The Wind Siting Reform

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Problem

In Massachusetts, it’s currently easier to build a large fossil-fuel energy facility than to get a permit to produce wind energy. Other New England states have more predictable siting laws, making them more attractive to developers.

Solution

The Wind Siting Reform Act streamlines the permitting process for wind energy facilities while preserving local control. It creates a timely and predictable process for developers to follow, which will encourage the development of wind energy facilities in our state.

Recycling Brownfields

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Problem

Like many older industrial cities, Flint is left with contaminated and abandoned brownfield sites from old factories. These unused sites have been a major impediment to the redevelopment of Flint’s downtown area, negatively affecting the quality of life and economic value of surrounding communities. Unfortunately, the high costs of traditional remediation for such areas often prevent reuse.

Solution

Mayor Walling has proposed thinking about redevelopment in a new way — through the lens of recycling. In a pilot project utilizing this new paradigm, Flint is working to transform the site of a former Chevrolet plant, Chevy in the Hole, into Chevy Commons, a parkland along the Flint River with wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and other green areas. Thinking about “recycling” space means looking to reuse or renew, and requires making success out of failure and converting costs to revenues by finding alternative uses for waste products, working in alignment with natural processes, and serving the public in new ways.

Farmland Protection

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Problem

Across the country, counties are losing millions of acres of farmland to urban sprawl each year, resulting in limited crop production and diminished economic growth for these communities who depend on farmland as a primary economic source.

Solution

In 2000, Senator Unger sponsored legislation that created the Voluntary Farmland Protection Act, authorizing county commissions to adopt and implement a farmland protection program and appointing a farmland protection board in order to voluntarily protect agricultural lands from overdevelopment. This act provides a unique opportunity for each participating county to design, implement, fund and administer a Farmland Protection Program that aligns with their particular county’s needs and goals, while outlining state-level guidelines as a resource. The protection of farmland through conservation easements provides many benefits for local communities; the ability to provide a local source of agricultural products; the enhancement of tourism; the preservation of historical and cultural resources; and providing open space for rapidly developing areas while protecting natural resources.

Renewable Energy Market

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Problem

States across the Western region vary in their access to and use of renewable energy sources. Many states continue to rely heavily on fossil power-plants, with high pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Other states, such as California, have excess renewable energy sources during parts of the day, but lack access to ready markets for their green energy. There are also challenges to integrating some renewable resources, such as wind and solar, since they are subject to weather patterns that may not match demand.

Solution

Senator Bob Hertzberg proposed a new plan to help improve how Western states trade and integrate renewable energy resources, like solar, wind, geothermal and others. His plan would guide the development of a new regional electricity market and grid operator to manage diverse needs across the West. Participation in the marketplace would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, deliver power more efficiently, avoid costs for duplicative infrastructure, increase transmission-grid efficiency, and raise awareness of energy availability and pricing. By coordinating these efforts across the Western region, Hertzberg plans on dramatically increasing access to reliable and less expensive sources of renewable energy, helping to reduce pollution across the region.

 

How to steal this idea:

Learn more about Senator Herzberg’s proposal on his website: Sen. Bob Hertzberg announces plan to create renewable energy market with other Western states to help fight climate change

 

Visit and share the gallery of NewDEAL Challenge winners at governing.com/newdeal. 

Boise’s Geothermal LIV District

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Problem

The City of Boise needed to redevelop part of the downtown area to spur economic growth, while also ensuring that they continue to meet their high sustainability standards.

Solution

Boise will address their redevelopment needs by expanding the nation’s largest direct-use geothermal system by “recycling the renewable” through an incentive program to reuse once-used, lower temperature water. This will result in less electricity use, a reduced carbon footprint, and economic development to benefit all Boise residents. By reusing this recyclable resource in redevelopment projects, Boise will be able to rebuild an area of downtown ripe for redevelopment, expand the capacity of our geothermal system overall, and spur investment that will provide return to its investors, taxpayers, and residents for years to come.

Resource Innovation Campus (RIC)

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Problem

The Phoenix City Council has set a goal of Zero Waste by 2050, with an interim goal of diverting from the landfill 40% of trash generated in Phoenix by 2020. Through a partnership with Arizona State University’s Resource Innovation and Solutions Network, the City is focused on creating value and economic development opportunities from solid waste streams.

Solution

Repurposing existing resources, rather than mining non-renewable resources is a sustainable smart investment. To achieve Zero Waste, Phoenix is developing the Resource Innovation Campus. Located on approximately 40 acres of land adjacent to the City’s 27th Avenue Transfer Station, the RIC is key to “transforming trash into resources,” diverting materials from Phoenix’s waste stream to grow a circular economy that supports manufacturing innovation and job growth. The Campus attracts innovators with manufacturing processes and conversion technologies to use trash as a resource. These innovators are also fueling the generation of new manufacturing jobs at the RIC and throughout the community.

Efficient Buildings Fund

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Problem

Rhode Island’s energy costs are among the highest nationally because the state is a net energy importer and not a significant producer of fossil fuels or hydropower. Rhode Island’s publicly owned building stock also tends to be old and energy inefficient. Addressing this situation also provides an opportunity to respond to the fact that the state has recovered slowly from the recession, with particularly high unemployment in the building and construction trades.

While utilities and other private sector actors often offer financing for partial energy retrofits, these programs often require short payback periods which make only small improvements (new lightbulbs, etc) economically viable. For bigger projects, like envelope-level upgrades to large buildings, municipalities usually have to rely on traditional bonding, which can be expensive and cumbersome, particularly for financially distressed communities with low credit ratings. 

Solution

The Efficient Buildings Fund (EBF) is a revolving loan fund that provides low cost financing for municipally-owned alternative energy instillations and energy retrofits of municipal buildings. EBF addresses a financing gap that municipalities face when investing in major energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, putting tradesmen and women to work on projects that help municipalities save money on energy costs while also reducing their carbon footprints. The EBF provides flexible, long-term financing that allows large retrofit projects to be cash-flow positive to municipalities so they can start saving money right away. Capitalized in part from federal stimulus funds and proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the EBF provides long-term loans to municipalities at a discounted rate to what they could receive from the bond market.

Climate Prep for those in Need: Preventing Emergencies During Climate Crises through Vulnerable Resident Outreach

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Problem

During Hurricanes Sandy and Irene, Princeton’s emergency response systems were bombarded by calls and struggled to keep up with requests for assistance. A large volume of emergency requests came from vulnerable community members whose situations became emergencies due to storm-related impacts. For example, residents who are dependent on electricity for their oxygen delivery systems developed emergency needs when their power went out. If vulnerable individuals are not able to get the medications, equipment, or the special care they need, they can be at increased risk of complications and even death during an emergency.

Solution

Princeton is conducting a series of activities to proactively prepare for the needs of vulnerable citizens during extreme weather, including:
• Table top exercises for emergency personnel and institutional partners to identify vulnerable community members and improve response
• Integrate data collection to create a single repository for information about vulnerable populations; Create processes for this information to be up-to-date, secure, and utilized by first responders and personnel in times of need and compliant with health privacy laws
• Carry-out a public education campaign to educate community members on climate emergency preparation
• Strengthen outreach support systems through existing neighborhood support groups

Clean Energy Future for New Hampshire Communties

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Problem

Climate change represents an existential threat to our environment, ecosystems, economy, and social structures not only in the United States but on a global scale. The current federal administration is engaged in a dramatic roll-back of common sense action to meet the challenge of climate change, abdicating leadership on both a domestic and international basis. As a result, climate leadership must be assertively pursued on a state and local level. Over 125 cities across the United States such as Concord, NH have committed to achieving 100% renewable energy generation by 2050 and are actively implementing projects to move towards this goal.

Solution

Concord, NH is providing leadership on both a municipal and statewide basis on practical solutions to meet the challenge of climate change while controlling our energy destiny, creating economic opportunity and jobs, and improving our environment. When the Concord City Council adopted the 100% renewable energy by 2050 goal, a process to create a detailed strategic plan was initiated through an intensive community input process. The plan covers three sectors -electricity, transportation, and thermal energy. Specific projects such as reforming zoning rules to encourage solar development and deploying utility scale solar projects on municipal properties are underway by city of Concord.

Concord, NH Ready for 100% Clean Energy

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Problem

Climate change presents a variety of challenges to public health, the built environment, ecosystems, and cultural resources. In New Hampshire, climate change impacts include increased risks for asthma and other respiratory diseases, sea level rise that effects our coastal communties, more frequent and powerful storms, a steep decline in our moose population as a result of the proliferation of ticks, and the negative economic impacts on industries such as maple sugaring and winter sports. The significant reduction of carbon pollution is essential to meet these varied challenges.

Solution

Ready for 100 sets the goal of a community transition to 100% clean energy sources by 2050. This ambitious program will address climate change’s impacts on health, tourism, and natural disasters on a community level. In addition, the transition creates economic opportunities and job creation impacts by moving from a high carbon to a low carbon economy, and helps ensure Concord can be a leader in innovation.  We established the Concord Energy and Environment Committee (CEEC) to foster community involvement and innovation in meeting energy and environmental goals. CEEC will lead The Ready for 100 campaign and expand the involvement of business and community leaders in this effort.

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