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.

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.

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.

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.

Rebuilding and Reenergizing the Building and Energy Codes

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Problem

As result of a weakened MUBEC, contractors and developers could not rely on consistency. In one municipality, the building and energy code would be one thing and something totally different in another. Code enforcement officers and the industry both sought consistency. In addition, under the previous administration, the MUBEC was moved from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to the Department of Economic and Community Development. This change project the MUBEC as “red tape” rather than a matter of safety, first and foremost, and subsequently a way of improving our built environment, particularly on the energy usage front. In other words, the MUBEC was decimated and needed significant rehabilitation.

Solution

In my first two terms in the legislature, I fended off efforts to erode the MUBEC further. As soon as Democrats regained control of the executive branch and both legislative chambers, I convened a group of interested parties and legislators to rebuild the MUBEC. Rep. Rykerson of Kittery sponsored legislation to apply the building and energy code statewide and brought the code up to most recent standards. Rep. Caiazzo of Scarborough sponsored legislation to move the MUBEC to DPS and fund several positions which had been eliminated in 2010. Finally, Rep. Kessler of South Portland sponsored legislation to permit municipalities to adopt a “stretch code” which would go above the baseline.

New Bedford Wind Energy Center

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Problem

The OSW industry needs all-purpose ports like New Bedford to make available their infrastructure, business networks, political influence in order to develop rapidly and offset the Northeast’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Solution

The mission of the NB-WEC, a sub-agency of the New Bedford Economic Development Council, is to coordinate the resources of various local and state agencies, along with businesses in the maritime fields, toward this end. New Bedford is the perfect place for these efforts as it is the closest port to the largest wind energy areas in the U.S. and is the country’s largest commercial fishing port, with dozens of businesses that potentially could serve the wind industry. The NB-WEC partners with the New Bedford Port Authority, the City, institutions of higher education, and others (1) to ensure New Bedford’s maritime infrastructure is relevant and useful for the wind industry, (2) to protect the fishing industry’s interests are honored, (3) to promote local, state and federal policies that are favorable to the wind industry, (4) to provide for appropriate workforce training, (5) to facilitate land acquisition for industry operations, and (6) to deepen the relationships with wind developers and other industry leaders.

Natural Resources Square Up and Tackle Climate Change

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Problem

The communities hit hardest by a changing economy are looking to new opportunities —opportunities that have the potential to help us turn the corner and rebuild a more robust forest products industry. Among these opportunities, bio-based products made from Maine wood stands out as good for our economy, for rural communities, for the environment and for public health. By incentivizing manufacturers to use bio-based products, Maine can lead the way in capping the use of petroleum-based products and instead promote sustainable forestry practices.

Solution

LD 1698, which received support in the House and Senate and now awaits Governor Mills’ signature, incentivizes investment in bio-based manufacturing by replenishing an existing tax credit for bio-fuel production and creating a new tax credit for manufacturing renewable chemicals from renewable biomass. Similar state-level legislation has been passed by Iowa and Minnesota and is under consideration in Nebraska. The new tax credit, as proposed in this bill, equals seven cents per pound of renewable chemicals produced in the state. That would increase to nine or as much as 12 cents per pound if the producer meets certain criteria, including employing American workers and master loggers.

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