilitate intake structures, wells and spring collectors

EPA allocates Drinking Water State Revolving Fund grants to states based on the finding of the assessment. These funds help states to provide low-cost financing to public water systems for infrastructure improvements necessary to protect public health and comply with drinking water regulations.

Since its inception in 1997, the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund has provided close to $15 billion in grants to all 50 states and Puerto Rico to improve drinking water treatment, transmission and distribution. The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program has also provided more than $5.5 billion to protect drinking water in disadvantaged communities.  (EPA)

More information

EPA & USDA Partner To Reduce Wasted Food

Today, EPA and USDA announced the launch of a challenge that asks farmers, processors, manufacturers, retailers, communities and government agencies to reduce wasted food. The U.S. Food Waste Challenge builds upon the success of EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge to help more Americans do their part to reduce food waste.

Food waste is the single largest type of waste entering our landfills -- Americans throw away up to 40 percent of their food. Addressing this issue helps to combat hunger and save money, while also combating climate change. Food waste in landfills decomposes to create potent greenhouse gases and by reducing this waste we can in turn reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Americans send more food to landfills and incinerators than any other single municipal solid waste (MSW) – 35 million tons– even more than paper and plastic. When wasted food is sent to landfills, it decomposes and becomes a source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. In addition, the production and transportation of food has a number of environmental impacts; by reducing wasted food our society helps conserve energy and reduces environmental impacts.

In 2010, EPA began challenging organizations along the food lifecycle to adopt more sustainable practices through its National Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) program’s Food Recovery Challenge (FRC). EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge provides direct technical assistance, a tracking system, and recognition to help support and motivate organizations to reduce their food waste. Through the simple act of measuring food that is wasted, organizations can immediately identify simple changes that lead to big reductions More than 200 organizations are now participating in the Food Recovery Challenge. (EPA)

More on the U.S. Food Waste Challenge

More on the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program and Food Recovery Challenge 

Compton To Catalina Program - Trip 4

The Center conducted its 4th Compton To Catalina Program trip.  The trip was completely successful and the students thoroughly enjoyed their experiences.  The California Center for Economic Initiatives recruited the students and John Long conducted the tour of the Southern California Edison Pebbly Beach electricity generating plant. 

The tour group left the Catalina Express Long Beach downtown landing at 10 a.m.  ABC-7 TV covered the launch (but Oklahoma tornado coverage bumped us).  The tour group had a great burger/fry lunch on the green pier and proceed to the power plant tour.  We proceeded to the semi-submersible boat to view fish species and unique kelp.  After the tour, we boarded a golf cart to tour the mountains around the City of Avalon.  Two separate groups were taken up along winding roads to experience incredible views of the island.

Participants included:

1) Rebekah Ramirez, Torrance Elementary School, 11,

2) Mireya Palencia, California State Dominguez Hlls, 21,

3) Daniel Zepeda, El Camino Community College, 22,

4) Samantha Ramirez, J.H. Hull Middle School, 12,

5) Anthony Ramirez, Torrance High School, 15.

 

 

The Compton To Catalina Program is sponsored by Southern California Edison.



Angeles National Forest Wildfire - Center Mitigation Program

Center President was scoping Angeles National Forest on Thursday, May 30, 2012 and encountered the wildfire captured in the above video.  The Center is developing a program called "Cities To Wilderness," that seeks to increase participation of inner city folk with wilderness activities.

We are also proposing a wildfire mitigation program that involves the construction of several 10-megawatt woodchip-to-electricity plants located near wildfire areas.  The program involves precutting trees and brush in wildfire areas to create buffer zones that would limit the uncontrolled spread of wildfires.  The wood would be used as as fuel for the woodchip-to-electricity plants.

Some 2,000 homes were evacuated in Southern California as firefighters struggled to contain tens of thousands of acres of wildfire in Angeles National Forest.  The wildfire, which broke out near a Santa Clarita hydroelectric plant in the Los Angeles County on Thursday. A total of 2,100 personnel are now fighting the fire, with air tankers and helicopters deployed to the scene.  At least 19,500 acres burned in Angeles National Forest.

The fire destroyed six homes and damaged nine other buildings. At least three firefighters have reportedly been injured while trying to extinguish the powerful blaze. (RR, 6/2/2013)

Portland General Electric's 5-Megawatt Lithium-ion Battery

5-megawatt lithium-ion battery system

Portland General Electric's 5-megawatt, lithium-ion energy storage system was shared as part of PGE's contribution to the Battelle-led Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project.

Half of PGE's $23-million portion of the regional project was paid for with U.S. Department of Energy funds. The regional demonstration is a five-year, $178-million project that launched in 2010.

The battery is part of a microgrid that will enable about 500 southeast Salem customers to tap into a power reserve during electricity disruptions such as blackouts. The battery and microgrid are examples of the innovative technologies and methods being tested through the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project.

The energy storage system will respond to regional grid conditions with the help of a key aspect of the demonstration called transactive control. Transactive control is based on technology from DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is managed by Battelle. The technology helps power producers and users decide how much of the area's power will be consumed, when and where. This is done when producers and users automatically respond to signals representing future power costs and planned energy consumption. The cost signals originate at Battelle's Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center in Richland, Wash. They are updated every five minutes and sent to the project's participating utilities, including PGE.

The automated signals allow project participants to make local decisions on how their piece of the smart grid project can support local and regional grid needs. Participants are now gathering data to measure how the signal can help deliver electricity more effectively, help better integrate wind power onto the power grid and more. The Salem battery will use the signal to coordinate its charge and discharge cycles with the power grid's supply and demand.

PGE's role: As an investor-owned utility that serves about 830,000 customers in 52 Oregon cities, PGE is testing several smart-grid technologies in the Salem area for the demonstration project. Beyond the energy storage system unveiled today, PGE is working to integrate renewable power sources to the power grid. It is also implementing a demand-response program with residential and commercial customers to help meet peak demand. All these resources will be optimized with the automated transactive control signal.  (Science Daily, 6/1/2013)

9th Circuit Says Consent Decree Cannot Circumvent Rulemaking

A recent Ninth Circuit decision calls into question the government’s practice of using consent decrees in a judicial proceeding to set policy for parties nationwide in environmental matters. In Conservation Northwest v. Sherman (Conservation Northwest II), No. 11-35729, 2013 WL 1760807 (9th Cir. Apr. 25, 2013), the court makes a critical distinction between consent decrees which temporarily modify a rule to achieve a particular result in a particular case, and consent decrees which purport to have broader applicability. Specifically, the court held it is an abuse of discretion for a federal court to “enter a consent decree that permanently and substantially amends an agency rule that would have otherwise been subject to statutory rulemaking procedures.”

 

A number of commentators and legislators have called attention to the government’s practice of setting national policy through settlement of individual lawsuits that raise novel issues. Setting policy in this way is said to deprive affected third parties of the right to meaningfully participate in the rule making process. In 2012, Republican legislators proposed the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2012, which would have required that any party affected by a decree be given the right to intervene in the pending court action.  (More at: Marten Law, By Myles Conway and Daniel Timmons)

White House Women’s Leadership Summit on Climate Change and the Environment

The White House held a forum on climate change today that included women from all over the country. The forum included 100 women leaders in a dialogue on the science of climate change, communication about the climate and energy challenges, policy solutions, and activism in  workplaces, careers, and communities.

Speakers:

Dr. Kathy Sullivan, Acting Administrator, NOAA
Chair Nancy Sutley, Council on Environmental Quality
Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President on Energy and Climate Change
Dorothy Robyn, General Services Administration
Kateri Callahan, President, Alliance to Save Energy
Nancy Pfund, Managing Director, DBL Investors
Frances Beinecke, President, NRDC
Cecilia Estolano, Estolano LeSar Perez Advisors
Reverend Sally Bingham, Regeneration Project

FracFocus: Chemical Disclosure Registry

FracFocus is the national hydraulic fracturing chemical registry.

FracFocus is managed by the Ground Water Protection Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, two organizations whose missions both revolve around conservation and environmental protection.

The site was created to provide the public access to reported chemicals used for hydraulic fracturing within their area. To help users put this information into perspective, the site also provides objective information on hydraulic fracturing, the chemicals used, the purposes they serve and the means by which groundwater is protected.

The primary purpose of this site is to provide factual information concerning hydraulic fracturing and groundwater protection. It is not intended to argue either for or against the use of hydraulic fracturing as a technology. It is also not intended to provide a scientific analysis of risk associated with hydraulic fracturing. While FracFocus is not intended to replace or supplant any state governmental information systems it is being used by a number of states as a means of official state chemical disclosure. Currently, ten states: Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, North Dakota, Montana, Mississippi, Utah, Ohio and Pennsylvania use Fracfocus in this manner. Finally, this site does not deal with issues unrelated to chemical use in hydraulic fracturing such as Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). This topic is beyond the current scope of this site.

FracFocus is a dynamic website that will evolve and expand over time. We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding the site. You can submit a comment or suggestion regarding this website from the Ask a Question page. The chemical data presented on this site has been submitted on a voluntary or regulatory basis by the participating oil and gas companies listed on the Links page who have agreed to disclose the information in the public interest. We hope you will find this site useful and informative.

Important Notes:

1. Participating companies have agreed to post records of wells fractured after the later of the date they registered to participate or January 1, 2011. Over the first full year of operation from April 11, 2011 to April 11, 2012 the FracFocus system recorded over 15,000 disclosures from a total of 231 participating companies. During the same period the FracFocus website had been visited more than 210,000 by over 145,000 individuals.

2. Questions about the fracturing of a specific well should be directed to the company whose name appears in the header of the fracturing record.

3. The listing of a chemical as proprietary on the fracturing record is based on the “Trade Secret ‡” provisions related to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) found on the above link .

(FracFocus)

Kraft Pulp Mills NSPS Review

EPA New Source Performance Standards Proposed Rule For Pulp Mills

The EPA is proposing revisions to the new source performance standards for kraft pulp mills. These revised standards include particulate matter emission limits for recovery furnaces, smelt dissolving tanks and lime kilns, which apply to emission units commencing construction, reconstruction or modification that are different than those required under the existing standards for kraft pulp mills.

The exemptions to opacity standards do not apply to the proposed standards for kraft pulp mills. The proposed rule also removes the exemption for periods of startup and shutdown resulting in a standard that applies at all times.

The proposed rule includes additional testing requirements and updated monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting requirements for affected sources. These differences are expected to ensure that control systems are properly maintained over time, ensure continuous compliance with standards and improve data accessibility for the EPA, states, tribal governments and communities.  (Federal Register, 5/23/2013)

Tesla Automotive Repaid $465 Million Government Loan

Tesla Motors has repaid the entire remaining balance on a $465 million loan from the Department of Energy nine years earlier than originally required. 

Loan losses to date represent about 2 percent of the overall $34 billion portfolio. The other 98 percent of the portfolio includes 19 new clean energy power plants that are adding enough solar, wind and geothermal capacity to power a million homes and displace 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year – roughly equal to taking a million cars off the road.

Key Statistics and Highlights of the Department’s Loan Portfolio:

Losses to date in the Department’s loan programs represent about 2 percent of the $34 billion portfolio and less than 10 percent of the $10 billion loan loss reserve that Congress set aside to cover expected losses in the programs.
Many of the nation’s largest and most innovative energy and transportation projects are supported by the Department of Energy’s loan programs, including:

• Several of the world’s largest solar generation facilities and thermal energy storage systems (Ivanpah, Agua Caliente, Desert Sunlight, Abengoa Solana, and Solar Reserve Tonopah)

• One of the world’s largest wind farms (Shepherds Flat)

• The first two all-electric vehicle manufacturing facilities in the U.S. (Tesla and Nissan)

• The first nuclear power plant to be built in the U.S. in the last 30 years (Vogtle)

In the auto industry specifically, these investments have made an enormous impact. In June 2009, for example, the Department offered more than $8 billion in conditional loan commitments to three companies -- Ford, Nissan and Tesla – to help retool, refurbish, and reopen American auto plants to produce the cars of the future. The results have been impressive:

• The Department provided a $5.9 billion loan to Ford Motor Company to upgrade and modernize thirteen factories across six states and to introduce new technologies to raise the fuel efficiency of more than a dozen popular vehicles, including C-Max Hybrid, Focus, Escape, Fusion, Taurus, and F-150 trucks, representing approximately two million new vehicles annually. This investment is supporting approximately 33,000 manufacturing and engineering jobs across the United States.

• In Smyrna, Tennessee, the first advanced battery packs produced in the United States are coming off the production line of Nissan North America’s production plant. These advanced batteries are powering U.S.-made all electric Nissan LEAF cars. The construction of the 1.3-million-square-foot, state of the art battery facility was made possible through a $1.4 billion loan from the Department of Energy.

• Tesla’s $465 million loan enabled it to reopen a shuttered auto manufacturing plant in Fremont, California and to produce battery packs, electric motors, and other powertrain components. Tesla vehicles have won wide acclaim, including the 2013 Car of the Year from both Motor Trend and Automotive Magazine, and Consumer Reports recently rated Tesla’s Model S as tied for the best car ever rated. Tesla has created more than 3,000 full-time jobs in California – far more than the company initially estimated – and is building out a supply chain that supports numerous additional jobs and technologies, and is bringing advanced manufacturing technology back to America.

It’s important to remember that these three loans were conditionally offered in June 2009, which was a time when many people believed that the industry itself might not survive. That was the same month GM filed for bankruptcy, and auto sales were 28 percent lower than the year before.  (DOE)

DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz Sworn In Today

Secretary Ernest Moniz (left),  with his wife, Naomi, shortly after being
 sworn into office  by Deputy Energy Secretary  Daniel Poneman (right).

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Accuses Environmental Groups of Abusing Regulatory Process

Sue and Settle: Regulating Behind Closed Doors

Download: Sue and Settle: Regulating Behind Closed Doors

Executive Summary | List of Rules and Agency Actions | List of Recommendations
 

What Is Sue and Settle?

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, sue and settle occurs when an agency intentionally relinquishes its statutory discretion by accepting lawsuits from outside groups that effectively dictate the priorities and duties of the agency through legally binding, court-approved settlements negotiated behind closed doors—with no participation by other affected parties or the public.

 

The Chamber says that as a result of the sue and settle process, the agency intentionally transforms itself from an independent actor that has discretion to perform its duties in a manner best serving the public interest into an actor subservient to the binding terms of settlement agreements, which includes using congressionally appropriated funds to achieve the demands of specific outside groups. The Chamber believes this process also allows agencies to avoid the normal protections built into the rulemaking process—review by the Office of Management and Budget and the public, and compliance with executive orders—at the critical moment when the agency’s new obligation is created.
 

What Is the Sue and Settle Process?

1. Environmental advocacy group sues federal agency to issue regulations by a specific deadline.
2. Environmental advocacy group and federal agency work out an agreement.*
   *Conducted behind closed doors.
3. Draft consent decree or settlement agreement is lodged with the court.
4. Under some laws the federal agency invites and receives public comments on the decree or agreement.*
   *Too little, too late: the damage has been done.
5. Court finalizes the decree or agreement.*
   *It generally does not matter to courts if the decree or agreement is not required or authorized by statute.

Which Advocacy Groups Use the Sue and Settle Process the Most?




Which Courts Handle the Most Sue and Settle Cases?




Comparing the Use of Sue and Settle Over the Past 15 Years





What are the Economic Implications of our Findings?




(U.S. Chamber of Commerce)