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Kasich agrees to sign bill revamping green-energy requirements
Gov. John Kasich plans to sign a controversial pullback on renewable-energy rules that passed the Ohio House yesterday. “After a lot of hard work, we’ve got a solid plan to examine the progress Ohio has made while also holding onto that progress,” Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said in a statement. He said the bill is a compromise between those who want to eliminate the energy rules and those who want no change. “It’s not what everyone wanted, which probably means we came down at the right spot,” he said. The bill passed the House 53-38, overcoming opposition from nearly all Democrats and some Republicans who said the measure will lead to job losses and an increase in air pollution.
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German wind company puts North America headquarters in Iowa
A German wind energy company has chosen Estherville as the location for its North American headquarters, a local economic development group said today. The firm, windtest, will open the location this summer, the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corp. said in a statement. Based in Grevenbroich, Germany, windtest established the North American arm of the company, windtest north-america inc., earlier this year. The company will initially employ about five people with plans to hire up to 10 during the next few years, according to Iowa Lakes Corridor Development. [ read more … ]
Fallout from chamber study on power plant rule previews pitched battle to come
The furor yesterday over a U.S. Chamber of Commerce study on U.S. EPA’s upcoming proposal for existing power plant greenhouse gases has set the stage for what is likely to be a bitter struggle over the rule. The business group’s Center for 21st Century Energy — which has joined with the National Association of Manufacturers and others to oppose regulations they deem burdensome to industry — released a report yesterday arguing that the rule EPA will propose Monday would be an economic disaster, driving up power costs and slashing employment in all regions of the country, but falling hardest on the regions most dependent on coal (Greenwire, May 28). [ read more … ]
8 states roll out bold plan for hitting zero-emission targets
Eight states will offer buyer incentives, promote workplace charging and foster effective marketing, among other steps to put 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on their roads by 2025, under an implementation plan released today. By that point, the plan calls for 15 percent of all new vehicles sales in the participating states to be ZEVs. To lead by example, those states will require at least 25 percent of their own light-duty car and truck fleets to fall in the zero-emission category. [ read more … ]
Bills floated to promote renewables, GHG reductions
Several bills introduced in the House yesterday aim to promote renewable energy development or address climate change, although it’s unlikely that any will be taken up soon in the GOP-controlled lower chamber. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) offered a pair of bills yesterday to extend clean energy tax breaks and reintroduced legislation to implement a cap-and-dividend program that has struggled to gain traction. Separately, a bipartisan pair sought to expand a tax credit for small-scale wind projects, although Congress remains stuck on broader tax debates amid procedural spats in both chambers. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) say their bill would help align a tax credit for distributed wind systems with the prevailing definition used by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.