Hello all:
Jaclyn and some other folks last week were wondering how they might support climate change legislation. One such way is to support a new jobs bill which includes HOMESTAR, a program to make american homes more efficient through auditing and retrofitting them to be more efficient. HOMESTAR Gold level has provisions in it which give homeowners cash incentives to make changes. the home performance industry is doing its best to see this legislation gets passed. they are also trying to reframe the unfortunate phrase “cash for caulkers”. This legislation goes well beyond caulk and helps to homeowners to afford a home performance process while reducing emissions.

Below is one of several emails we received today on this subject. there are a few links within in the event you wish to take action. Below the email I have pasted a description of this program and what it could do for homeowners.

from Sean (posted on dvslist)
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We have just received word that the first jobs bill will likely be finalized in the next 24 hours. The Home Star Coalition has worked hard to ensure that the Home Star legislation is included, but nothing is ever certain (there will likely be other jobs bills after this one). The 400 of you on this email all indicated via the survey last week that you were interested in contacting your Senators. I urge you to email and/or call your Senators today – it will take 5-10 minutes total using the resources below. Once the bill comes out there will be another need for calling and emailing to help pass it, but we must guarantee that we have a bill first! Attached you will find an overview of the most recent Home Star proposal with $ values for incentives on page 2.

**We want to track your success. If you contact your Senators, please just send an email back to me (Patrick.Roche@csgrp.com) using the following template for the Subject line – Subject: “I Called (or Emailed) Senator X and Senator Y” That’s it!

1. Email your Senator: Click here, then enter your zip code to select your Senators. Modify a standard template by adding details about your business. Hit submit!

2. Call your Senator: Look up your Senators’ phone numbers on the Senate Web site. Take a moment to review the attached talking points to stay on message. When the attendant answers, tell them that you are a constituent and would like to discuss how the HOME STAR program is going to help you create jobs in their district. This will likely only take a few minutes per call (but if they want to discuss, talk about your business and happy clients in their home districts!).

Thanks for your help!
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What is HOME STAR?
• HOME STAR is proposed federal legislation that will create good living?wage jobs in construction and related industries by providing strong short?term incentives for home energy efficiency improvements.

• HOME STAR rewards homeowners for investing in insulation and weatherization, high?efficiency heating and air conditioning equipment, replacement windows and other cost?effective home improvements that can permanently reduce household energy bills.

• HOME STAR was originally proposed by a coalition of business leaders as a cost?effective way to stimulate rapid job creation and jump?start a sustainable market for home energy retrofits. This growing industry will provide good jobs for American workers long after the incentive program has been phased out.

• HOME STAR jobs cannot be outsourced, and materials used in these jobs are on average 90% or more domestically produced.

• HOME STAR is a market?based solution that leverages private investment and consumer spending to stimulate the economy and help us achieve our national clean?energy and climate goals.

• HOME STAR will jumpstart a new American industry that can be market based and sustainable.

Good living?wage jobs for American workers:

• HOME STAR is expected to create 168,000 high?quality building jobs over the next two years.

• 1.6 million construction jobs disappeared during the recession, and the unemployment rate for American construction workers is still over 20% (one in five workers are unemployed). If we don’t find ways to put these people back to work, continued unemployment in construction and related industries threatens to derail our economic recovery.

• Construction materials manufacturing is at 62% of its capacity.

• Home energy retrofitting is hands?on, site?specific work that cannot be outsourced overseas. The necessary skills can be learned quickly by any experienced construction worker. The workforce is out there, so let’s put them to work!

• Stimulating consumer demand for home energy improvements also will create jobs in constructionrelated manufacturing and retail. The sheet metal, caulking, insulation products and other manufactured goods used in energy retrofits are overwhelmingly made by American mills and factories.

Lower energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions:

• Household energy use accounts for more than one?fifth of U.S. carbon emissions – roughly twice the emissions produced by passenger cars. Basic efficiency improvements can reduce energy waste and greenhouse gas emissions in most American homes by 20% to 40%.

• This is not new or experimental technology. Energy retrofits can generate considerable savings using proven techniques and materials – even without installing costly solar panels.

• Retrofitting is the most cost?effective way to reduce household energy costs, and smart investments in energy efficiency will eventually pay for themselves through long?term energy bill savings.

How the proposed HOME STAR incentives will work:

• The HOME STAR proposal calls for the creation of a national program to provide direct rebates to homeowners who invest in qualifying home energy efficiency improvements. At the request of the homeowner, rebate amounts can be deducted from overall job costs at the time of sale and paid directly to the contractor or product retailer after the retrofit work has been completed.

• The plan gives homeowners a choice of two types of incentives. The SILVER STAR incentive prioritizes easy and rapid deployment. The GOLD STAR incentive incentivizes deeper energy savings by offering higher rebate amounts for consumers who choose this path.

• SILVER STAR provides rebates for specific energy?saving measures such as air sealing; attic, wall or crawl space insulation; duct sealing or replacement; and replacement of existing windows, doors, water heaters, household appliances or heating and air conditioning equipment. Rebate amounts are up to $1,500 per qualified installed measure, capped at 50 percent of project costs or $3,000 (whichever is less).

• The performance?based GOLD STAR incentive is based on predicted energy savings as determined by a thorough energy audit performed before the work begins. Using proven building science methods, the auditor tests the home’s energy performance, designs a customized retrofit plan in consultation with the homeowner, and calculates the energy savings that will result from the recommended measures. Homeowners can receive $3,000 for modeled savings of 20%, plus $1,500 for each additional 5% of modeled energy savings, with incentives not to exceed 50% of total project costs.

• To prevent fraud and assure quality, HOME STAR requires appropriate licensing and certification for all participating contractors, and a percentage of all jobs will be inspected by a third party within 30 days of completion to verify proper installation.

What you can do to support HOME STAR:

• Call or write to the Senators from your state and your local Congressional Representative.

• Write a letter to your local newspaper.

• Find out more at www.efficiencyfirst.org/home?star.

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Jay Sweeney’s synopsis from attending the forum (from his blog post and dvslist):

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania decided to study and discuss all facets of the Marcellus Shale issue and reach consensus on the role of state and local governments on this volatile issue. The League believes it is essential to look at all sides of an issue before reaching consensus and speaking out. Toward that end, the LWV will hold meetings until March 26, 2010.

On Wednesday, January 20, the LWV of Lackawanna County in conjunction with the University of Scranton’s Task Force for Sustainability held a Forum on Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Extraction. Pearn Auditorium was filled beyond capacity and the crowd was vocal.

Bless the LWV for their last minute addition of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability Co-founder Pat Carullo to the panel. Mr. Carullo added the activist perspective to the otherwise staid commentary from the industry, DEP and Penn Future.

Wendy Straatmann, a vice president for Exco Resources, began the presentation. She noted the jobs that would be created from exploiting the 500 trillion cubic foot Marcellus gas play. The shale has been there for millions of years, but, it is now economically feasible to extract it with the hydrofrackturing process. She claimed hydrofrackturing has been done since the 40s and 50s.

Matt Sheppard, the senior director of corporate development for Chesapeake Energy, demonstrated the concentric rings of steel casing used to protect the water table in the drilling process.

Pam Fedrock from Penn Future described her organization as “mainstream” and not an environmental group per se. Penn Future supports a severance tax , responsible drilling and the FRAC Act. The FRAC Act would require industry to disclose the chemicals used in the hydrofracturing process which have been been labeled “proprietary”.

Fedrock raised the question where is flowback water treated? This water often referred to as brine is saltier that ocean water and has been found to contain the radioactive isotopes Radium 226 and 228. She also mentioned a proposal to take the wastewater to the Chesapeake Bay region and disposing it in saltier water.

Jennifer Means from Department of Environmental Protection’s Eastern Oil & Gas region Williamsport office stated that fracking is unlikely to cause water problems due to the 5,000’ to 8,000’ depth of the shale. DEP has been responding mostly to complaints of onsite spills and gas migration issues. The Eastern Region has issued 1200 drilling permits.

Pat Carullo, co founder of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, started his presentation by declaring we are here because we are addicted to fossil fuels. He went on to point out the dangers from hydrofracking to our water resources especially the Delaware River which provides drinking water to Philadelphia. Carullo flew over the region and detected a line of defoliated trees near the corner of a drilling pad. Testing revealed some indication of chemical contaminant. Shortly thereafter, the soil was mounded and removed. He concluded by playing an audio clip from a man from Southwest Pennsylvania who’s water was affected after drilling in the Marcellus Shale near his home. An independent test revealed volatile organic compounds in the water.

A panel discussion and question and answer period followed. These were quite contentious. There were shouts of “liar” from the audience after answers from the industry were not accepted. Carullo refuted the industry and regulatory agencies from the panel. A representative from the League of Women Voters took the mic and stated that the forum was being taped for broadcast on local public access TV and the crowd response would not be audible. Only those that had a microphone would be heard.
The forum ended shortly thereafter. The LWV will post answers to questions submitted by the audience on their website.

Jay Sweeney
http://www.jaysweeney.org/
http://www.lwvlackawanna.org/
http://www.damascuscitizens.org/
http://nepagasaction.org/
http://www.gpofpa.org/

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Well, perhaps you should site down and wonder or not. Information always surfaces that can be presented in many ways, with different twists depending upon what the author (or perpetraitor) wants you to believe. That’s what the right wing idiots do all the time (Fox News, Russ Limbaugh, Sara Palin and on and on). They tap into the emotions of the common people with outlandish (and misleading) statements and headlines.

There was a recent email thread on the dvslist about an article in the media about a huge oil reserve in North Dakota, western South Dakota, and extreme eastern Montana that has been know about since 1995. It touted that it wasn’t being developed because of the environmentalists.

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska ’s Prudhoe Bay, and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable… at $107 a barrel, we’re looking at a resource base worth more than $5..3 trillion.

It was noted that snopes.com posted an article about this and the misleading information in it.

The shale oil is there but will be very, very expensive to get it out.

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Temple University, December 10, 2009

“We’re fighting for our lives.”, according to Al Benner of P.O.W. (Protecting Our Waters, Philadelphia) Robert Ryan, Ph.D., a hydrologist at Temple University, said that gas companies are considering drilling 25,000 gas wells in Pennsylvania, though others predict more. These many wells mean that 125,000 acres of land will become impermeable since each well sits on a 5 acre concrete slab. This means that there will be increased runoff and water will not be returned to streams to replenish them. There will be more erosion, and the water quality will worsen for oxygen will be depleted and fish and other wildlife will suffer.

“What Is Clean Water Worth?” asked Barbara Arrindell, the founder of Damascus Citizens. Into the 1.5 to 9 millions of gallons pumped into each well will be hundred of toxic chemicals and salt. This brine injected into the earth will be 3-6 times more salty than the ocean. Presently, we have no way to treat this water.

The entire summary is attached -SUMMARY OF TEMPLE GAS EXTRACTION FORUM

More info at: http://www.damascuscitizens.org/

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From a recent mailing by the Environmental Defense Fund:

Dear Friend,

Out of more than 62,000 synthetic chemicals that are part of our everyday lives, fewer than 200 have been tested for safety.

Thanks to effective lobbying by the chemical industry, laws are written so that every synthetic chemical is “innocent until proven guilty.” The legal burden weighs on those seeking to prove the harm a substance can cause.

Find out more in this month’s Personal Nature column, “Toxic Ignorance is Not Bliss,” by author and writer Dominique Browning.

Human Guinea Pigs

Browning reveals the shocking truth when it comes to potentially toxic chemicals — you’re basically on your own.

“We should be worried about what amounts to a huge, uncontrolled human testing experiment. Without agreeing to it, without understanding it, without even knowing it, we have become the chemical industry’s guinea pigs.”

Topic A of late is Bisphenol A (BPA), found in baby bottles, possibly the water bottle sitting by your desk and plastic dental sealants.

BPA is increasingly suspected of causing a variety of serious ills, yet factories continue to produce six billion pounds of it each year.

In the coming months, Congress may review the process by which we regulate toxic chemicals — or, as Browning points out, mostly don’t regulate them.

This month’s Personal Nature column serves as an engaging and alarming primer.

Thank you for your activism and support,
Environmental Defense Fund

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I sent a letter to the editor of the Delaware County Times in response to an article I read by Gil Spence who criticized clean energy and questioned global warming. His article can be found here. I’ve reprinted my letter below. The actual article can be found here.

To the Times:

We all have our points of view, especially when it comes to the environment and climate change, global warming, and health care. When it comes to whether we believe that global warming is real, both sides pull no punches in bringing up facts. Remember the old saying “figures lie and liars figure.” One person can look at something and see it as half-full (an optimist) and another can see it as half-empty (a pessimist).

Mr. Spencer seems to have made statements in a recent column on clean energy that show his lack of understanding of the most basic principles of climate change and energy. As he asked “who do you side with?” Big energy business has used their money to fund research that gives them the answers they want. The government seems to have no ulterior motives in presenting their data and concerns.

Who do we trust? I would like to trust the government and organizations like the Union of Concerned Scientists who don’t seem to have an agenda or ulterior motives like big business. The Center for American Progress, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Political Economy Research Center at University of Massachusetts all provide similar reports. Why don’t people believe these reports? Science proves that global warming is real. If nothing is done, we will suffer the consequences. As Mother Earth has said “if you don’t fix the problem, I will (and you won’t like what I will do).”

We need clean, renewable energy, not just in Pennsylvania, but also in every state in the U.S. and in every country throughout our word. We need to reduce the amount of CO2 that is being put into our atmosphere. To accomplish this, we need a whole bunch of new, sustaining jobs that will help our economy. Pennsylvania needs to be a leader in clean energy and jobs. We can help our country move forward in solving this dire problem facing our planet.

And we in Pennsylvania have already started down this path. Look at the number of renewable energy companies that have come to Pennsylvania in the last several years. Gamesa, the largest wind company in the world, opened up its headquarters in Philadelphia and a wind-turbine manufacturing plant in Bucks County, employing close to 1,000 Pennsylvanians in quality jobs that can’t be shipped overseas. This is a win-win for the economy and the environment. HB 80 is needed to keep Pennsylvania economically competitive, and to protect the health and well being of all residents.

Let’s get our heads out of the sand and support clean energy reform and the promoting of many thousands of jobs that will revitalize our economy.

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PECO will be permanently shutting down the Phoenixville plant and parts of the Eddystone plant (four units in all) in May, 2011. Three of the four units are coal-fired units, and all were built in the fifties. Six units will remain active at Eddystone, fueled by gas or oil; these are used for peak load, not base load.

Here’s the whole story:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Exelon-Power-Seeks-to-prnews-1352490492.html?x=0&.v=1

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While you sleep, while you eat, and while you’re hard at work, vampires lurk in the depths of your home. From morning to night, they are sucking you dry. It’s called vampire power – but for you it’s simply wasted money.

Energy vampires are devices that use electricity even when they are turned off. They can account for up to 20 percent of your electric bill.(1) You can improve your home’s energy savings by identifying and unplugging these energy vampires.

Americans spend $10 billion per year on vampire energy. If we didn’t waste this energy, we could shut down 30 coal-fired power plants – and send every American child to a Jonas Brothers concert.(2)

Did you know that your home-entertainment system can cost you up to $75 per year in vampire energy – even when it’s turned off?(3)

How to Cut Down on Energy Vampires:

• Use the energy-saving features commonly built into most computers.
• Unplug energy-sucking appliances when they aren’t in use.
• Better yet, plug all your appliances and the chargers for your mobile phones and other gadgets into a power strip, and flip the power strip to “off” when not needed. Using a “smart” power strip that automatically shuts off when devices are inactive makes this even easier for you.
• Consider purchasing a “kill-a-watt” device to measure the energy consumption of your household appliances and electronics when turned on or off.
• If you need a new appliance, purchase one that is Energy Star qualified. EnergyStar devices use much less power in the off mode than regular appliances.(4)

What really bites is that you’re the one who is left bleeding as the energy vampires suck you dry. Stop being bled dry. Slay your vampires by taking these actions to save energy and money this Halloween!

Your Mayor Can Help Your Community Do Even More:
Ask your mayor to lead the way to an energy-efficient future that creates good green jobs which support families, can’t be outsourced, and keep money in our pockets.
http://action.sierraclub.org/vampirepetition

Brought to you by the Sierra Club, in celebration of National Weatherization Day.
(1.) Duke Energy – NC
(2.) energystar.gov
(3.) energystar.gov
(4.) energystar.gov

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by taking pictures or videos of local events and talks and editing for later posting on the SustainableDelco.org web site.

You can make it possible for all of us to share the events, the ideas … discussions, forums, demonstrations of how-to with many more people in the Delaware Valley … and beyond!

Not into photography or editing? How about office or other skills?

Please email us at info@SustainableDelco.org for further information or call 610-565-4289 between 9:00am to 9:00pm daily.

Thank you

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SUN DAY CAMPAIGN
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite #340; Takoma Park, MD 20912
301-270-6477 x.23
sun-day-campaign@hotmail.com

News Advisory

AS FOSSIL FUEL USE DROPS, RENEWABLE SOURCES SOAR
TO OVER 11% OF U.S. ENERGY PRODUCTION;
NOW PROVIDE MORE ENERGY THAN NUCLEAR POWER

For Immediate Release: July 30, 2009

Contact: Ken Bossong, 301-270-6477 x.23

Washington DC — According to the latest issue of the “Monthly Energy Review” by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, production of renewable energy for the first third of 2009 (i.e., January 1 – April 30) was six percent higher compared to the same time period in 2008. Moreover, in April 2009 alone, renewable energy sources accounted for 11.1 percent of domestic energy production and exceeded the amount contributed by nuclear power.

More specifically, domestic energy production for the first four months of 2009 totaled 24.394 quadrillion Btu’s (quads) of which renewable sources (biofuels, biomass, geothermal, solar, wind, water) accounted for 2.512 quads. In April 2009 alone, though, total U.S. energy production was 5.980 quads with .664 quads (11.1%) coming from renewable sources; nuclear power provided .620 quads (10.4%).

For the first four months of 2009, U.S. renewable energy production was comprised of hydropower (34.6%), wood + wood wastes (31.2%), biofuels (19.0%), wind (9.3%), geothermal (4.7%), and solar (1.2%). Most of these sources grew compared to the first third of 2008 with wind expanding by 34.5%, biofuels by 14.1%, hydropower by 8.2%, and geothermal by 2.6%. The contribution from solar sources remained essentially unchanged while wood + wood waste declined by 4.9%.

Total U.S. energy consumption fell 5.7% during the first four months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008 with fossil fuel use accounting for almost the entire decline.

“As Congress continues to debate energy and climate legislation, it would do well to take note of the clear trends in the nation’s changing energy mix,” said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “Fossil fuel use is dropping sharply and nuclear power is essentially stagnant while month-after-month the mix of renewable energy sources continues to set ever-higher records.”

The U.S. Energy Information Administration released the “Monthly Energy Review” on July 28, 2009. It can be found at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/contents.html. The relevant tables from which the data above are extrapolated are Tables 1.1, 1.2, and 10.1

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The SUN DAY Campaign is a non-profit research and educational organization founded in 1993 to promote sustainable energy technologies as cost-effective alternatives to nuclear power and fossil fuels.

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