ProgressOhio

Electricity generated in the outside world and brought into the Amish community via power lines is generally forbidden. Power lines running into an Amish home or business would be too direct a connection to the outside world for a people who believe in the Biblical injunction in II Corinthians 6:17: "Come out from among them and be separate, sayeth the Lord."

But generating power for themselves - especially in a family business, where the family members come together for a common purpose, is more than acceptable.

AEP's Appalachian Power and Indiana Michigan Power utility units each signed a 20-year agreement to purchase 100 MW of wind energy from the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm being developed in Benton County (and part of Tippecanoe County), Indiana, according to AEP. The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm is expected to be online by the end of 2008.

A pair of Ohio National Guard bases has received $7.1 million in federal funding for the installation of solar panels and wind turbines.
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The University of Toledo's Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization will be involved in the research and implementation of the new systems at both bases.

Ohio consumers and businesses could face slightly higher electricity bills in the coming years if utilities have to provide some power from alternative sources, according to research released yesterday.

Renewable-energy advocates say the "very small effect" predicted in the Cleveland Foundation's report is proof that Ohio should join a growing number of states that require a percentage of the electrical power that is sold to come from sources such as wind, water and the sun.

More than 20 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws similar to what the Cleveland Foundation dubs an "advanced energy portfolio standard." But there are concerns that it would make electricity considerably more expensive, particularly for large manufacturers.

"The results of this study should allay these concerns and enable policymakers to move promptly," said Richard Stuebi, the Cleveland Foundation's BP fellow for energy and environmental advancement.

The research, conducted by consulting firm ICF International, assumed that the state's utilities would meet requirements similar to those in place in Pennsylvania, Ohio's only neighbor with a portfolio standard.

Researchers assumed that by 2010, 1 percent of all electricity sold at the retail level in Ohio would come from renewable sources, rising to 8 percent in 2024.

Environmental Defense Fund asks you to sign a new Declaration.....

Global warming is the crisis of our time.

As we gather to celebrate the anniversary of the American Revolution, we find ourselves at a momentous turning point.

Thousands of you have joined us in recent weeks to draft a new Declaration articulating a New Patriotism to guide present and future generations.

Click here to sign....

Link

Change is not easy. The drafters of the Declaration of Independence said as much when they said "all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."

We need to renew our commitment to change every day. We need to communicate our demands to our leaders every day.

That is why this July 4th, the names of every signer to our Declaration will be communicated to Congress.

We hope to have at least 75,000 signatures on our Declaration by July 4th.

Here is the group's home site.....

www.environmentaldefensefund.org

Join the OSU Dems at the Drexel Gateway Theatre, 1550 N High Street, on Wednesday, April 25th for our first annual Candidate Meet and Greet. The event will last from 6-9 PM.

Candidates for Columbus City Council (and possibly Mayor Coleman), the Franklin County Commissioners, and other Democratic candidates and elected officials from in and around Central Ohio will be joining us. A few State Representatives and State Senators will also be in attendance. This is an excellent opportunity to hear directly from local leaders.

Admission is free with a student ID and is $10 for community members. Food and Drinks provided. We hope to see you there!

OH-15: Today's Dispatch has an interesting piece:

"We could have a primary," Brooks acknowledged.

She returned yesterday from Washington, where she attended the National Association of Counties’ annual legislative conference.

Off-hours, she courted officials of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"I got a very good reception," she said.

Also yesterday, Kilroy announced that she was planning a rematch against U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Upper Arlington. She began asking supporters this week for donations.

To summarize: Kilroy is in officially and Brooks unofficially. It is very early, but neither of them sounds of if they are planning on backing down from this race. That obviously leave us with a potentially contested primary.  I'm not personally going to voice and opinion because I like, respect, and have good relationships with both women.

But I will say a few things that I don't like about about a contested primary scenario:

1. It leaves two county commission seats undefended. We have our collective foot on the throat of the FCRP. The only position of any consequence outside of judges they still hold is the county auditor. I don't like potentially handling them a big homerun to revitalize a faltering county party

2. Money--this one is going to cost the big bucks, and I don't want to see our eventual nominee wasting valuable $$ on a primary. Remember, it's about taking the seat in November, not in March. Also, unless Pryce drops out, there is little change of an R primary. We don't want our candidate weakened by a primary.

3. It pits two powerful and important women in the Franklin County party against one another. I hate to lose one of them to service in the federal government, but I would especially hate to see  them both out of government at the local level. It puts incredible pressure on Marilyn Brown (the remaining commissioner) to campaign hard and get two new colleagues for herself elected. 

This debate has been raging at BSB here and here. I'd love to know what readers here think about the OH-15 race. At the very least, Pryce has got to be sweating that fact that in less than 6 months from her last election, she potentially has already got two strong challengers coming for her.

Here's the deal according to the Dispatch:

The nation’s county commissioners are calling on Congress and the White House to adopt laws that would reduce the industrial emissions believed to cause higher global temperatures.

In a meeting here yesterday attended by Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks, the board of directors of the National Association of Counties approved a resolution to combat global warming. It was the first time the nation’s commissioners have agreed on a climate-change policy.

"It shows broad-based support for doing something about this problem," said Brooks, a Democrat. "This is a very positive thing. It says that at the local level, people want something done."

The resolution calls on the federal government to approve a "series of practical incentives" that would allow U.S. industry to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, which is thought to be a major contributor to the rise in temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. The resolution also asks the White House and Congress to spend more to support "all means of emissions reductions."

Ground-up action might be the only way we are going to see major change in warming policy across the United States. In the face of a seemingly paralyzed federal government, we've already seen quite a few municipalities and states across the country taking the initiative. According to the article, this is the first time the nation's county governments have gotten together and spoken on the issue, which is an important step. 

Global warming is one issue where grassroots action has the potential to be incredibly effective, and we need to continue to elect local leaders who are committed to finding practical solutions to the global problems. Remember...today's city councilmen, mayors, county comissioners, etc. are tomorrow's congressmen, senators, and governors.

Congrats to Paula Brooks, Mary Jo Kilroy, Marilyn Brown and the rest of the nation's county comissioners who signed on to this resolution.  

I made a bit of a mistake earlier when I made it sound like the Kilroy/Pryce match was a certain thing. There has been no official word from Kilroy yet on her intentions, but mounting evidence suggests that she is strongly considering (if not already decided) making the run again.

Anyways the point of the post is to drum up early netroots support for Mary Jo and encourage her to get in the race again. You can still help by going to Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriots site and putting in her name. It literally takes 30 seconds and is well worth the effort. As we all know, early support is critical to the success of a campaign. 

Let's show Mary Jo what we can do. 

ABC and CNN all have it. It appears to be for one reason and one reason only: he can't raise the money. From the ABC report:

He simply hasn't raised enough of it to pay the bills of the size staff he would need to run a credible campaign.  One source said he hadn't even raised $1 million so far this year, and the expenses were growing. 

He is not expected, however, to denounce the notion that only the well-funded and rich can run for president. Another however: you are sure to hear a round of hand-wringing about this from some of the other candidates and some pundits.

He told his staff only this morning of his decision.  They did not try to talk him out of it.  He also started making calls to his supporters this morning.

I'm not surprised although I had hoped it wouldn't start happening this early. With Hillary and Obama apparently beating the hell out of each other, I worry about a situation where our front-runners are bloody and our second tier is all but nonexistent. We have to hope that Richardson, Dodd, etc. will stay in for the long haul.

Another interesting thing I picked up from ABC news is a glowing endorsement from Jimmy Carter for Al Gore. I can envision a scenario where Gore jumps into the race late after Hillary, Obama, or Edwards (or perhaps all three) have self-destructed or totally blasted each other to pieces. Gore is the only candidate who could afford to wait. It still seems unlikely, but it is within the realm of possibility.

I ran into an interesting article Link by Kevin Kelley with West Life News, a Westlake area publication, that is worth a read. The article followed Governor Strickland’s visit a few weeks ago at NASA Glenn Research Center.

Apparently the Governor’s visit was to take a look at the alternative fuel research going on at the NASA facility. The Governor visited the facility’s “Advanced Subsonic Combustion Rig”, the only device of its kind in this country, which is being used to develop alternative jet fuels. The combustion process converts CO2 and hydrogen to produce liquid fuel.

What caught my eye is that NASA is looking at technology to convert Ohio’s coal into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Fuels converted in this process have no sulfur emissions (which produces acid rain) and reduced CO2 emissions.  Just think, a coal-powered space shuttle? 

I find this very exciting, although I am concerned about applications that increase the mining of coal within the state without a concurrent policy to deal with the devastation left behind. Greater use of our coal resources would be a huge economic boost to our Appalachian areas of the state. Coal use further may increase with “clean-coal technology” in the generation of electricity. Add “liquid fuel” to the mix, and the mining industry will indeed be happy.

If the cost of coal increases, many ecologically sensitive areas that were too expensive to mine in the past may be economically viable. Because of federal law, mining companies are doing a better job at “reclamation” of land after mining activities have ceased. But the landscape is forever changed. And older mines have left a legacy of ecological problems, from mine subsidence to acid mine drainage into our potable water. There is not enough funding to address these problems created by mining companies long relegated to history. It is my hope that if these new technologies are successful, that increased mining is predicated on provisions for taking care of the environmental costs associated with the past, present and future mining operations.

MIT released a comprehensive study last month of the potential for geothermal energy within the United States.  The study found that mining the huge amounts of heat that reside as stored thermal energy in the Earth's hard rock crust could supply a substantial portion of the electricity the United States will need in the future, probably at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact.

One of Governor Strickland’s Turn Around Ohio initiatives is to create "good jobs" through "clean energy" in Ohio. Citing statistics such as Ohio being 6th in the US in total energy consumption and 4th in both the use of electricity and largest industrial energy users, clearly some kind of strategy for our energy intensive economy is necessary for sustainable growth. Oil costs continue to rise in this global economy with the emergence of industry in China, Russia and India and some estimate that the local supply of natural gas only has an economic life expectancy of about 60 more years (do I have time to dump my Columbia Gas stock?)

Governor Strickland has pledged to implement an energy strategy to create jobs and spur one billion (with a "b") in public and private investment in "Next Generation" energy production and consumption by 2010, a surely aggressive and exciting timetable. One of the steps in this strategy is to support "Clean Coal Technologies" by working to ensure that Ohio's regulatory climate provides incentives for investment in a wide range of clean coal technologies, including the development of advanced coal gasification technologies, such as Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology.