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  • 11-Aug-10 12:56 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    This story is taken from Sacbee / Business: wwwsacbee.com

    California Attorney General Jerry Brown sued federal mortgage lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for blocking green financing programs around the state, saying the agencies' actions put more than $100 million in federal stimulus funding at risk.

    In a filing in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Wednesday, Brown said the federal housing agencies have effectively shut down the programs, which provide homeowners with financing for solar panel installations and other energy retrofits.

    The move has forced clean energy companies to lay off workers and is hampering the state's economic recovery, the suit said.

    "As the nation struggles through the worst recession in modern times, California is taking action in federal court to stop the regulatory strangulation of the state's grass-roots program that is spreading across the country," Brown, the Democratic nominee for governor, said in a news release.

    The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, said it has no plans to change course despite the lawsuit.

    "In keeping with our safety and soundness obligations, the Federal Housing Finance Agency will defend vigorously its actions that aim to protect taxpayers, lenders, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," said Edward DeMarco, FHFA's acting director.

    Pioneered in the last few years by Berkeley and Palm Desert, the Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, programs allow homeowners to borrow money from local governments for energy improvements, and pay it back through their property taxes.

    According to the New York Times, the PACE approach has now been authorized by 22 states using $150 million in federal stimulus funds.

    Problems arose in May when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac issued warning letters saying the arrangements may violate their rules because – like other property tax assessments – they have a payback priority position over mortgage loans.

    The two agencies expressed concern that counties would be paid before they would whenever a homeowner with a PACE loan defaults on a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan.

    The agencies' concerns prompted Placer and Sonoma counties to temporarily halt their programs, with hundreds of pending applications left in limbo.

    On Tuesday, Sonoma County's Board of Supervisors voted to go ahead with a PACE program anyway.

    Sacramento and Yolo Counties were set to kick off their PACE plans later this year but have also been stalled by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

    "That had a chilling effect on the programs since we don't have robust or innovative credit markets right now," said Martha Amram, a senior fellow at the Milken Institute and CEO of Mountain View-based Ennovationz Inc., which specializes in residential energy efficiency programs.

    Brown unveiled details of the lawsuit in San Diego, which had planned to launch its PACE program this summer.

    Brown noted that San Diego was forced to suspend its program indefinitely, leaving more than 100 people trained in energy retrofits out of work.

    Brown's lawsuit said that the federal agencies mischaracterize the green financing programs as loan programs.

    Instead, they should be considered tax assessments such as those used by local governments to build schools, roads and other community projects, the suit said.

    These assessments should be given priority over liens held by institutions such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the suit said.

    The suit calls for a federal judge to issue an injunction or a temporary restraining order barring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from taking adverse actions against any homeowner with a PACE loan.

    Martin Chavez, executive director for the 600-member ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, applauded the state's lawsuit, saying the federal agencies essentially are intruding into local governments' authority to issue tax assessments.

    © Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

  • 11-Aug-10 12:53 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    Washington, D.C--(ENEWSPF)--July 30, 2010.  The Sierra Club filed suit against the Federal Housing Finance Agency ("FHFA") for blocking participation in Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs by any of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's mortgage holders. The FHFA has oversight over the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac").

    PACE programs allow local governments to finance the initial costs of residential clean energy projects by providing upfront funding to homeowners to pay for improvements, like installing solar panels and upgrading homes with energy saving measures. Local governments then recoup these costs by adding special assessments to homeowners' properties. The program is similar to those already in use across the country to finance community-scale improvement projects - such as putting utility lines underground or repairing roads or sewers. PACE programs seek to use this proven financing approach to overcome the financing obstacles to small-scale clean energy projects.

    Statement from Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune


    Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are overstepping their bounds by preventing Americans from using these programs. PACE programs provide middle class Americans a means to invest in affordable energy upgrades that will in turn create thousands of clean energy jobs. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac need to stop blocking participation in these programs.

    By providing upfront funding for clean, renewable energy and energy saving improvements, PACE programs benefit Americans by enabling them to conserve energy, dramatically reduce their utility bills, increase their property values, and decrease the overall impact of global climate change by reducing their individual carbon footprints.

    Once established, PACE programs will need no federal funding, yet will create thousands of jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency manufacturing, installation, and construction. PACE-program enabled investments will develop a workforce in manufacturing, building trades and other occupations necessary to deliver a new generation of higher performing, smarter, greener buildings.

    PACE programs further benefit Americans by reducing the effects of climate change and other air pollutants that result from our reliance on fossil fuel energy sources. Reducing reliance on these polluting sources improves human health, aesthetics, property value, recreational opportunities, and the environment.

    Background: On May 5, 2010, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac issued advice letters to all lending institutions stating that mortgages for homes participating in PACE programs are not allowed. The letters wrongfully mischaracterized the PACE program as issuing "loans."

    On July 6, 2010, the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Edward DeMarco echoed the policies stated in the May 5, 2010 advice letters by issuing a statement that directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to adjust their practices in a manner that will severely restrict, if not completely eliminate, the availability of PACE programs for homeowners.

    Source: sierraclub.org

          For those of you who have an opinion and who would like to share your sentiment about the PACE decision, you can reach these key decision-makers at:

          Charles Haldeman Jr.
          CEO
          Freddie Mac
          8200 Jones Branch Dr.
          McLean, VA 22102-3110
          Toll Free: 800-424-5401
          703-903-2000 Fax: 703-903-4045
          www.freddiemac.com

          Michael Williams
          CEO
          Fannie Mae
          3900 Wisconsin Ave. NW
          Washington, DC 20016-2892
          202-752-7000
          Toll Free: 800-732-6643
          www.fanniemae.com

          Edward DeMarco
          Acting Director
          Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)
          1700 G Street, NW 4th Floor
          Washington, DC 20552
          Email: director@fhfa.gov
          202-414-6923
          www.fhfa.gov

          
  • 11-Aug-10 08:46 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    By Shari Shapiro: Published on GreenBiz.com (http://www.greenbiz.com)

    This week, the EPA released its Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments.  The EPA says:

    The Toolkit is designed to assist local governments in identifying and removing permitting barriers to sustainable design and green building practices. It provides a resource for communities interested in conducting their own internal evaluation of how local codes/ordinances either facilitate or impede a sustainable built environment, including the design, construction, renovation, and operation and maintenance of a building and its immediate site.

    The toolkit can be downloaded here.

    The Toolkit was developed by EPA Region 4, and we are very excited to have Karen Bandhauer, an Environmental Scientist at EPA Region 4 for an interview about the Toolkit on August 4.

    Yesterday, the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School issued for comment a draft model municipal green building ordinance.  The Model Ordinance is available for download here.  According to the Center for Climate Change Law:

    Unlike other model ordinances that detail technical specifications, this ordinance presents a framework for the implementation of existing technical standards and a streamlined procedure for their compliance and enforcement. The model ordinance accommodates the rapidly developing field of substantive green building standards by allowing for the adoption of new standards within the ordinance’s framework.

    Notably the Model Ordinance attempts to deal with the issues related to preemption, non-delegation, and antitrust, and a separate analysis document is available on the site as well.

    I look forward to working through these documents and commenting on them further, and looking forward to hearing your thoughts on these resources.

    Shari Shapiro, J.D., LEED AP, is an associate with Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP in Philadelphia. Shari heads the company's green building initiative. She also writes about green building and the law on her blog a www.greenbuildinglawblog.com, where this post originally appeared.

    Image CC licensed by Flickr user america.gov.

    GreenerBuildings Buildings Government Policy & Regulations
    Source URL: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/07/23/2-tools-cities-crafting-green-building-laws
  • 11-Aug-10 08:40 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    By Amy Bounds Camera Staff Writer: Boulder Daily Camera


    What: Casey Middle School open house

    When: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday

    Where: 1301 High St., Boulder


    The first thing students will see as they stream into Casey Middle School's new building on the first day of school later this month is an open commons area designed as the school's hub.

    Directly ahead, a new library. To the left, counseling and administrative offices that have staff members gushing over all the space. To the right, a three-story classroom wing plus a shiny gym, state-of-the-art 350-seat auditorium and spacious art and band rooms.

    Throughout, there's streaming daylight, views of the foothills and pieces of the old gym floor used in benches and along walls. The design also preserves a piece of the 1924 building's history, using the west and south building facades as the back wall of the library.

    "I can't wait to see the kids in here," said Boulder Valley School District project manager Lou Novak.

    The new Casey will be officially unveiled at an open house Thursday.

    The $33 million rebuild of the central Boulder school is part of a $296.8 million bond issue approved by Boulder Valley voters in 2006. The Boulder City Council also gave the district $1.8 million, which comes from an education excise tax levied on residential development, for green upgrades to the design plan.

    Casey students and teachers were moved to Platt Middle School during construction. Demolition of the old building started in January 2009. Construction started in March 2009 and finished earlier this summer.

    Casey teacher Val Wheeler called the new building "a huge gift to the whole city, and especially the students and community of Casey."

    As a teacher who spends most of the day in her classroom, she said she appreciates the natural light and good views. She also likes all the details, like pieces of the old gym floor, that keep it from being "a cookie-cutter piece."

    "It has just a little funkiness left over from the old Casey," she said.

    Principal Alison Boggs said the best feature is "everywhere you stand, you can see outside."

    She and other school district officials also hope the district's investment in the building will help convince more families to enroll their students at Casey.

    Enrollment for the fall is expected to be between 375 and 400 students. The school, which is designed for 600 students, also is expecting its biggest sixth-grade class in years, with about 175 students.

    The main shortcomings of the old building were small learning spaces that didn't support the middle school curriculum, accessibility issues and a foundation on expansive soils, members of Casey's design team said.

    The new building creates classroom wings for each grade level that include a mini-commons area, lockers and teacher workspace. One safety feature is interior doors at the entrance that can be locked during the school day, requiring parents and other visitors to sign in at the main office to gain access to the rest of the school.

    Other highlights include more staff parking -- located underneath the gym -- and a separate entrance to the auditorium and gym so both can be used for community events without opening the whole school.

    Designed as an environmental showcase, the school is going for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification. The certification level is expected to be announced in October.

    "Green" elements of the school include a geothermal heating and cooling system, energy-efficient appliances in the kitchen, solar panels and "solatubes" that direct light into classrooms. A section of roof is covered with plants to reduce the "heat island" effect of development.

    Automated classroom lights also adjust based on the level of light in each classroom, while slanted ceilings direct outside light deeper into each room. There's even a food pulper in the kitchen, which compresses food waste that will then be composted. The pulper replaces garbage disposals.
     

    Casey Middle School's new building by the numbers

    106,458 -- total building square feet

    20,000 -- how many more square feet in the new building than the old one

    8.4 acres -- size of the site

    134 -- number of "solatubes" used to light the building

    34 -- number of classrooms

    43 percent -- total estimated water reduction using "green" fixtures

    54 percent -- total estimated energy reduction

    $26.7 million -- construction cost

    $33 million -- total cost for project

     
  • 11-Aug-10 08:19 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    Newsbrief from Environmental Building News
    August 1, 2010

    Supported by industry and environmental groups alike, the U.S. Congress has passed a bill limiting the amount of formaldehyde in hardwood plywood, particleboard, and medium-density fiberboard. Introduced in late 2009, the bill bases formaldehyde limits on limits developed and enacted by the California Air Resources Board (see Diverse Interest Groups Support National Formaldehyde Standard, EBN Dec. 2009). Limits become effective as soon as 2011 and become more stringent over time; these dates are dependent on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, however, which must develop regulations for enforcing the standards. The bill covers only some composite wood products—it does not cover structural plywood or hardboard—and does not apply to other products, such as fabrics or insulation, that contain formaldehyde. Having passed through Congress, the bill awaits the signature of the president.
  • 11-Aug-10 08:11 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    By Barry Cik: Published on GreenBiz.com (http://www.greenbiz.com)

    I’ve spent the last 30 years as an environmental engineer, but it wasn’t until I became a grandfather that I fully understood the extent to which industrial chemicals had invaded the American home.

    My rude awakening came when my wife sent me to buy a crib mattress for our first grandchild. I was appalled by what I found; the crib mattresses were full of industrial chemicals. Because of my environmental engineering background, I knew how harmful these chemicals could be to a developing child.

    No one sets out to make toxic baby mattresses; it just evolved that way. As just one example, nearly all baby mattresses are covered with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make them waterproof. Because PVC is rigid, manufacturers mix in a class of chemicals called phthalates to soften the PVC. When added to PVC, phthalates don’t stay put; they leach into the air, making children more vulnerable to asthma, reproductive harm and cancer. One short-sighted decision leads to another and, before you know it, you’ve got a very unhealthy baby mattress.

    The good news is, Congress is considering legislation that requires chemical manufacturers to show that their products are safe before they end up in products. Called the Safe Chemicals Act in the Senate and the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act in the House, these proposals have the potential to improve Americans’ health and restore consumer trust in American businesses and products.

    Now it is up to our elected officials to make sure these bills become law. Yet they will only succeed if we can all stand firm in the face of chemical industry lobbyists who will argue that more regulation will hurt small business. My story demonstrates that just the opposite is true.

    Back at the baby store, I told the salesperson, “My grandfather slept on straw. I’ll have my grandchildren sleep on straw before I let them sleep on these mattresses. This is not progress.” That shopping trip six years ago spurred my sons and I to start our own business, Naturepedic. It took some work to find the right combination of materials and the right manufacturing process, but I’m proud to say that today we offer waterproof baby mattresses made with organic and non-toxic materials. Yes, you can make a baby mattress without toxic chemicals.

    Today, businesses like mine are thriving thanks to rising consumer demand for non-toxic products. But there still is a problem: It’s hard for companies like Naturepedic to be fully certain which suppliers do and do not use toxic chemicals. Most of them do, whether they admit it or not. The blame rests squarely on our outdated system for regulating chemicals, the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA). Under TSCA, chemical manufacturers don’t have to demonstrate that their products are safe for children, nor do they have to disclose all the ingredients.

    This lack of transparency puts businesses like mine in a bind. We’re forced to foot the bill for what chemical manufacturers don’t provide, spending our own resources to independently assure safety.

    By reforming TSCA, we can create a new marketplace where chemical safety information is easily available to all and businesses can make informed choices about what brands and materials to use, making it easier to avoid exposing workers and customers to harm.

    I know from experience that once people realize that their kids’ beds, mattresses, toys and bottles may contain toxic chemicals, they start reading labels and put their trust in brands that can demonstrate safety. But not everyone can afford to act on this knowledge. Consider families living paycheck to paycheck that can’t always afford to buy the least toxic choice. Our next challenge is to turn frustrated consumers into vocal citizens who will support Congress in making non-toxic the norm, not a market niche.  

    I never expected to be a mattress maker. Honestly, this industry doesn’t have a great reputation. At the turn of the century, mattresses were frequently stuffed with garbage. It took individual states to enact laws that require mattress manufacturers to provide labels. Today, we need Congress to take action on an equally outrageous problem. My hope is that in 10 years our grandchildren will ask, “Really? They used to make crib mattresses with toxic chemicals?” And then, when toxic chemicals in crib mattresses are a thing of the past, I’ll be ready to finally retire and really enjoy my grandchildren.

    Barry Cik is a Board Certified Environmental Engineer and founder of Naturepedic, an organic mattress company, based in Cleveland, Ohio.

    Source URL: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/08/11/chemical-regulations-and-modern-mattress-stuff-nightmares

  • 11-Aug-10 07:56 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    US President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed legislation that would fund emergency assistance to various states, partly through the trimming of $1.5 billion in funding for renewable energy loan guarantees. The US House of Representatives approved the bill (H.R. 1586) hours earlier, largely along party lines.

    The Senate approved an identical version ON August 5. The bill would provide $26 billion to states to pay for thousands of teachers, policemen, firefighters and other government workers. It would offset these expenditures with a number of revenue increases and spending reductions, including the cut to the Department of Energy's loan guarantee program. Federal budget rules allow the $1.5 billion to support a maximum of $15 billion in loan guarantee authority.

    Renewable energy groups have protested the rescission since it was unveiled last week by leading Senate Democrats as part of a broader compromise aimed at securing the support of Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. The two Republicans' support allowed the measure to pass the Senate. But renewable energy advocates say that $2 billion was borrowed from the same $6 billion fund in 2009 to pay for another unrelated program--the so-called "Cash for Clunkers" rebate program for vehicles. The money was never replenished despite promises from lawmakers and the White House it would be. "These two cuts will significantly undermine the DOE loan guarantee program," said the heads of five prominent renewable energy associations in a joint letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the eve of the vote.

    Renewable groups estimate that loan guarantee dollars spur up to 10 times the value in investment. The letter was signed by the leaders of the American Wind Energy Association, the Solar Energy Industries Association, Geothermal Energy Association, National Hydropower Association, and the Biomass Power Association. The renewable energy industries had hoped to see both chambers of Congress approve a renewable energy standard for electric utilities this congressional year, but it stalled because of insufficient support in the Senate. The five used their letter to Pelosi to plug an extension of a Department of Treasury grant program approved as part of 2009's economic stimulus law, saying that it and other pro-renewable policies would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs.

     --Jean Chemnick, jean_chemnick@platts.com Similar stories appear in Inside Energy. See more information at http://www.platts.com/Products.aspx?xmlFile=insideenergy.xml

  • 11-Aug-10 07:50 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    The 20-year contract with Cogentrix Energy LLC is to get 30 megawatts of power from a new concentrating solar power facility to be built in the San Luis Valley.

    By Ann Rascali: - Colorado Energy News - http://coloradoenergynews.com -

    The announcement Monday came from Cogentrix, a solar power developer based in Charlotte, North Carolina and a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Terms were not disclosed.

    The new solar power plant is believed to be the largest of its kind in the world and will cost between $140 million and $150 million to construct, according to Jef Freeman, spokesman for Cogentrix. Once up and running, the facility should generate enough power to supply 6,500 homes.

    “Our focus has always been on developing quality power generation facilities that deliver reliable power to our customers,” said Tom Bonner, President of Cogentrix Energy. “We’re pleased that our Alamosa Solar Generating project continues in that tradition. We have enjoyed a long relationship with Xcel Energy with other electric generating projects on their system and are excited at the opportunity to now be in position to assist them in meeting their renewable portfolio requirements.”

    Construction on the Alamosa Solar Generating project is expected to get underway in the first quarter of 2011 and will employ an average of 110 people per month during the 15-month construction period. Construction jobs will peak at 140 people at the height of construction, Freeman said.

    Once operational, the power plant’s employment role will be a modest five to 10 people.

    This latest move from Xcel Energy fits with its aggressive deployment of solar and wind resources to meet Colorado’s mandate of 30% of power to come from renewables by 2020.

    The solar power generating facility will use concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems supplied by Amonix, Inc., a leader in the design and manufacture of CPV systems based in Seal Beach, California.  Amonix CPV technology uses optics and a dual-axis tracking system to focus large amounts of sunlight onto very high efficiency photovoltaic cells. As a result, CPV solar is more efficient, producing more energy per acre than any other solar technology making it well suited for utility-scale applications in sunny and dry climates. The system will produce up to 30,000 kilowatts of solar energy for the customers of Xcel Energy, providing enough electricity for approximately 6,500 homes.

    Financing of the 225-acre plant has yet to be completed. Freeman says Cogentrix is seeking a combination of public and private financing and does not anticipate any problems securing the financial support. The company has already applied for loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Energy for the project.

    CLICK HERE [1]FOR MORE SOLAR PROJECT NEWS

    Article printed from Colorado Energy News: http://coloradoenergynews.com

    URL to article: http://coloradoenergynews.com/2010/08/xcel-energy-in-concentrated-solar-deal-with-cogentrix/

    URLs in this post:

    [1] CLICK HERE : http://coloradoenergynews.comFOR MORE SOLAR PROJECT NEWS

    Click here to print.

    Copyright © 2009 Colorado Energy News. All rights reserved.

  • 05-Aug-10 07:59 | Meagan Forney (administrator)
    - Colorado Energy News - http://coloradoenergynews.com -

    A Colorado firm located in Berthoud is launching new software to support the explosion of state and federal programs aimed at improving home energy efficiency. EnergyLogic, Inc [1]. is a home energy rating, training and software development firm which has has come up with the OptiMiser software, in partnership with OptiMiser, LLC [2]. The program is designed to make home energy audits easier, more accurate and customizable.

    The company has some solid experience behind its latest effort. Founded in 2006, EnergyLogic has completed more than 10,000 home energy audits and trained more than 400 energy raters and auditors across the country. Helping to boost the New Energy Economy, the firm hired 40 more employees in 2009 and expects to hire another 60 over the next three years.  It is currently partnering with Veteran’s Green Jobs, a Denver-based nonprofit organization, to provide weatherization services to 1,800 income-qualified households in Denver and Jefferson counties. The $9 million program is funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and administered by the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office. Nationally, the $5 billion program will provide weatherization services for about 15 million eligible households.

    “OptiMiser is groundbreaking energy analysis software for conducting the most accurate on-site and customizable energy audits possible today,” said Steve Byers, principal, EnergyLogic. “It is especially appealing to public utilities and government agencies under pressure to control costs and deliver highly accurate results. We expect OptiMiser to capture a significant share of the burgeoning energy efficiency software industry.”

    Energy auditors work for government agencies, utilities, nonprofit and private firms. A home audit includes a visual inspection of the home, diagnostic tests and a follow-up report with recommendations that can reduce monthly utility bills by 20 percent or more.

    Using the OptiMiser software, an auditor can analyze utility bills against weather data, evaluate   appliance upgrade savings and provide the homeowner with the final report on site, resulting in cost savings and more immediate consumer action. OptiMiser also supports institutional users with large groups of auditors. It works in conjunction with iRate®, an industry specific system for managing and operating all aspects of an energy auditing program. iRate®, also developed by EnergyLogic, won the 2008 RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) Industry Innovation Award.



    Article printed from Colorado Energy News: http://coloradoenergynews.com

    URL to article: http://coloradoenergynews.com/2010/08/colorado-firms-launch-home-energy-audit-software/


  • 02-Aug-10 13:07 | Meagan Forney (administrator)

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