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2009 Archives

Sharpen regional focus on responding to climate change

Arizona Daily Sun editorial • December 30, 2009

It's been said in journalism circles that global warming should be on the front page every day, so serious are its implications for the entire planet.

That hasn't happened yet, although stories about climate change have certainly become more frequent on A1, both at the Arizona Daily Sun and newspapers throughout the world. Crises sell newspapers, and many scientists believe that Earth is already in crisis, so high have carbon dioxide levels become. The rate of carbon emissions, they contend, must not only be slowed but reversed if life as we know it is to survive into the next century.

Here in Flagstaff and on the Colorado Plateau, rapid warming is both a curse as well as an opportunity. A decade-long regional drought has been linked by some scientists to human-caused climate change, and it threatens not only the ecological balance but the ability of human communities to provide sufficient food and water at current rates of growth. Although Flagstaff is not as dependent as Phoenix on Colorado River water or as vulnerable to extreme summer heat, its pine forests at 7,000 feet are less resistant to disease and pests and more prone to catastrophic crown fires. Throw in the impact to tourism -- the city's second biggest employer behind government -- of rapid climate change, and Flagstaff has just as big a stake as the Maldives in stopping the rise of global temperatures. (read more...)

Navajo wind farm set

Arizona Daily Sun • December 28, 2009 • by Cyndy Cole

The Navajo Nation has announced plans to break ground on a $200 million wind farm late in 2010 on ranch lands about 80 miles west of Flagstaff.

If built, it would be the second large-scale wind farm in northern Arizona, following the construction of one south of Holbrook that is smaller.

The Navajo Nation, Foresight Wind Energy and Edison Mission Energy propose to build a 48-turbine array by December 2011, and to sell the electricity produced from the wind farm in Arizona.

The wind farm is proposed for the Big Boquillas Ranch, which stretches from the very windy Aubrey Cliffs northwest of Seligman to an area west of Valle and south of the Grand Canyon.

If operating at about the same efficiency as the proposed Dry Lake wind farm near Winslow, the 85-megawatt wind farm would generate enough electricity to power more than 20,200 homes when operating at full capacity. (read more...)

Sustainable businesses bright spot in economy

Phoenix Business Journal • December 28, 2009 • by Patrick O'Grady

Sustainable businesses provided a bright spot to the downtrodden this past year, and they could help lead the way as the state rebounds from the recession.

From solar announcements to the largest green building conference descending on the Valley, green business got its biggest push as utilities looked to expand their portfolios and state leaders hoped to establish a new manufacturing base in Arizona.

The state scored its second solar panel manufacturer late in the year when Suntech Power Holdings, one of the largest Chinese solar manufacturers, picked the Valley as home for its first U.S. plant. More of those announcements should be on the way since the state passed incentives designed to lure renewable power industries, said Barry Broome, CEO and president of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

“I think next year will be a good year for the state,” said Broome, who added there are a handful of companies keeping Arizona on a shortlist of potential location sites. (read more...)

APS rate case, state energy efficiency rules approved

Phoenix Business Journal • December 17, 2009 • by Patrick O'Grady

Arizona Public Service Co. finally got its 20-month-old request for a rate increase approved on Wednesday night by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the increase. Gary Pierce was the dissenting vote.

APS officials said the decision will help the utility keep its financing standing in good order. The company had argued that, without the increases, its bond rating would fall to junk status, making it much harder to gain financing in the future -- and more expensive for ratepayers.

“This agreement should provide APS a level of financial stability that allows the company to make smart investments in renewable resources and electric infrastructure, while also helping customers manage their bills with strong energy efficiency programs,” said APS President and Chief Operating Officer Don Robinson. (read more...)

SunWind Solutions customizes energy installation

Arizona Daily Sun • November 28, 2009 • by Joe Ferguson

For homeowners who decide they want to install solar panels or a wind turbine, the next choices require some advanced calculations.

No, not how to finance the devices.

That's easy compared to the complex engineering needed to determine how many solar panels would be a good fit for a business or whether enough wind blows through a homeowner's back yard to justify the tens of thousands of dollars for a turbine.

But a local business has recently released a software package that could ease the headaches associated with modeling solar and wind systems for businesses as well as homes.

SunWind Solutions, founded by NAU graduate Brad Van Orden, offers a software package that would help a person custom-design a system that integrates sustainable power sources with their home or business. (read more...)

National Bank of Arizona funds PHX residential solar

Phoenix Business Journal • November 10, 2009 • by Patrick O'Grady

National Bank of Arizona, SolarCity and Arizona Public Service Co. are teaming on a $25 million effort to land more solar systems on the city’s residential rooftops, with a backup to potential leases provided by the city of Phoenix.

The plan, to be announced Tuesday, calls for National Bank of Arizona to supply funding for what could be about 1,000 solar systems for Phoenix residents. It’s a move officials say could knock down the high entry cost for distributed solar and provide jobs in the city.

“It will be a major program in its scale within the country,” said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. (read more...)

Geothermal energy raising hopes in AZ

Arizona Daily Star • November 6, 2009 • by Tom Beal

The U.S. Department of Energy this week awarded $338 million in grants to advance development of geothermal energy — using the heat trapped in water beneath the Earth's surface to generate electricity or heat buildings.

The Arizona Geological Survey will head up a $17.8 million project to gather information about geothermal resources from individual states and incorporate it into a national data system.

We asked Lee Allison, the Arizona state geologist and director of the survey, about geothermal energy in Arizona and the nation.

What is geothermal's potential in our future energy mix?

We could supply all our electrical needs for the entire country, indefinitely. It's a renewable resource. It's 24/7. Solar stops when the sun goes down. The wind stops blowing. And it's been very cost-competitive, one of the cheapest technologies out there.

Aren't there a limited number of hot spots?

Most of the geothermal development for electricity is coming from a few areas where they have hot springs and geysers. This program has new initiatives for enhanced geothermal systems. You can find heat that is maybe not evident at the surface, but below it. How do you drill in? Find or create fractures and bring it to surface? There are none of these operating in the world, but the potential is huge. (read more...)

Faith AND good works

Arizona Daily Sun • November 3, 2009 • by Cyndy Cole

City weatherization grants are helping to keep hundreds warmer this winter, including two elderly Catholic sisters

Sisters Elizabeth and Augustine are cold in the winter and hot in the summer in their home next to Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel, across the street from NAU.

Wind comes through the attic, up from the foundation and into the rooms used for prayers, sleeping and sometimes feeding those who knock at the door seeking help. The insulation in the attic is probably 50 years old and mostly useless, because it is compacted and covered with thick black dust.

"There's hardly any insulation up there," said Chris Watson, president of home-improvement company ReGroup. "I don't know how they don't freeze."

The sisters (they don't call themselves nuns) will have their old home improved, courtesy of volunteers donating time and supplies.

Such projects are in swing around Flagstaff, due to private demand from residents who are cold or environmentally concerned, and because of stimulus money being passed to the county and city. (read more...)

Study shows need for more workforce training

SEDI News Release • November 1, 2009

During Summer 2009, the Coconino County Sustainable Economic Development Initiative commissioned NAU’s Center for Business Outreach to conduct a Demand Study of the need for a Northern Arizona Workforce Training Center (NAWTC) in the five-county region that includes Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo and northern Yavapai County or the Verde Valley.

Today, businesses and organizations rely mostly on area community colleges and in-house training programs for their training needs. The major benefits of a NAWTC would be to: provide a greater pool of qualified applicants; increase productivity of area businesses; decrease training time; and, increase employee efficiency.

Two groups were surveyed to establish demand – Opinion Leaders and Business Leaders throughout this region.

The Opinion sample represented City and County officials, Chambers of Commerce leaders, leaders of area non-profits, educational institutions, and Native American tribes – leaders whose support would be critical to successful implementation of a NAWTC.

More than three-fourths of Opinion Leaders said it was difficult today for businesses and organizations in their area to hire the skilled employees they need. Recruitment and retention problems were mostly due to the region’s lower wages, few possibilities for advancement, and inadequate benefits – problems that tend to be “regional” rather than “industry-wide.” (read more...)

APS to invest $500 million in solar-power projects

The Arizona Republic • October 29, 2009 • by Ryan Randazzo

Arizona Public Service Co. announced Thursday the company plans to invest $500 million in new solar-power projects through a program called Arizona Sun.

CEO Don Brandt was asked during a conference call with investors about the recent cancellation of a major solar plant in Arizona that Lockheed Martin Corp. planned to build.

"We have a number of plans to backfill that," Brandt said.

He said APS would likely be involved in the ownership of some of the new plants, and that the company was asking state regulators' permission to invest $500 million in "a variety" of solar projects.

"We could recover the costs through any number of different mechanisms," he said, adding that the Corporation Commission could consider adding a new tariff to customer bills or raising base rates. (online article)

Recovery Through Retrofit report released

Mother Nature Network • October 20, 2009 • by Melissa Hincha-Ownby

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was signed into law earlier this year, has been responsible for billions of dollars in grants and other funding for infrastructure upgrades, green jobs training, and other projects designed to help the nation recovery from this recession. Yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden released a new report by the Middle Class Task Force and the White House Council on Environmental Quality — Recovery Through Retrofit.

The topic of retrofitting homes, especially those in low-income areas, is not a new concept for recovery funding. Under and unemployed Americans were able to take advantage of green jobs training programs across the country that prepared them for weatherization and energy-efficiency upgrade projects. As fall is upon us and the weather is turning cold in most parts of the nation, the importance of these retrofit projects is even more pronounced. (read more...)

Energy grant totals $587K

Arizona Daily Sun • October 1, 2009 • by Joe Ferguson

A small gap in a window or torn weather stripping can do a lot more than just let in a cold chill in every winter. It can also put a large hole in your wallet.

The city is expected to accept a $587,000 grant from the Department of Energy next week that is expected fund up to 550 energy-efficient upgrades for homeowners inside the city limits. Nicole Woodman, the city's sustainability manager, said the program is designed to reduce energy consumption and utility bills while increasing the overall energy efficiency of existing residential buildings.

The new program is expected to retain up to 12 jobs in the construction industry and will create a part-time position at the city to assist in accepting applications and determining the appropriate level of fee for service. (read more...)

SEDI wins Governor's Excellence Award

The Coconino County Sustainable Economic Development Initiative (SEDI) has been awarded the 2009 Governor's Excellence Award for Innovative Economic Development.

The award was presented by Governor Jan Brewer to SEDI Board President Carl Taylor and Executive Director Marshall Whitmire at the August 26-28 Governor's Regional and Rural Development Conference in Litchfield Park, Arizona.

Since 1997, the Excellence in Rural Development Awards Program has focused on outstanding community projects and has recognized extraordinary efforts to place Arizona in the forefront of economic development.

The Innovative Economic Development award is given each year to an Arizona organization whose activities include “noteworthy, creative or innovative techniques brought to bear on challenging economic development situations.” The award also recognizes “use of partnerships for leveraged resources in achieving business development goals.”

“Creative partnerships are what SEDI is all about,” said Taylor, who was instrumental in forming the organization during his first term as Coconino County Supervisor for District 1. “Our job is to bring together everyone who can assist in the creation of sustainable businesses and green jobs in northern Arizona, including the businesses themselves, governmental entities, the tribes, educators and non-profits. The partnerships that have been forged in SEDI are demonstrating extraordinary abilities to take advantage of emerging opportunities for regional economic development.”

Whitmire feels that this Governor's award is a clear indication that our region and many of its key leaders are now working effectively together to help shape a sustainable economy. “I'm sure the SEDI Board and our many collaborators will be gratified at this recognition but will see it as a marker of our progress, not an end of our important work together,” said Whitmire.

Small sawmill carves out a niche

Arizona Daily Sun • September 20, 2009 • by Joe Ferguson

When Silas Page decided to establish a small sawmill here in Flagstaff, he had a plan to make it sustainable: Harvest a steady source of trees but avoid clear-cutting whole parcels.

Page, a Northern Arizona University biology student at the time, saw a niche market. He would salvage wood that would otherwise be ground into wood chips and turn the wood into fencing, siding, barn wood, flooring, cabinetry, furniture and finished lumber.

Part of his inspiration to establish AP Sawmill & Lumber Products came in the summer of 2002, when an infestation of bark beetles devastated the trees surrounding Flagstaff. The infestation left countless dead trees on both public and private lands.

He believed the logs could be cut locally rather than shipping them to another sawmill several hundred miles away.

"I just connected the dots and saw an opportunity there," Page said. (read more...)

Recovery Act funds Arizona 'green' projects

Navajo-Hopi Observer • September 9, 2009 • source: www.epa.gov/recovery

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - On Feb. 17, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The EPA manages over $7 billion in projects and programs that will invest in environmental protection and provide long-term economic benefits to aide recovery efforts across the nation.

EPA has obligated over $88 million in Recovery Act Funds to Arizona, including the city of Phoenix, which will receive $829,697 million to reduce diesel emissions by retrofitting and replacing city-owned equipment. The city of Flagstaff is also receiving $126,900 for work at the Route 66 Creosote Pit Cleanup and Redevelopment project.

To support sustainable water and energy-efficient drinking water and wastewater systems, the Arizona Clean Water State Revolving Fund program will receive $26.4 million, the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program will receive $55.3 million and $267,400 in Recovery Act funds for Water Quality Management Planning (WQMP) in Arizona has been awarded. (read more...)

Blazing new trails in Native American lands

New York Times • August 23, 2009 • By Bonnie Tsui

On the road through the tree-studded high desert toward the small town of Chinle, Ariz., the car radio was bringing in the local Navajo station, with a playlist heavy in Top 40 hits, peppered with Navajo-language station breaks and car commercials. The sky was a cloudless blue, and I was on my way, with my childhood friend Esther Chak, to Canyon de Chelly, a geologic maze of towering red cliffs and deep-cut gorges dotted with pictographs and ruins of ancient cliffside villages. Lying in the heart of the 21st-century Navajo Nation, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in North America, a window into both an ancient world and a modern one. (read more...)

A new test for business and biofuel

New York Times • August 16, 2009 • by Kirk Johnson

IGNACIO, Colo. — An unusual experiment featuring equal parts science, environmental optimism and Native American capitalist ambition is unfolding here on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in southwest Colorado.

With the twin goals of making fuel from algae and reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases, a start-up company co-founded by a Colorado State University professor recently introduced a strain of algae that loves carbon dioxide into a water tank next to a natural gas processing plant. The water is already green-tinged with life.

The Southern Utes, one of the nation’s wealthiest American Indian communities thanks to its energy and real-estate investments, is a major investor in the professor’s company. It hopes to gain a toehold in what tribal leaders believe could be the next billion-dollar energy boom.

But from the tribe’s perspective, the business model here is about more than business. “It’s a marriage of an older way of thinking into a modern time,” said the tribe’s chairman, Matthew J. Box, referring to the interplay of environmental consciousness and investment opportunity around algae. (read more...)

Navajo Nation taking the lead in green economy

The Arizona Republic • August 11, 2009 • Op Ed by Wahleah Johns

Yesterday, the Navajo Nation signed into law promising green-jobs legislation that could serve as the first step in a broader transition for the Navajo Nation and other low-income communities in the Southwest.

The bill, passed by the Navajo Nation Council in July, creates the Navajo Green Economy Commission that will coordinate a long-term green transition plan for the Navajo Nation and a Green Economy Fund that will support green-business development in the community. These enterprises range from weaver's cooperatives to small-scale clean energy projects. While a green economy is not a new concept to Navajos, it does stand in stark contrast to our recent past and present.

I grew up in the northern part of Navajo Nation, in a community called Forest Lake. It is at the center of one of the largest coal-mining operations in the country. For decades, the coal industry has removed coal and water from our lands to provide electricity throughout the Southwest. (read more...)

NAU research powering wind energy growth

Arizona Daily Sun • August 5, 2009 • by Cyndy Cole

If you think it through, Arizona voters and taxpayers are largely responsible for launching the state's first large-scale wind farm. They paid for the initial research that prompted interest from a major Spanish wind-farm developer. A multimillion-dollar, large-scale wind farm being constructed between Holbrook and Heber relied on a wealth of wind data collected over a few years on rancher Bill Elkins' land. That data collection was done with wind-measuring equipment on loan from Northern Arizona University, as one of several university programs funded by a voter-approved sales tax passed in 2000 to fund technological innovations. The idea was to collect a trove of wind data across northern Arizona and put it out for wind power developers, the public, or whoever wanted to use it. (read more...)

See also Birds and blades can mix and thrive that describes the research of SEDI Board of Director's member Bill Auberle, and Slower wind here still worth developing about a study by SEDI intern Karin Wadsack.

Major wind project proposed

Arizona Daily Sun • August 5, 2009 • by Cyndy Cole

Wind developers are proposing to build the first major wind farm near Flagstaff on a cattle ranch about 22 miles southeast of the city.

Foresight Wind Energy is proposing to install 130 to 330 large turbines on the Flying M Ranch east of Mormon Lake and tie into federally owned power lines. In all, the proposed project could cover 55 square miles, and if fully built-out, provide the equivalent of 500 megawatts of electricity. About 100 megawatts of electricity would power half of Flagstaff -- or 25,000 to 30,000 homes in the Southwest. A 500 megawatt project would power 125,000 homes. (read more...)

Efficiency drive could cut energy use 23% by 2020, study finds

New York Times • July 29, 2009 • by Kate Galbraith

The biggest opportunity to improve the nation’s energy situation is a major investment program to make homes and businesses more efficient, according to a study released Wednesday by the consulting firm McKinsey. An investment of $520 billion in improvements like sealing ducts and replacing inefficient appliances could produce $1.2 trillion in savings on energy bills through 2020, the study found.

The report said such a program, if carried out over the next decade, could cut the country’s projected energy use in 2020 by about 23 percent, a savings that would be “greater than the total energy consumption of Canada excluding transportation,” Ken Ostrowski, a senior partner in McKinsey’s Atlanta office, said at a forum in Washington on Wednesday. It would also more than offset the growth in energy use that would be expected otherwise. (read more...)

Navajo Nation approves green job legislation

SolveClimate.com • July 22, 2009 • by Laura Shin

The Navajo Nation became the first Native American tribe to pass green jobs legislation intended to grow thousands of jobs in ways that follow the Navajo traditions of respecting the Earth. The Navajo Nation Council voted to establish a Navajo Green Economy Commission that will draw on federal, state and foundation funding to pay for green initiatives ranging from farmers’ markets to small-scale energy projects. (read more...)

Grant to bring Navajo Nation renewable energy

Arizona Daily Sun • June 27, 2009

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A company owned by American Indians has been awarded more than $500,000 to bring electricity from solar power to Navajo Nation homes that now lack electricity.

Sacred Power Inc. of Albuquerque was awarded the grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The company went into partnership with local chapter houses on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and Arizona to secure USDA grants for modular hybrid solar photovoltaic stations to provide electricity.

The USDA says such stations combine photovoltaic panels plus controls, battery storage and a backup small wind turbine or propane generator to provide reliable electricity to homes.

Systems are built at Sacred Power's Albuquerque plant, then moved to the home.

AZ House endorses bill to entice clean energy firms

East Valley Tribune • June 27, 2009 • by Howard Fischer

Phoenix – The state House gave preliminary approval Friday to legislation designed to convince renewable energy firms to locate or expand their operations in Arizona.

SB 1403 would give eligible firms a check from the state equal to 10 percent of what they spend on building a new manufacturing operation or a corporate office.

But the simple capital investment, though, would not be enough. At least half of the company's workers would have to be paid at least 125 percent of the state's annual prevailing wage of $37,050 a year. And firms would have to cover at least 80 percent of each worker's health insurance costs.

The legislation also would give qualified businesses an 80 percent break in their property taxes for 15 years. But that would require that half the workers be paid at least twice the prevailing wage. (read more...)

Camp Navajo business park names first tenants

June 26, 2009 • Arizona Daily Sun • by Cyndy Cole

A major business park proposed for Camp Navajo has recruited four tenants and will begin construction in March, said the company heading the project.

The park will be home to a solar panel manufacturer, a biomass plant, a sawmill and wood pellet business and a bottled water company for starters, said John Infantino, CEO of Federal Development International. Over 10 to 15 years, the Flagstaff Business and Energy Park in Bellemont is proposed to include perhaps 40 businesses on 684 acres leased from the Army National Guard for a period of at least 50 years.

The developer would sink $22 million to $25 million in today's dollars into improving buildings and infrastructure at the base in return for its use. (read more...)

SEDI board members attend “green boot camp”

June 18, 2009 • Flagstaff, AZ • Coconino County News

Living Cities offered SEDI Board Members Ron Hubert and Rebecca Sayers along with Coconino County Verna Fischer, Director of Coconino County Community Services, an unprecedented opportunity to learn new strategies and share best practices on creating green jobs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through city-wide retrofitting

The event, "Green Boot Camp: Recovery Through Retrofitting," was held May 31-June 2 at Harvard Kennedy School. National experts and multi-disciplinary teams of senior officials from 17 U.S. cities, met for intensive training and peer learning on ways to improve, accelerate and scale up their building energy retrofit programs. (read more...)

Arizona SBA pushing new loan programs

Phoenix Business Journal • June 5, 2009

The Arizona District Office of the Small Business Administration will host a number of workshops to discuss a new loan program for small businesses called American Recovery Capital Loans as well as other assistance available for small businesses through the SBA.

The new program, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, authorizes the creation of a temporary emergency loan program called American Recovery Capital, or ARC loans.

Workshops will be held throughout Arizona, including Yavapai Community College in Prescott on June 17. (read more...)

Report: 'Green' jobs outpacing traditional ones

Arizona Daily Sun/Christian Science Monitor • June 14, 2009 • by Ron Sherer

 

NEW YORK -- "Green jobs" are growing nearly 2-1/2 times as fast as traditional jobs, finds a new study by Pew Charitable Trusts. The study, released Wednesday by Pew as the first ever count of such jobs in all 50 states, concludes that the clean energy economy, while still in its infancy, "is a vital component of America's new economic landscape."

The Pew study looked at jobs created between 1998 and 2007. Since then the overall job market, especially in traditional manufacturing, has shrunk while the investment in wind farms, solar projects, and pollution mitigation has fared better.

Moreover, the growth of green jobs is an important part of President Obama's jobs agenda, with billions of dollars allocated for green energy and transportation programs in the $787 billion economic stimulus package.

"The clean energy economy is poised for explosive growth," said Lori Grange, interim director of the Pew Center on the States in a statement. (read more...)

New tax incentives for solar industry

Arizona Daily Sun • June 14, 2009 • by Howard Fischer

 

PHOENIX -- State senators voted Friday to approve generous new tax credits for firms that agree to manufacture their solar equipment in Arizona.

Sen. Barbara Leff, R-Paradise Valley, said Arizona already attracts a large number of solar generating facilities. "If you haven't noticed, we have an awful lot of sunshine here," she said. That's what's resulted in several companies planning to build generating facilities.

To this point, the bigger ones do not involve direct generation of electricity. Instead, they are designed so that mirrors focus sunlight -- and heat -- on tubes which carry a transfer liquid that heats up water to create steam to drive turbines. (read more...)

Holbrook wind turbines to deliver power

Arizona Republic • May 12, 2009 • by Ryan Randazzo

Thirty big wind machines rising off a little-used highway between Holbrook and Heber are a curiosity for now in a state that lags its neighbors in alternative energy. But that soon will change.

The 412-foot turbines, Arizona's first, will begin sending energy to Salt River Project customers later this year, and many more turbines are on the way.

Utilities are rushing to develop alternative energy because of state requirements mandating more renewable sources and because of federal taxes being proposed on activities tied to fossil-fuel burning and global-warming pollution. (read more...)

Free solar for 200 homes in Flagstaff

Arizona Daily Sun • May 11, 2009 • by Cyndy Cole

About 200 households and up to eight businesses in and near east Flagstaff could get solar panels for free as part of a pilot project to turn neighborhoods into power producers.

Arizona Public Service is proposing to buy solar panels and pay local contractors to install them on houses and businesses from Smoke Rise and Doney Park to Lenox Park. "We think it's important to build awareness within our customer base, and we couldn't think of a better place to start than Flagstaff," said APS Chief Executive Officer Don Brandt.

The utility would buy, own and maintain the solar panels on private homes and businesses and receive the electricity -- typically equating to about half of the electricity used in a local home.

Homeowners would receive a locked-in 20-year rate on portions of their electric bills for offering to have the 2, 3, or 4-kilowatt solar systems, and allowing easements to access them. (read more...)

Green jobs will fire up state's ailing economy

Arizona Republic • May 2, 2009 • by Billy Parish

In the past year, the number of unemployed men and women in Arizona has nearly doubled to more than 240,000. Most of those job losses have been in construction, as the housing industry has been particularly hard hit.

Our best bet to stem the loss of jobs and reinvigorate the state economy is through the creation of green jobs in housing, transportation and clean-energy development.

Arizona, in particular, stands to benefit from the development of a clean-energy economy. With more than 300 days of sunshine every year and more solar-energy potential than any other state, Arizona is well-positioned to capitalize on the new energy-technology revolution. Investing in clean energy creates four times as many jobs as investing the same amount of money in oil. Those jobs can be here in Arizona.

But there's a major obstacle: the lack of federal legislation. (read more...)

Home help is on the way

Arizona Daily Sun • April 29, 2009 • by Cyndy Cole

Winter is miserably cold and expensive at Jenille Montelongo-Rodriguez's house.

Her family of six sometimes pays more than $500 monthly for gas and electric bills, with fires burning and heaters on high. And yet they walk around the house in double layers of socks, multiple sweaters and sweatpants, and huddle under blankets on the couch.

Her house likely leaks heat from at least one wall with little or no insulation, says a team dispatched by the Northern Arizona Council of Governments to weatherize such homes.

"They're telling me that I don't have any insulation in the attic. That's what's making us freeze. And it's really hot in the summer," Montelongo-Rodriguez said.

There's going to be a lot more of this sort of home improvement ahead, thanks to about $7.5 million in federal stimulus funding heading to northern Arizona for improving energy efficiency in homes. (read more...)

$1 billion solar plant for Kingman

Arizona Daily Sun • April 20, 2009 • by Howard Fischer

A Spanish company is to announce plans today to build a solar power plant in northwest Arizona that could power 70,000 homes.

The solar-concentrator operation to be built near Kingman would be the first U.S. operation for Albiasa Corp. The firm is the U.S. subsidiary of Albiasa Solar, which operates photovoltaic generators in Europe.

Company officials say the 200-megawatt plant will create up to 2,000 construction jobs, with more than 100 permanent positions when completed in 2013.

This is the second major project of its type planned for Arizona. Last year, Abengoa Solar, also from Spain, rolled out plans for a 280-megawatt plant near Gila Bend. (read more...)

Valley contractors learn science of weatherizing

The Arizona Republic • April 22, 2009 • by Ryan Randazzo

The instructor tosses a large cuplike cover over the air-conditioning vent and takes a digital reading of the pressure.

Sure enough, the instrument tells him there is a leak that's siphoning cool air -- and possibly hundreds of dollars a year -- into the crawl space under the house where contractors learn energy-efficient home repairs.

Local classes teaching home-energy audits and weatherization science have been packed since the government pledged about $112 million in federal economic-stimulus money to Arizona for efficiency projects, most of which will go to grants for low-income residents to weatherize their homes. (read more...)

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick Announces $112,470,278 in Weatherization Funding for Arizona

The Kayenta Today • March 12, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick announced today that $112,470,278 has been allocated to Arizona for Weatherization Assistance Program through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“This is just one more step towards stabilizing our economy and we have many more to take,” said Kirkpatrick. Representative Kirkpatrick continued “I am proud of the communities and the organizations that have seen these difficult times as an opportunity to look forward and build a better Arizona, as well as move closer to breaking our dependence on Middle Eastern oil.”

“We very much appreciate Congresswoman Kirkpatrick’s efforts in getting the program included in the bill and the bill passed. This is really going to make a difference in the lives of our citizens in northern Arizona. We are really excited about our weatherization program being included in the Stimulus Bill. For the first time ever we should be able to dramatically cut into our two year client waiting list. We can now serve twice the number of homes and will have twice the amount of investment in each home,” said Ken Sweet, Executive Director of the Northern Arizona Council of Government (NACOG), who has been administering the weatherization program in northern Arizona for over 30 years.

“City of Flagstaff is extremely grateful for Representative Ann Kirkpatrick’s work which was instrumental in securing $112 million for weatherization and energy improvements in the State of Arizona. We anticipate that the portion of those funds that come to Flagstaff and our region will be used to create jobs, reduce energy costs for our most needy citizens, and allow us to use our energy resources more efficiently in the future,” said Vice Mayor Al White, City of Flagstaff.

“Stimulus dollars put toward weatherization programs have immediate payback in two critical ways: this is the single most efficient way to reduce energy consumption (especially in existing structures) and it lends itself to a rapid ramp-up in job training and employment. The knowledge and tools required for this work are relatively simple and can be readily used by a willing workforce. So, people who need most to reduce their energy bills will benefit, while at the same time quick job creation is accomplished! This is a smart and strategic economic move. We appreciate that Congresswoman Kirkpatrick understands the importance of this program to the residents of District 1 and her continued support of this valuable program,” said Carl Taylor Coconino County Board of Supervisor, District 1.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the State of Arizona to enhance its renewable energy portfolio through the deployment of renewable energy to Arizona homes. This will result in new job opportunities in both rural and urban areas across the State. I can’t thank Congresswoman Kirkpatrick enough for her understanding of the importance of renewable energy and how the Stimulus package will create new jobs and expand the renewable energy industry in Arizona. There is a tremendous opportunity through this legislation for the industry to bring new job opportunities to District 1,” said Andy Kruse, Co-Founder and Vice President of Business Development of Southwest Wind Power.

“Investments in energy efficiency are generating great returns for our customers, and weatherization provides similar benefits to low-income customers who cannot afford to cover those costs themselves,” said Gary Smith, Vice President and General Manager of Gas Operations for UES. He added, “We’re excited about the prospect of expanding these efforts with the vital funding the stimulus package will provide.”

APS announces a Request for Proposal (RFP) for energy generated from small renewable projects.

APS Press Release • March 12, 2009

APS is looking for new sources of renewable energy that cumulatively can provide 45,000 megawatthours annually. Eligible resources include biogas, landfill gas, biomass, geothermal, solar, wind, hybrid wind and certain hydropower technologies. The projects must employ commercially proven technologies and provide at least 1,500 megawatthours per year. The actual number of projects selected and the total energy received will depend on several factors, including the cost to customers.

Interested parties are encouraged to participate in a bidder’s conference on April 16, 2009.

The Small Generation Pilot Program was created to increase the number of successful small renewable generation projects. The new RFP helps developers of these projects by streamlining the proposal and contract procedures.

The small generation RFP was included in APS’ 2009 Renewable Energy Standard Implementation Plan previously approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Additional information about the conference and the RFP is available online at http://www.aps.com/aps/rfp/renewable2009/default.html.

APS Report Charts Clean Energy Future

APS Press Release • Jan. 30, 2009

Renewables, Energy Efficiency to Power Arizona’s Long-term Electric Needs

PHOENIX – Over the next two decades, APS customers could receive significantly more of their electricity from clean energy sources under a comprehensive Resource Plan filed today with the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Developed with substantial public input, the report identifies a balanced path to Arizona’s energy future. By 2025, APS envisions producing a significant amount of power through solar plants and other renewables, while simultaneously helping customers improve the energy efficiency of their homes and businesses. The Company will also review baseload resource alternatives beyond 2020 and plans to keep its carbon dioxide emissions in the year 2025 at or below 2009 levels. (read more...)

Gordon to unveil lofty 17-point green plan for Phoenix

Arizona Republic • March 11, 2009 • by Scott Wong

Mayor Phil Gordon will use today's State of the City address to outline an ambitious strategy to make Phoenix the first carbon-neutral city -- and the greenest -- in the entire country.

Green Phoenix, a 17-point plan developed in collaboration with Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability, would require about $1 billion in water, renewable energy, public-transit and other investments.

Gordon is turning to President Barack Obama's economic-stimulus package for help, though he doesn't expect to receive funding for every goal. (read more...)

Flagstaff business zones to get windmills

Arizona Daily Sun • January 8, 2009 • by Joe Ferguson

The Flagstaff City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Tuesday night that will allow the installation of wind turbines on lots as small as a half-acre, but not in residential zones.

Currently, the city's land development code is silent on wind turbines -- it doesn't specifically allow them nor does it forbid them.

Wind turbines nearly 100 feet tall could start appearing in industrial and commercial areas around Flagstaff in a just a few short months.

Likely candidates include parcels near the Flagstaff Mall and atop McMillan Mesa, where winds are the most consistent and speeds are highest. (read more...)

Arizona hoping green initiatives will blossom into new jobs

The Arizona Republic • Jan. 5, 2009 • by Betty Beard

While the nation waits to see how environmentally friendly President-elect Barack Obama's proposed stimulus package will be, Arizona's economy already is greening up.

Signs of change include a green chamber of commerce, an upcoming green-job fair and a major green-building conference.

The state already has about 50 buildings built to strict energy-efficient standards.

Big companies such as U-Haul International Inc. and the Dial Corp. are researching ways to become more Earth-friendly. Trucking companies are switching to more-fuel-efficient rigs.

The Greater Phoenix Economic Council, an economic development group, says a growth in green companies, especially solar, is among the best ways to diversify the state's economy and reduce its reliance on housing construction...

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst estimated that Arizona, based on its population and share of the gross domestic product, could get about $1.9 billion of that and net 37,234 new jobs. The jobs could be in fields such as mass transit, building retrofitting, smarter or more efficient electrical grids, wind power, solar power and advanced biofuels... (read more...)

Sun to power Grand Canyon visitor center

Arizona Republic • Jan. 3, 2009 • by Ryan Randazzo

The Grand Canyon Visitor Center near the South Rim is getting a solar-power system that will help educate about 1 million visitors annually about solar power. The effort is being funded by donations from utility customers who support renewable energy.

Arizona Public Service Co. is giving the $185,000 system to the National Park Service.

The system will include three ground-based solar-panel platforms and a digital readout to show how much electricity is being generated and to explain how the system works. Additional panels will be installed on the roof.

APS customers can choose to pay an extra penny per kilowatt-hour of electricity as part of the Green Rates program. The utility uses the money for renewable projects like the Canyon solar panels.

"This is a great location to interact and educate a large number of visitors, and also a lot of non-Arizonan visitors, allowing us to associate Arizona with solar energy," said Phil Smithers, APS technical-services leader for renewable energy.

The 18-kilowatt system is about twice the size of the largest household systems. It will provide about 30 percent of the center's annual electricity, saving the Park Service about $2,500 a year, Smithers said.

Installation is scheduled to begin this month and be completed by March. APS awarded the contract to Architecture and Environmental Associates in Flagstaff after a competitive bidding process, Smithers said.

The utility will buy the renewable-energy credits from the project to count toward the state-required goal of generating 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.

The Grand Canyon Visitor Center near Mather Point lookout is the first viewpoint most travelers encounter when driving to the Canyon.

The center is also slated to receive a general upgrade, said Charles Wahler, chief of operations for the division of interpretation at the park.

"This project . . . echoes the park's commitment to protecting the environment through the use of renewable-energy sources," said Judy Bryan, the park's chief of interpretation.

$1.75-Million grant to strengthen tribal partnerships

EPA News • December 15, 2008

Northern Arizona University's Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals received a $1.75 million grant to support a steering committee of tribal co-regulators to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on solid and hazardous waste cleanup issues, according to a recent press release.

EPA also is releasing a tribal strategy to advance the protection and restoration of land in Indian country. The new strategy provides a detailed plan of how the agency will strengthen its partnership with tribes to advance the shared goal of protecting public health and land resources in Indian country.

"This tribal strategy and grant award represent a new and stronger commitment from EPA and the tribes to work together on these important issues," said Susan Bodine, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "Over the next five years, EPA and the tribes will work closely together to prevent land contamination and bring contaminated land back to productive use."

The grant money will be used by the steering committee to advise and assist with federal policy formulation on protecting and restoring land in Indian country; develop and provide training; provide technical assistance and research on hazardous substances throughout Indian country; and conduct outreach for program development and service delivery to ascertain evolving needs and tribal priorities.

The tribal strategy includes steps that EPA will take to strengthen tribal management of solid and hazardous waste to advance cleanup and reuse of contaminated properties, Superfund sites that affect tribal lands, and leaking underground storage tanks. EPA will support an annual tribal forum to discuss progress and potential modifications to the tribal strategy.

For more information, go to http://www.epa.gov/oswer/tribal/.

Energy Independence

American Loggers Council • January 2009 • by Allen Ribelin

I am certainly grateful that the exorbitant fuel prices of this past summer are only a bad memory but my real fear of the current situation is that we will be all too quick to forget how painful getting and paying those fuel bills were. Many dialogues were started on varying fronts to find alternatives as a result of $140+/barrel crude and many of the proposed solutions only made financial sense because of the extremely high raw material costs for typical fossil fuels. Now, even though we are currently at 2004 prices (didn’t we complain about that price then?) we need to keep focused on developing alternatives and that can keep America independent from the extortion of the OPEC group and its manipulation of the oil supply. What I fear is a situation similar to what happens here in the southwest during an extreme wildfire season…when the sky is full of smoke and homes are being threatened or lost…the poor forest condition is front page news; but when the summer monsoons start and the risk is greatly reduced it has proven difficult to keep the conversation progressing forward about landscape forest improvements. (read more...)

2008 “What's New” Archives

2007 “What's New” Archives

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