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Statewide News Roundup
"California is going green, and we are
doing it first and we are doing it fast."
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Click here for more briefs...
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Renewable Megapower at CSU Campuses
Under a
power purchase agreement (PPA)
negotiated by the California Department of General Services (DGS) and
SunEdison, rooftops, parking structures and other spaces at 16
California State University campuses will be outfitted with solar panels.
The nation's largest university system will produce eight megawatts of
renewable energy for the state, according to DGS. Under the agreement,
SunEdison will finance, build and operate the solar panels for 20 years.
DGS is also developing solar installations with other state departments,
including the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the
Department of Mental Health to generate about seven megawatts of solar
power at five state prison sites and three state mental hospitals. Other
state facilities have been producing 4.2 megawatts of solar power since
2006. For an online database identifying where solar panels, fuel cells,
wind turbines and other green energy technologies are generating renewable
power at state buildings, go to
http://www.RenewableEnergy.dgs.ca.gov. |
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Assembling
a wind turbine.
Photo courtesy
Beaufortscale5 |
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AB 32 as Economic Stimulator?
While
some business groups have complained that
AB 32, California's landmark global warming legislation, is a
job-killer for the state, a
new report released by Next 10 says that actually, the opposite is
true. The study examines the economy-wide employment effects of
California's efficiency policies over the last 35 years, and
forecasts the economic effects of the much more aggressive policies
proposed under AB 32. Energy efficiency policies in California over the
past 35 years have created 1.5 million jobs and saved consumers over $56
billion, says the study's author, David Roland-Holst of the University of
California at Berkeley. If 100 percent of the reduction targets mandated
under AB 32 are met, the Gross State Product (GSP) will increase by about
$76 billion, real household incomes will rise up to $48 billion, and as
many as 403,000 new efficiency and climate action-related jobs will be
created.
Meanwhile, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has released an
economic
analysis comparing the costs of implementing AB 32 with the costs of
doing nothing. AB 32 is the first-in-the-nation law mandating a reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, among other things.
The CARB analysis showed that AB 32 would boost the state's economy by $27
billion and create 100,000 new jobs. CARB also reports that with cleaner
air by 2020, there will be 300 fewer premature deaths and 9,000 fewer
incidences of asthma and lower respiratory symptoms, adding up to 53,000
fewer lost work days. |
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A Banner Year for Environmental Legislation
Dozens of environmental bills reached the Governor's desk this year.
Here's a sampling of those that made it and some that didn't:
The Governor signed
SB 375 (Steinberg), a sweeping legislation which provides incentives
for cities to plan and build sustainable neighborhoods where people can
drive less, but he vetoed
SB 974 (Lowenthal), which would have cleaned up pollution at ports in
Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles. From the flood of
environmentally-oriented legislation, the Governor did sign
AB 2522 (Arambula), which allows the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air
Pollution Control District to raise vehicle registration fees for programs
to achieve state and federal air quality standards, but he vetoed
AB 2939 (Hancock), which would have authorized cities and counties to
adopt green building standards even if they exceeded state standards.
The governor signed
AB 2855 (Hancock), which establishes green technology and goods
movement as new career tracks in California Partnership Academies (schools
within schools where at-risk students focus on careers); AB
31 (de Leon) allocating $400 million for an existing proposition that
will create urban parks;
AB 2537 (Furutani), extending the existing exemption from wage
requirements for volunteers working on community clean-up and restoration
projects. Vetoed was
AB 2547 (Leno), intended to improve oil spill response; signed was AB
2935 (Huffman), which protects environmentally sensitive areas in oil
spill response planning.
Renewable energy also scored big with
AB 1451 (Leno), which continues a property tax exclusion for projects
that utilize solar panel energy originally passed in 1980;
AB 2466 (Laird), which increases authorizes local governments to
receive a utility bill credit for surplus renewal electricity, and
AB 2267 (Fuentes) which requires the Califonria Public Utilities
Commission to grant incentives to eligible California technology
manufacturers. |
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SB 375
provides incentives for cities planning that reduces driving.
Photo: paulkimo9 via
flickr
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California One of Three "Number One's"
in Energy Efficiency
In its 2008
rating of all 50 states,
the State
Energy Efficiency Scorecard for 2006,
the
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy graded each state and the
District of Columbia on actions they have taken in the race to adopt
energy efficiency policies, programs, and technologies. The ACEEE took
into consideration energy efficiency resource standards for utilities,
appliance efficiency standards, building energy codes, combined heat and
power (CHP) technologies, fuel economy standards for vehicles, smart
growth and public transportation policies, tax incentives for efficient
technologies, and energy efficiency in public buildings and fleets.
According to the report, Vermont, Connecticut, and California lead the
nation in energy efficiency policy, all tying for the top spot. |
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California recycled 50 percent more beverage
containers in 2007 than in 2002.
Photo courtesy
ghb624 |
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Record Recycling Levels for California
Californians are recycling a record number of beverage containers, according
to a new report by the California Department of Conservation. More than
14.7 billion beverage containers were recycled in the state in 2007, an 11
percent increase over 2006, and 50 percent more than five years ago. that
adds up to almost one million tons of glass, aluminum and plastic
containers now being recycled. The report says that recycling has reduced
greenhouse gas emissions by over two million tons and other toxic air
pollutants by over one million tons. In addition it has reduced water
pollution by almost five thousand tons and saved enough energy to power
roughly 400,000 homes for one year. |
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And Finally…Eco Driving
California has signed on to the
EcoDriving program, a consumer awareness campaign that is built around
an interactive website that helps drivers learn practical tips to
improving their mileage and reducing their carbon footprint. A feature is
the "EcoCalculator,"
that determines benefits for individuals or states. There is a virtual
road test and other educational tools. An "EcoDriver" can improve mileage
by about 15 percent, according to the project.
If all 32.5 million California automobiles were driven by EcoDrivers, some
23 million tons of CO2 emissions would be prevented each year. |
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© 2007, Green Technology. All rights reserved. |