Re: Tell Congress: Making polluters pay should be a no-brainer

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear Readers, Sign our petition in support of a carbon tax. Help us inject this progressive budget and climate solution into the conversation in Congress! With the debt ceiling crisis looming, Republican leaders like John Boehner (Ohio) and Eric Cantor (Va.) keep insisting on draconian cuts that would decimate our government's ability to protect people and the environment, while defending tax breaks for polluters and the wealthiest individuals. Many Democrats are voicing support for the same extreme cuts. That's outrageous. But unless we start asserting our alternative vision now, ongoing budget battles will continue to be lopsided in favor of corporate special interests. A carbon tax is one innovative, long-term solution to our budget and climate challenges that we must start injecting into the discussion. As political blogger Matthew Yglesias wrote this week, "it's absolutely insane" that a carbon tax is not being talked about.1 Sign our petition to Congress to let your representatives, and our progressive allies in Congress, know that you back this win-win solution. A carbon tax does not yet have the support it needs -- so we must start building it today. Simply put, a carbon tax is a fee levied on climate-heating emissions produced by burning coal, gasoline, natural gas and other polluting forms of energy. It could easily raise hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue -- enough to offset harmful cuts to Medicare, Social Security, health, education, labor and pensions programs proposed by the bipartisan "Gang of Six" senators in their plan to reduce budget deficits.2 The environmental benefits would be tremendous. Pollution imposes unacceptable costs on society -- from the medical bills of millions of children sick with asthma to the billions in economic damages caused by extreme droughts, floods, tornadoes and other weather tragedies made more frequent and severe by climate change. By forcing polluters to take responsibility for the full costs of their pollution, a carbon tax would provide an economic incentive for companies and consumers to switch to cleaner technologies and reduce the pollution overheating our planet, helping to head off the worst impacts of climate change. Add your name to our petition in support of a carbon tax -- and help us inject this progressive solution into the conversation in Congress. Even though it is a realistic and sensible solution, only a few members of Congress, like Representatives Pete Stark (D-Calif.) and John Larson (D-Conn.), have been brave enough to propose a carbon tax. Our first task will be to get more progressives in Congress on board. A carbon tax is a bold, long-term solution, not a political quick fix -- but it's exactly the sort of solution our environmental and budget challenges call for, and it's our job to move it out of the shadows and into the mainstream debate. In fact, promoting a carbon tax is one of the main pillars of Friends of the Earth's newly launched Earth Budget Campaign, designed to inject solutions into the budget debate that prioritize people over polluters. Are you with us? Tell Congress to make polluters pay instead of cutting vital social programs. Sign our petition in support of a carbon tax today! Let's fight for bold solutions, Ben Schreiber Climate and energy tax analyst, Friends of the Earth Sources: 1. Matthew Yglesias. "Cut, cap, and trade." Think Progress. July 26, 2011. 2. Ben Schreiber. "Could a carbon tax help solve our budget woes?" Grist. July 28, 2011. Friends of the Earth 1100 15th Street, NW 11th Floor Washington, DC 20005 (202) 783-7400 Friends of the Earth 311 California Street Suite 510 San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 544-0790 Friends of the Earth is fighting to defend the environment and create a more healthy and just world.   Our current campaigns focus on promoting clean energy and solutions to climate change, keeping toxic and risky technologies out of the food we eat and products we use, and protecting marine ecosystems and the people who live and work near them. To support this work, you can become a Friend of the Earth.

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*Scott's Contracting*

Green Me UP-Scotty
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Out of Control Spending by the US Government.

Government Gone Wild You Tube Video about the Out of Control Spending by the US Government.

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*Scott's Contracting*

Green Me UP-Scotty
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
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?Sink the economy to protect big oil tax breaks?

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear Readers, Tell "Captain" Cantor that sinking our economy to protect corporate polluters and millionaires is unacceptable. Sign the petition today. Imagine this for a moment. You're on a boat in the middle of the ocean, and you notice a hole in the hull where water is pouring in. The boat is starting to sink. You have two choices: you could either throw your provisions overboard or you could fix the hole. What do you do? You'd better hope that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) isn't your captain. Fixing the hole, he would argue, is difficult. You might have to sacrifice your seat cushion or your tailored shirt to fill the gap. You might lose that cushy luxury or be forced to wear a mismatched tie. It would be much better, according to Captain Cantor, to throw everything else overboard. The oars, your life jackets, the cooler full of food, and heck, even some expendable children and elderly sailors. But you could keep sitting on your cushions. Without all the extra weight, the boat will stay afloat -- at least for a couple more minutes. In negotiations to raise the debt ceiling, Captain Cantor is threatening to sink the American economy and undermine environmental protections so that his wealthy friends, including big oil corporations, can keep sitting on their cushions. Sign our petition to tell Cantor to get his priorities straight. As a lead House Republican negotiator in striking a deal to raise the nation's debt limit -- allowing our government to pay its bills -- Cantor is steering the nation toward an economic crisis. Failure to raise the debt limit could result in higher unemployment, force the government to delay Social Security checks, and drastically reduce the funding available to enforce bedrock environmental laws like the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.1 Why is Captain Cantor willing to watch the boat sink? It comes back to seat cushions.2 He absolutely refuses to ask polluting corporations and millionaires to pay their fair share. Late last week, his negotiating team rejected proposals to eliminate subsidies for big oil, corn ethanol and private jets.3 Enough is enough. It's time to provoke a mutiny in the ranks. In particular, House Republicans who are in vulnerable electoral seats need to see that Cantor's way is unacceptable to voters. Add your name to our petition to send Cantor and all House Republicans the message that sinking our economy and threatening our environment in order to protect corporate polluters and millionaires is unacceptable. This whole debate is part of a broader fight over priorities. Does government exist to advance the well being of everyone in the boat or just a wealthy few corporations and individuals that can afford high-priced lobbyists? Is a healthy environment worth more than maintaining the profit lines of big oil and coal companies? Because this broader fight is one we must win, Friends of the Earth is launching a new initiative next week -- the Earth Budget campaign -- to push for comprehensive budget solutions that prioritize people and the planet over polluters. Our country isn't broke, and we can protect the environment and advance the public good while reducing deficits. As we gear up to make an impact in the broader fight over priorities, we need to hold Cantor and House Republicans accountable now. Sign our petition to tell Cantor to prioritize people over polluters! Thanks for standing up for the environment, Michelle Chan Economic policy director, Friends of the Earth Sources: 1. "The risks of debt default on the economy and jobs." Center for American Progress Action Fund, July 7, 2011. 2. "GOP lawmaker refuses to believe the fact that Rep. Eric Cantor is shorting U.S. treasury bonds." Think Progress, July 8, 2011. 3. "Plan B emerges on debt." Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2011. Friends of the Earth 1100 15th Street, NW 11th Floor Washington, DC 20005 (202) 783-7400 Friends of the Earth 311 California Street Suite 510 San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 544-0790 Friends of the Earth is fighting to defend the environment and create a more healthy and just world.   Our current campaigns focus on promoting clean energy and solutions to climate change, keeping toxic and risky technologies out of the food we eat and products we use, and protecting marine ecosystems and the people who live and work near them. To support this work, you can become a Friend of the Earth.

*Scott's Contracting*

Green Me UP-Scotty
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Update on Missouri Court Solar Litigation

• Solar is Here to Stay in Missouri
• The Post Dispatch was wrong when referring to the "expected crash of the solar industry"
• arguments the lower court recently used for declaring the solar rebate "illegal and unconstitutional" are nonsensical

Renewable Energy Activists, Thank you for your emails to the Attorney General's office!   Your email response thanking him for intervening in the solar rebate case and requesting a stay was great!   We expect to hear soon if the stay will be granted.  The recent legal action to make solar rebates unconstitutional has been making headlines in Missouri and across the country.  We have been responding and trying to get the real story told.   Read Director PJ's Wilson's response below and watch for The Columbia Missourian story out today.     We could use your help to get the real story in local papers.   Please call or email our story below to your local paper.   Tell them you think this is an important story for them to follow.  If you can forward any news reports on this issue to Carla@RenewMo.org that would be very helpful.        Solar is Here to Stay in Missouri A recent article in The Post Dispatch painted a gloom-and-doom slant on the recent court decision against solar rebates in Missouri, referring to the "expected crash of the solar industry", which is far from true.   The truth is that the solar industry has been around in Missouri for over 15 years, and the solar rebate helped catapult the technology towards mainstream adoption in the last two years. However, dramatically falling prices for solar panels, a hefty 30% federal tax incentive, and increased competition also mean that, even without the existence of a solar rebate, the price of solar systems would be way less today than it was three years ago.   Make no mistake about it - in an arena where every form of energy is subsidized - and none more than the fossil fuel industry - solar would certainly suffer in Missouri if its state subsidy was taken away. But it won't be - because the arguments the lower court recently used for declaring the solar rebate "illegal and unconstitutional" are nonsensical. The Public Service Commission and Attorney General, as well as the solar industry itself, are committed to upholding the law as written, and challenging this lower court's flawed logic. The court's misconceptions are actually reflective of commonly held beliefs about solar, and this provides an opportunity for Missouri to learn about the real benefits solar has to offer.   First, the court asserts that utilities receive "no benefit" for the solar rebates they pay out. In reality, the PSC requires solar systems that receive rebates to stay in place for at least 10 years, ensuring that this generation is online. And the times that these systems are online are typically the times when it's the most expensive for utilities to generate power themselves. The more solar that's online, the less utilities have to pay for their most expensive power plants to fire up during the hot, sunny afternoon hours. Additionally, as opposed to independently financing and paying for new electricity generation, when utility companies pay solar rebates, they're paying only a fraction (perhaps 33%) of the cost of the solar system. The rest is covered by the federal government and the customer's checkbook. This means that, from the utility's standpoint, they're bringing reliable generation online for less money per kilowatt-hour produced than they could ever hope for by building new coal or nuclear. If this isn't a "benefit to the utility", as well as to the rest of the ratepayers and the public, I don't know what is. The judge also states that it doesn't change the utility's electricity portfolio even "by one kilowatt". He's right - using Ameren's own numbers, the 442 kW of solar installed as a result of their rebate program wouldn't generate "one kilowatt" - it will actually generate 552 Mega-watt hours (552,000 kilowatt-hours) of electricity per year in Missouri.

The truth is that solar is here to stay in Missouri. Panel prices have fallen by over 300% in the last 5 years, and the total combined renewable energy installed in the US just surpassed the amount of nuclear energy installed. The solar rebates have done a good job helping Missouri catch up with the rest of the nation, and I believe that the lower court's decision will be thrown out, and solar rebates will be up and running again in Missouri soon.   PJ Wilson Columbia, MO Director of Renew Missouri             Want to help volunteer with Renew Missouri?   The latest attack on renewable energy by the courts only highlights the importance of why another ballot initiative written to address every issue is likely our most viable route.  Please indicate your ability to help with another ballot initiative and other actions by visiting our Volunteers Welcome page.    Thank you for supporting clean energy in Missouri!   Carla Klein Renew Missouri

Missouri Coalition for the Environment | 6267 Delmar Blvd., Ste. 2E | St. Louis | MO | 63130

*Scott's Contracting*

Green Me UP-Scotty
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