Selection (full text: http://www.pe.com/localnews/hemet/stories/PE_News_Local_E_supes09.46f57b0.html):
Supervisors agreed Tuesday to join a program overseen by the Western Riverside Council of Governments to provide low-interest loans to pay for solar panels, new heating and air conditioning systems and other improvements.
The ‘green’ economy is on a continuous uptick and the Sacramento area is at the center of this booming green economy.
A day ahead of President Barack Obama’s jobs summit geared to jump-start hiring nationally, some 400 labor leaders, academics, advocates and workers met Wednesday..
Disparities abound in federal stimulus awardsjwoolfolk Posted: 12/04/2009 12:00:00 AM PST The federal government has showered billions of stimulus dollars around the country this year to jump-start the economy and save jobs. But a Mercury News analysis of reported stimulus spending so far shows it has flowed unevenly, with wide gulfs between California’s largest counties. |
Neil Nisperos and Sandra Emerson, Staff Writers
Posted: 12/09/2009 06:16:49 PM PST
Despite the economic downturn, things were bright for green energy industries in the Inland Empire.
The Inland Empire from 1995 to 2008 experienced green energy job growth of 50 percent with nearly 12,500 total jobs. The region had an 85 percent increase in energy generation concentration, including solar and wind, according to a report by Next 10.
New data released Wednesday showed green businesses – which include wind and solar energy for consumers – increased by 45 percent in California and employment increased by 36 percent from 1995 to 2008. During that time, jobs in California expanded 13 percent.
"Even as the economy is slowing, the Inland Empire does continue to grow," said Kristeen Ramirez, public affairs
Stimulus money brings jobs, but how many? –The impact of the stimulus bill on job creation and local economies? Read: Santa Rosa Press , 12/7/09
A selection from article (full text available at:
NAPA – Napa County homeowners who have been asking local planning officials when they can use innovative property-tax-bill-based financing for energy-efficiency projects similar to the program started in Sonoma County earlier this year likely will have to wait until next fall for the opportunity.
County of Napa government officials are exploring options for extending such financing, allowed for under Assembly Bill 811, which was signed into law in August 2008. The Sonoma County Energy Independence Program started lending in March, topping $13 million in loans through October. Marin, Mendocino and Solano counties are among a number of governments around the state and country looking to do likewise
Link: http://www.pge.com/mybusiness/edusafety/training/pec/classes/index.jsp#classresults
Course/registration information from the website:
All classes are *free of charge* unless otherwise noted. Please limit your choices to 10 or fewer classes you are certain you can attend. Registrations are processed by date of the event, and all requests are processed by staff at the Energy Centers. Please be aware that because of the volume of requests we receive, we may not acknowledge your request right away. Our classes are sponsored by the Pacific Energy Center (PEC) and the Energy Training Center – Stockton (ETC)
The workshop agenda and staff presentation for the workshop scheduled for today re: California’s State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program Guidelines, are posted on Energy Commission’s website at:http://www.energy.ca.gov/stimulus/documents/index.html
Alternative Energy – Renewable Energy
Topic: Energy news & tips
Affiliation: None
Bright Green Blog
Topic: Energy and the environment
Affiliation: Christian Science Monitor
Green Notes
Topic: Green energy and environment news
Affiliation: The Greensboro News-Record
Green World
Topic: Green energy news & tips
Affiliation: The Boston Herald
The California Energy Commission will hold a regularly scheduled Business Meeting on:
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2009
Beginning at 10 a.m.
CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION
1516 Ninth Street
First Floor, Hearing Room A
Sacramento, California
(Wheelchair Accessible)
Note: Audio from this meeting will be broadcast over the Internet using our WebEx Internet Conferencing System. For details on how to access the meeting electronically, please see the meeting agenda that will be posted online about two weeks prior to the meeting at: http://www.energy.ca.gov/business_meetings/
The meeting agenda and WebEx log-in instructions will be posted before the meeting date.
Background
As part of the December 16, 2009, Business Meeting, the Energy Commission will consider adopting the California’s State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program Guidelines (Guidelines). These Guidelines were developed to help implement and administer rebates for specific energy efficient appliances under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. A public workshop to discuss these Guidelines is scheduled for November 19, 2009. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated to the Energy Commission $35.2 million in ARRA funds to implement a State Energy Efficiency Appliance Rebate Program (SEEARP) for California that will provide rebates to encourage the replacement of inefficient residential appliances with new energy efficient residential appliances.
As specified in DOE’s SEEARP Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0000119), U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia ("states") are eligible to receive formula-based grants to support state specific residential appliance rebate programs. Each state may determine the scope of its program, including which appliance categories to include and the rebate amounts that will be provided. States may use federal funds to pay for the rebates and up to 50 percent of the program administrative costs.
The Energy Commission’s proposed Guidelines for the SEEARP will establish the eligibility and procedural requirements to award program funds as rebates to qualifying residential consumers. The adoption of the Guidelines is exempt from the formal rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act (Pub. Resources Code Section 25462(a)). The Guidelines focus on the Energy Commission’s implementation of the SEEARP, program eligibility requirements and limitations, available funding, evaluation criteria, and administrative procedures. The Guidelines, environmental assessment, and additional information about the proposed SEEARP are available at [www.energy.ca.gov/recovery/energystar.html].
