Re: Win Green Home Makeover Worth $20,000-12/31 Deadline

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Re: Video-How Wind Turbines Generate Electricity-

Wind Power Animation Video

This animation discusses the advantages of wind power, the workings of a wind turbine, and wind resources in the United States. It also describes how wind power is used in small- and large-scale applications.

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=10501

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California After Election Poll- Voters Don't Trust Legislators !!!!

Poll finds California voters trust themselves more than legislators
	Dec 2, 2010	Los Angeles Times
	By Maeve Reston LOS ANGELES, Dec. 2, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune News Service delivered by Newstex) -- After an election year shaped by anxiety about the economy and frustration with gridlock in Sacramento, a new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California has found that most state voters have little confidence in the ability of their elected leaders to work together.In a sobering set of findings in the institute's post-election survey, voters expressed more faith in their peers to decide public policy matters than in their representatives. Only 33 percent of California voters said they had "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of trust and confidence in the ability of the state's elected officials to craft public policy. By contrast even though they described the ballot initiatives as confusing- 44 percent said they trusted fellow voters to make policy decisions at the polls. "The job that the voters have in making public policy at the ballot box is a very complicated one, and one that's become quite burdensome, but they value doing that because they hold the elected officials in such low esteem," said the institute's president, Mark Baldassare. He noted that the number of voters who don't approve of the way the governor and Legislature are working together has jumped by 43 points in the last four years: from 36 percent in a 2006 post-election survey to 79 percent this year." It just tells you the extent to which voters have lost confidence in the governor and Legislature's ability to work together to solve complex problems (they feel like this is why the burden has come to them,)" Baldassare said. This year, that burden for voters amounted to nine state ballot measures, and the poll looked at voters' responses to four of them. I llustrating the state's deep partisan divide, Democrats and Republicans ended up on opposite sides of three of the four initiatives, with nonpartisan independents often leaning in the same direction as Democrats. Despite their shared frustration with Sacramento, there was a marked difference between Democrats and Republicans on the successful Proposition 25, which will allow lawmakers to pass the state budget with a majority vote rather than two-thirds. Two-thirds of Republicans voted against the measure, but 57 percent of independents and 71 percent of Democrats voted for it -with half of the "yes" voters expressing a desire to break up the legislative gridlock over budget matters. There was more agreement on Proposition 24, the failed measure that would have rolled back corporate tax breaks that were set to begin taking effect this year. A majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents opposed the measure, but it clearly generated confusion. More than one-fifth of those who voted against it could not say why they did. Drawing the most interest by far was Proposition 19, which would have allowed the sale and cultivation of recreational marijuana under certain circumstances. Republican opposition was a driving force in the measure's defeat, with nearly three in four of those voters opposing the initiative. Fifty-six percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents supported the measure. As expected, age was also a major factor for Proposition 19, which failed by 7 percentage points at the polls. Six in 10 voters age 18 to 34 voted in favor of legalizing marijuana, while 58 percent of voters 35 years and older opposed the initiative. Women were more likely to oppose the measure than men, who were evenly divided.Californians offered a wide array of reasons for opposing Proposition 19. A third of those who voted against it said they did so because they believe drugs should be illegal. Another 12 percent said they didn't think the measure would be good for the state. Others cited concerns about child safety and the view that the initiative was poorly written and would conflict with federal law. Opinion was split on a separate poll question about whether marijuana should be legalized. Of voters who favored the legalization of marijuana, 88 percent said they voted for Proposition 19 and 12 percent said they voted against it -suggesting at least some dissatisfaction with the way the measure was written. On the ballot measure that would have rolled back the state's global warming law until unemployment fell to 5.5 percent for a year, Californians stayed true to their tradition of environmental protection, defeating the measure by a 23-point margin. Although proponents of Proposition 23 had argued that implementation of the global warming law could cost the state jobs, the survey showed that voters didn't buy it: Forty-one percent said the state's effort on climate change would create more jobs, and more than a quarter said it wouldn't affect the number of jobs overall. Voters who wanted to keep the global warming law in place cited concerns about air pollution (18 percent) and a fear that the law might never be restored if it were suspended (10 percent). The ad campaign vilifying the two Texas-based oil companies backing Proposition 23 also clearly got some attention _ 12 percent said they voted against the measure because the oil companies were behind it. Overall, 72 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of independents voted against suspending the state's global warming law and only 54 percent of Republicans voted for it.--Newstex ID: KRTN-1429-51296507

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Charge Your Electric Vehicles at Cracker Barrel at Tennessee Locations

Chargers to rock at eatery
	Dec 1, 2010	Chattanooga Times/Free Press
	Ellis Smith Dec. 1, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Several Chattanooga-area Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores will participate in a pilot project to install electric vehicle chargers at locations across Tennessee, building on a Chattanooga trend of moving toward greener transportation, company officials said. Installation should begin in the spring and will take "a few months," the company said. The plan could charge up business at the chain known for rocking chairs and comfort food, said Michael Woodhouse, Cracker Barrel chairman and CEO. "In the early days, Cracker Barrel provided food for our guests and fuel for their cars," Woodhouse said. As part of the $230 million Department of Energy EV Project, Cracker Barrel will receive 12 DC Fast Chargers from Arizona-based Ecotality, the company tasked with supplying the taxpayer-subsidized equipment. Ecotality also will supply 12 of the slower Level 2 chargers, for a total of 24 that will dot the highways connecting Chattanooga, Nashville and Knoxville. "A guest could, if desired, drive the entire 425 miles of the Tennessee Triangle, recharging at Cracker Barrel locations along the way," Cracker Barrel said in a news release. Only 12 locations have been identified so far out of the total 24, including Athens, Cleveland, East Ridge, and Murfreesboro, the chain said. The other 12 sites will be announced as the project progresses, spokeswoman Julie Davis said. The lack of charging stations, along with the high cost of vehicles, are major hurdles to the spread of electric vehicle technology, according to The Associated Press. Ecotality said most Cracker Barrel eateries' proximity to highway interchanges makes them an ideal fit for the charging stations. About 40 percent of Cracker Barrel customers are travelers, Davis said. This latest step marks a "return to the company's roots," Davis said. "Back in 1969, [founder] Danny Evins was a oil jobber, looking for a way to sell more gasoline," she said. While driving his family to the zoo, it occurred to him that if he opened up a restaurant along the way, people would stop on their way, she said. Electric car owners will be able to get a full charge in less than 30 minutes at the 12 DC fast-charging stations. Chargers at the other 12 locations will take two to three hours, depending on the vehicle's charge level, according to Ecotality. The company plans to charge by the minute for the service, but price is still being calculated, Davis said Tuesday. Through its EV project, Ecotality has said it will oversee the installation of 15,000 charging stations in 16 cities and major metropolitan areas in six states and the District of Columbia. The project will provide infrastructure to support the deployment of 8,300 electric vehicles, some of which will become available in December. Cracker Barrel, based in Lebanon, Tenn., also is shelling out an undisclosed amount of money to help with installation of its chargers and to upgrade transformers, according to The AP. Its shares fell $1.42, or 2.63 percent, to $52.66 at the end of trading on Tuesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Ellis Smith at esmith@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6315. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ellisthered. Newstex ID: KRTB-0202-51281361

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Green Building Efficiency Loan Program-Alabama-

Loan program helps businesses be more engergy efficient
	Dec 1, 2010	Montgomery Advertiser
	Markeshia Ricks Dec. 1, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Starting today Alabama businesses wanting to become more energy efficient will have an easier time finding the money to make those changes. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs has started a $60 million revolving loan program called AlabamaSAVES (Sustainable and Verifiable Energy Savings). And beginning today, Alabama industrial and commercial business owners will be able to apply for 2 percent interest loans of between $250,000 and $4 million to finance energy-saving improvements to their facilities. The loans can be used to upgrade heating and air-conditioning systems, windows and doors, electrical systems, water heating systems, energy management systems, lighting and insulation. Businesses also can use the loans to install renewable energy systems such as those powered by biomass or solar energy. Loans can be used to cover up to 90 percent of a project's total cost. Doni Ingram, director of ADECA, said businesses would have up to 10 years to pay the loans back. "As the loans are repaid, the fund will be replenished," she said. Ingram said the goal of the program is to help Alabama businesses become not only more energy efficient, but more competitive. Linda Swann, director of the Alabama Development Office, said the program would also help Alabama businesses save money. Swann said that if businesses simply went to the bank for the loan they might pay as much as three times the interest rate of the AlabamaSAVES program. "We will see a huge difference for Alabama's businesses," she said. Ingram said to ensure that the money would be used effectively, each loan applicant must conduct an energy audit. The projects will be evaluated on their potential for creating and retaining jobs, cost and sustainable energy savings, renewable energy generation capacity and emissions reductions. ADECA established the program using $25 million in federal funding from the American Recover and Reinvestment Act. The department worked with private lenders and used $12.5 million of the money to establish a loan-loss reserve. Additional private-lender financing was used to increase the loan pool to $60 million. Randy McRae Jr., International Paper's (OOTC:INPAP) (NYSE:IP) senior regional manager for government relations, said that retrofitting existing equipment would go a long way in helping a company save on energy costs. Newstex ID: KRTB-0128-51271213

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America's long leadership in scientific innovation is at risk

Energy czar sees China surpassing U.S., urges investment
	Dec 1, 2010	McClatchy Washington Bureau
	Renee Schoof Dec. 1, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is losing its edge in energy innovation to China, and it's time to reclaim it for the sake of future economic prosperity, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a speech on Monday. Chu, a physicist and Nobel laureate, argued that the U.S. government should increase funding for energy research and development. A presidential science commission made the same recommendation Monday in a new report. "China is doing this," Chu said. "It seems to be working. We should be doing this." America's long leadership in scientific innovation is at risk, and China is pulling ahead in many ways, Chu said. He compared the competition to the space race that started in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched a basketball-sized satellite called Sputnik. President Dwight Eisenhower said the Soviet Union had more scientists and engineers and was producing new science graduates at a faster rate. America stepped up space exploration and landed the first man on the moon. Chu said that losing science and technological leadership to China is a high stakes challenge because "innovation adds to the wealth of society." Today China manufactures about 20 percent of global high-tech exports, while the U.S. share has fallen to under 15 percent. China has broken ground on 30 nuclear reactors out of about 50 being built worldwide _ two in the U.S. China has the world record in high-speed rail with 5,612 miles under construction. The U.S. has zero. Other measures on Chu's list include: -- In 2009, 51 percent of U.S. patents were awarded to non-U.S. companies. In the past, most originated in the United States. China ranks fifth in international patents. -- China's most prestigious universities, Peking and Tsinghua, are the two largest suppliers of students who receive PhDs in the United States. -- Applied Materials, an American company, recently opened the world's largest private solar research and development facility _ in China. Chu said he's optimistic that the United States will "wake up and seize the opportunity." Innovation, he said, could "give us the energy we want inexpensively and carbon-free." "It's a bipartisan/nonpartisan issue," he said. "It's all about economic prosperity." And unlike the Sputnik days, the U.S. stands to gain from collaborating with its competitors and selling to their markets, he said. As he often does in speeches, the energy secretary said he has reasons for optimism. Some of those he cited this time: -- Arizona State University is working on electric vehicles with a 500-mile range on a battery that would cost a third as much as today's batteries. "There's a really good shot at it," Chu said. -- Other energy projects under way include research on solar energy that would cost one-fourth the installed price today, meaning it would be cheap enough that it wouldn't need subsidies. _ College students across the country who have concerns about energy and climate change are being drawn to science and technology careers. "This is a good sign," the energy secretary said. He argued that the U.S. should come up with a long-range energy plan that gets bipartisan support and increase government spending on research and development, because business won't be able to put up all the money needed. Chu asked the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a group of leading scientists and engineers, to study how the United States could transform its energy system in 10 to 20 years. In a report on Monday, one of its recommendations was an increase in investment in energy research and development from $5 billion to about $16 billion per year. In a press release, it said the money in the short term could come from "small charges on energy production, delivery and/or use." Chu's comments come as the federal government is wrestling with a soaring budget deficit and billions being spent to revive the sagging economy. The debate over spending has generated considerable partisanship, making consensus-building over energy investments difficult at best. Newstex ID: KRTB-0214-51293307

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House climate panel to be axed

	Dec 1, 2010	Politico
	Robin Bravender House Republicans will scrap the committee set up by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to investigate global warming, the panel's top Republican announced Wednesday. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) made official what many had already expected — the GOP majority will axe the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which Pelosi created in 2007. "This hearing will be the last of the select committee," Sensenbrenner announced. Committee Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called Wednesday's hearing to give witnesses a chance to warn of the perils of climate change before the GOP launches efforts next year to roll back the Obama administration's climate policies. Sensenbrenner, a vocal climate change skeptic, had pushed to keep the panel alive to probe the White House's energy policies. But it was seen as unlikely that GOP leadership would devote resources to the panel created by Democrats at the same time that they called for scaling back government spending. The Wisconsin Republican may still play a key role in leading investigations into climate science next year. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), who is vying for the chairmanship of the Committee on Science and Technology, told POLITICO Tuesday he'd like to see Sensenbrenner lead the panel's climate science probes. Markey, meanwhile, assured Republicans that he and others will battle from the minority to slash global warming emissions. "We are not going away because the problems that climate change presents are too dangerous too urgent for us to disappear into the abyss of cynicism and loss," Markey said. "We are not going away because China, India, and Germany are not going away as competitors for global energy dominance. We are not going away because the national security threats from our continued dependence on foreign oil are not going away."

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