Scotts Contracting - StLouis Renewable Energy

4.20.2011

St Louis Renewable Energy: Home Repair Service- Storm Damage-Roofing

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We brought your voice to Washington DC.

Dear friends,

The campaign to take on the US Chamber of Commerce is getting bigger by the day, and yesterday in DC it blasted off.
Thousands and thousands of people--including youth from all 50 states who were joining the massive Power Shift climate conference--rallied on Monday in front of the US Chamber's headquarters. Their goal: to expose the US Chamber as a corporate front group that is polluting our democracy and stalling climate action.

We brought many of your voices directly to Washington yesterday. Our team in DC received hundreds of quotes from small business owners across the country--quotes about why the US Chamber doesn't speak for us. We printed these quotes on placards, helped rally thousands of people, and took a stand where the US Chamber couldn't ignore us: their front door.

Check out a couple of the photos from yesterday's event:

The US Chamber claims to 'represent American business.' In fact, last year more than half their budget came from just 16 companies. They don't say who those companies are, but since they spend most of their time fighting any legislation that might help slow climate change, it's not too hard to figure out.

Looked at objectively, the US Chamber is a radical organization: they filed a brief with the EPA urging them not to act on carbon emissions because if the planet warmed humans could "adapt their physiologies" to deal with the change. If someone on a street corner told you that their plan for global warming was changing your anatomy, you'd give them a wide berth--but if you have a few hundred million in campaign contributions to hand out, it buys you a lot of respectability.

It's now time to expose the chamber for what they are: a corporate front group that is blocking progress on the greatest challenges of our time. It's time to strip them of their respectability and political legitimacy. The events here in DC are a great start, but our mission doesn't end here in the nation's capital.
Across the country this campaign to get businesses to declare "The US Chamber Doesn't Speak for Me" has begun to make real progress--thousands and thousands of small businesses have already signed up to say they can speak for themselves, thank you--and that they're nimble enough capitalists to deal with a planet that runs on wind and sun. It's not just small companies either--Apple Computer has quit the chamber, and local chambers of commerce from Seattle to New York have broken their ties with the US Chamber.

But here's the thing: most people still don't know that the US Chamber is run by a handful of corporations. They don't know that 94% of the US Chamber's record-breaking lobbying expenditures last year were directed towards politicians who deny the basic science of climate change. They don't know that the US Chamber is blocking every possible effort to get our nation to lead on climate and clean energy. They don't know that the US Chamber lobbied against the Civil Rights Act, the Disability Rights Act, and are now lobbying aggressively to gut the Clean Air Act.
We're building this campaign to make sure that the truth about the US Chamber comes out. There will be much to do in the coming weeks and months, so expect more updates soon. But for now, just know that we've put The US Chamber on notice. They don't speak for us, and with your help, we'll make sure that they can't.
Onwards,

Bill McKibben - co-founder of 350.org and "The US Chamber Doesn't Speak For Me"

You should join 350.org St Louis Chapter on

Facebook by becoming a fan of our page at facebook.com/350org and follow us on twitter by visiting twitter.com/350

To join our list (maybe a friend forwarded you this e-mail) visit www.350.org/signup

350.org needs your help! To support our work, donate securely online at 350.org/donate

350.org is an international grassroots campaign that aims to mobilize a global climate movement united by a common call to action. By spreading an understanding of the science and a shared vision for a fair policy, we will ensure that the world creates bold and equitable solutions to the climate crisis. 350.org is an independent and not-for-profit project.

What is 350? 350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Scientists measure carbon dioxide in "parts per million" (ppm), so 350ppm is the number humanity needs to get below as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change. To get there, we need a different kind of PPM—a "people powered movement" that is made of people like you in every corner of the planet.

Scott's Contracting

Green Me UP-Scotty

scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/StLHandyMan
https://www.facebook.com/GreenMeUPScotty

4.19.2011

Missouri Lawmakers Enact Legislation that opposes Voters Wants

Missouri lawmakers outsource renewable energy, jobs to other regions of the country

PRESS RELEASE
February 23rd, 2011
Contact: PJ Wilson, co-director of Renew Missouri
417-459-7468, pj@renewmo.org

Jefferson City (February, 23rd 2011) - Missouri lawmakers have rolled back key provisions of the voter-approved Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), effectively driving jobs and economic development out of the state. SCR1, which went into effect today, removes the requirement that utilities generate renewable electricity, like wind, solar, and biomass, from in-state projects or from projects from surrounding states that deliver power into Missouri. Utilities will now comply with the RES by paying to outsource development of renewable energy projects to places like California, South Dakota, and Canada.

"We should be focused on development in Missouri," said PJ Wilson, co-director of Renew Missouri.   "Developing projects across the state in places like Neosho or Nodaway County could result in more than $4 billion in economic investment for our state and thousands of new jobs."

Legislators need look no further than Columbia for the benefits of requiring renewable energy standards to come from locally sourced projects. Last week, MFA Oil of Columbia announced its plans to create jobs in Missouri by investing in a large biomass project. The biomass project is expected to directly create more than 900 jobs and more than $150 million in annual economic development. The company states within its press release the investments are being made to help the City of Columbia meet its own municipal renewable electricity standard.

A University of Missouri - St. Louis study from 2008 calculated Missouri's RES would create 9,591 jobs and generate $2.86 billion in economic activity in Missouri over the next 20 years. The study assumed power was being generated in state or delivered into Missouri from surrounding states.

"This is just a matter of common sense. When spending ratepayer dollars on new projects, why outsource the projects and not build them here locally?" questioned PJ Wilson.

Missouri's RES, seen on the ballot as Prop C, which was passed into law in November 2008 with the support of 66% of voters statewide, requires that investor-owned utilities produce or buy no less than 15% of their electricity from renewable resources like wind, biomass, and solar by 2021. The Missouri RES includes strong consumer protections limiting any increase in costs to just 1% as a result of the state's RES.

Leaders on both side of the aisle have voiced strong support for a legislative solution to Missouri's RES and in response House Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) created a special Renewable Energy Committee to focus on the issue. "At the end of the day, investment in Missouri is what we want. It's what the intention of Prop. C was," said Rep Jason Holsman (D-45th) the Chairman of the newly created Special Committee on Renewable Energy. "Prop C needed to be drafted a little tighter and better to make sure that was the end outcome, and now we're going to seek a legislative solution to get the outcome that we were looking for which is more renewable energy for our state."

In response to SCR1, Gov. Nixon sent a letter last week to the entire General Assembly in which he says, "Now is not the time to abandon this critical opportunity to accelerate the development of renewable energy in Missouri. Renewable energy must be a cornerstone of our economic future."

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Scott's Contracting

Green Me UP-Scotty

scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/StLHandyMan
https://www.facebook.com/GreenMeUPScotty

Call Today for Missouri Renewable Energy

Missouri Renewable Energy Bill moves to the House Floor

Your Calls Needed NOW!

HCS HB 613 which reinstates portions of the voter enacted Renewable Electricity Standard will be heard on the Floor of the Missouri House of Representatives this week.

After many hours of hard work by the Renewable Energy Committee a consensus was reached. But, efforts to weaken the bill are still a major threat.

The bill is weaker than the original Prop C language, but it will ensure an increase in development of Missouri's renewable energy industry.

It also ensures that renewable energy will be "sold to Missouri consumers" thus creating economic development in Missouri rather than the utility buying renewable energy credits from anywhere in the world.

Renew Missouri considers this version of the bill and the compromises made so for the bare minimum we can accept. We will work to improve the bill, but any further weakening of the standards will render the bill too weak to make a significant impact.

For further bill details, visit: www.renewmo.org/protect-prop-c.html

Please call your State Representative today to request

the bill move forward with no further weakening!

Call your House Legislator and explain:

1. It is critical to move HCS HB 613 forward with no weakening amendments so the Renewable Electricity Standard can finally be implemented.

2. Remind them that the Prop C - the MO RES passed by 66% of the voters in 2008.

3. Ask them to support the Renewable Energy Standards Bill 613 for clean energy and Missouri jobs!

To locate your legislator's phone number or email, please follow www.senate.mo.gov/llookup/leg_lookup.aspx and insert your zip code.

And lastly, please email me so I can track our legislative outreach efforts.

Thanks,

Carla Klein

Renew Missouri

Clean Energy Coordinator