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When it comes to bringing solar to the mainstream, innovations in financing are as important as innovations in technology. There's a new finance tool that local governments can use to support green retrofits in their communities. These PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) programs help property owners overcome the upfront cost barrier of solar and energy efficiency improvements.
We are working to make PACE an effective way to go solar nationwide. We hope you'll help.
Cities and counties throughout the U.S. are developing new finance programs that help Americans install solar and improve the efficiency of their homes and businesses. Called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), these programs enable local governments bring new green jobs, energy bill savings, and environmental benefits to their communities.
Now the lending giants at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and their regulators at FHFA are trying to stop these programs in their tracks. They're attacking a century-old local government right and throwing a massive wrench in American green job growth and investment. It's time for legislative action.
Subject: ICLEI to FHFA Acting Director: Restore PACE or Resign
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Knapp <don.kn...@iclei.org>
Date: Jul 16, 1:54 pm
Subject: ICLEI to FHFA Acting Director: Restore PACE or Resign
To: PACE Discussion
http://www.icleiusa.org/blog/iclei-usa-to-fhfa-director-restore-pace-...
ICLEI USA continues to exert pressure on federal decision-makers to reverse
their policy and save local governments' property-assessed clean energy
(PACE) programs. Today, we joined members of Congress in calling for Federal
Housing Finance Agency Acting Director Edward DeMarco to step down, unless
he works with local governments to restore critical funding to PACE programs
in 22 states including California.
Martin Chavez, ICLEI USA Executive Director, released the following
statement:
Acting Director DeMarco should take a deep breath, apologize to the American
people for distorting the record on PACE, and reverse course. If he's not
willing to restore PACE funding as requested by Congress, he should follow
their suggestion and resign.
In recent public comments, Acting Director DeMarco has falsely described
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs as "loans" and "credit
risks," which is both misleading and inaccurate. Mr. DeMarco's comments
follow recent actions by the FHFA at the direction of loan giants Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac that severely restrict a local government's ability to
implement PACE-enabling programs. In responding to a recent lawsuit filed
by California Attorney General, Jerry Brown, on behalf of local governments,
Mr. DeMarco said his agency will fight Brown's lawsuit in order to protect
'taxpayers, lenders and both mortgage programs [Fannie and Freddie]."
"We should not allow Acting Director DeMarco to destroy one of the most
innovative and energy efficient tools available to homeowners and local
governments today," said *Patrick Hays, Mayor of North Little Rock, AR,
President of ICLEI USA, and Chairman of the Board of Directors*. "As a
mayor, I am reminded everyday of the realities of persistently high
unemployment, a fragile economy and the impact that climate change is having
on our communities. Sadly, it appears that Mr. DeMarco is putting Freddie
and Fannie's interests first on his list, leaving the American taxpayer
behind," added Mayor Hays.
Contrary to Mr. DeMarco's statements, PACE programs do not operate using
traditional loan mechanisms. Local governments instead finance the upfront
costs through tax assessments, which are paid incrementally in small amounts
through a homeowner's annual property tax bills. Similar assessment
mechanisms are used by local governments and municipalities to fund sewers,
sidewalks, schools, hospitals and other public projects.
"As a government official and a head of a federally mandated agency
designated to protect taxpayers, it appears Acting Director DeMarco is more
interested in protecting Fannie and Freddie rather than helping homeowners
during this devastating economy," said *Martin J. Chavez, Executive
Director, ICLEI USA and three-term mayor of Albuquerque, NM*. "Mr. DeMarco
has severely damaged his credibility with Members of Congress and the
American people by refusing to restore funding to innovative PACE programs
that reduce energy and create much needed jobs in California and 21 other
states," added Mayor Chavez.
Recently, several Members of Congress led by Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) sent a
letter to Acting Director DeMarco asking him to step down from his position
if he could not find a workable resolution to the new FHFA restrictions to
PACE programs.
ICLEI USA has launched a nationwide effort calling on its 600+plus members
across the country to contact the President and Congress, particularly the
key committees with oversight authority to overturn the new FHFA
regulations. Some of the states that are currently engaged in PACE
include, AZ, MD, OR, CA, NV, TX, CO, NM, VT, FL, NY, VA, HI, NC, WI, IL, OH,
LA, OK, among others.
--
Don Knapp
Senior Communications Officer
ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA
436 14th St., Suite 1520
Oakland, CA 94612
Tel: (510) 844-0699, Ext. 315
Fax: (510) 844-0698
Website:www.icleiusa.org
================================
Register Now for the 2010 ICLEI Local Action Summit!
(Em)Powering Sustainable Communities
Tools - Partnerships - Solutions
Washington, DC, September 24-26
To register, go towww.icleiusa.org/localactionsummit
=================================
ICLEI USA's mission is to build, serve and drive a movement of local
governments to advance deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and
achieve tangible improvements in local sustainability.
This e-mail is intended only for the individual or entity named above. Any
views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and may be
confidential. ICLEI USA does not accept liability for any loss or damage
that may result from this e-mail or any attached document.
ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) is a membership association of local governments committed to advancing climate protection and sustainable development. Since its inception in 1993, ICLEI has grown to include nearly 1,000 cities in the world, more than 300 of which are in the United States. To help members achieve tangible reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts, ICLEI provides: tools, technical expertise, software training, policy assistance and national and international peer networks. Through this work, ICLEI helped local governments reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 23 million tons in 2005 alone. This translates into about $600 million in annual cumulative savings, largely on energy expenditures. Local governments have led the effort in recent years to envision, accelerate and achieve strong climate protection goals, and ICLEI is proud to support and facilitate their efforts to create cleaner, healthier, economically viable communities.
Three New GE PROLEC 8: Auxiliary "Step Down" Transformers with a capacity of 8,000 kVa. Liquid: Oil; Temperature rise: 65ºC; Cooling class: ONAN; Impedance: 6.78%; Frequency: 60 H; liquid level gage; liquid temperature gage; pressure vacuum gauge; de-energized HV tap changer; pressure test valve; tank lifting provisions; one inch upper fill and filter press connection; stainless steel ground pads on each end; handhole; combination drain and filtering valve with sampling; anodized aluminum name plate; and, ANSI No. 61 paint, 5 MIL thick.
212 mVa Westinghouse Hydrogen-Cooled Generator with approximately 1,212 operating hours. Generator voltage rated at 13.8 kV at 60-Hz frequency. Three-phase unit operates with 0.90 power factor and 3,600 rpm rated speed. Related operation and installation manuals and drawings included. Unit is available "as is, where is" stored in an indoor warehouse in Houston.
The well integrity test is ongoing. - Currently the well remains shut-in with no oil flowing into the Gulf; any significant change to this operation will be announced via a press release. - Pressure continues to rise and is currently above 6700 psi.
Due to the well integrity test, no oil was recovered during the last 12 hours on July 15 (noon to midnight).
On July 15, total oil recovered was approx. 9,305 barrels: - approx. 5,875 barrels of oil were collected, - approx. 3,430 barrels of oil were flared, - and approx. 22.5 million cubic feet of natural gas were flared.
Total oil recovered from the LMRP Cap, Q4000, and Helix Producer systems since they were implemented is approx. 804,800 barrels. An additional 22,000 barrels were collected from the RIT tool earlier in May bringing the total recovered to approx. 826,800 barrels.
We anticipate the next update will be provided at around 6:30pm CDT on July 16, 2010.
22.5 million cubic feet of natural gas were flaredi.
Cubic Foot of Natural Gas
The well integrity test on the MC252 well commenced today; full closure of the choke valve occurred at approximately 2:25pm.
-Currently the well remains shut-in with no oil flowing into the Gulf; any significant change to this operation will be announced via a press release.
-For the first 12 hours on July 15 (midnight to noon), approximately 5,875 barrels of oil were collected and approximately 3,430 barrels of oil and 22.5 million cubic feet of natural gas were flared.
-We anticipate the next update will be provided at around 9:30am CDT on July 16, 2010.
Updated July 15 at 6:00 pm CDT
While Reading the Info I started searching about:
22.5 million cubic feet of natural gas were flaredi.
Cubic Foot of Natural Gas
Scotty-
I found that Gas Flare Stacks when burning the excess gas from the pipes is a significant source of Green House Gas Emissions.
The World Bank estimates that over 150 billion cubic metres of natural gas are flared or vented annually, an amount worth approximately 30.6 billion dollars, equivalent to 25 percent of the United States’ gas consumption or 30 percent of the European Union’s gas consumption per year.
On oil production rigs, in refineries and chemical plants, its primary purpose is to act as a safety device to protect vessels or pipes from over-pressuring due to unplanned upsets. This acts just like the spout on a tea kettle when it starts whistling as the water in it starts boiling.
How to Measure Natural Gas
Describing the amount of natural gas consumed by an entire country or a single residential appliance can be confusing, since natural gas can be measured in several different ways.
The energy content of natural gas and other forms of energy (i.e., the potential heat that can be generated from the fuel) is measured in Btus (British thermal units). The number of "therms" that residential natural gas customers consume each month is listed on their gas bills.
Quantities of natural gas are usually measured in cubic feet. For example, a typical natural gas futures contract is a financial instrument based on the value of about 10 million cubic feet (Mmcf) of natural gas.
Here are some frequently used units for measuring natural gas:
On oil production rigs, in refineries and chemical plants, its primary purpose is to act as a safety device to protect vessels or pipes from over-pressuring due to unplanned upsets. This acts just like the spout on a tea kettle when it starts whistling as the water in it starts boiling. Whenever plant equipment items are over-pressured, the pressure relief valves on the equipment automatically release gases (and sometimes liquids as well) which are routed through large piping runs called flare headers to the flare stacks. The released gases and/or liquids are burned as they exit the flare stacks. The size and brightness of the resulting flame depends upon how much flammable material was released. Steam can be injected into the flame to reduce the formation of black smoke. The injected steam does however make the burning of gas sound louder, which can cause complaints from nearby residents. Compared to the emission of black smoke, it can be seen as a valid trade off. In more advanced flare tip designs, if the steam used is too wet it can freeze just below the tip, disrupting operations and causing the formation of large icicles. In order to keep the flare system functional, a small amount of gas is continuously burned, like a pilot light, so that the system is always ready for its primary purpose as an over-pressure safety system. The continuous gas source also helps diluted mixtures achieve complete combustion. Enclosed ground flares are engineered to eliminate smoke, and contain the flame within the stack.
Flaring and venting of natural gas from oil & gas wells is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Its contribution to greenhouse gases has declined by three-quarters in absolute terms since a peak in the 1970s of approximately 110 million metric tons/year and now accounts for 0.5% of all anthropogeniccarbon dioxide emissions.[4] The World Bank estimates that over 150 billion cubic metres of natural gas are flared or vented annually, an amount worth approximately 30.6 billion dollars, equivalent to 25 percent of the United States’ gas consumption or 30 percent of the European Union’s gas consumption per year.[5] This flaring is highly concentrated: 10 countries account for 75% of emissions, and twenty for 90%. The largest flaring operations occur in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The leading contributors to gas flaring are (in declining order): Nigeria, Russia, Iran, Algeria, Mexico, Venezuela, Indonesia, and the United States.[6] In spite of a ruling by the Federal High Court of Nigeria (that forbade flaring) in 2005, 43% of the gas retrieval was still being flared in 2006. It will be prohibited by law as of 2008. [citation needed]Russia has announced it will stop the practice of gas flaring as stated by deputy prime minister Sergei Ivanov on Wednesday September 19, 2007.[7] This step was, at least in part, a response to a recent report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that concluded Russia's previous numbers may have been underestimated. The report, which used night time light pollution satellite imagery to estimate flaring, put the estimate for Russia at 50 billion cubic meters while the official numbers are 15 or 20 billion cubic meters. The number for Nigeria is 23 billion cubic meters.[8]
When it comes to bringing solar to the mainstream, innovations in financing are as important as innovations in technology. There's a new finance tool that local governments can use to support green retrofits in their communities. These PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) programs help property owners overcome the upfront cost barrier of solar and energy efficiency improvements.
State law must first authorize local governments to implement PACE programs. 22 states now have PACE legislation in place. That leaves 28 to go. Here are resources for enabling PACE at the state level.
