Palin calls Obama energy plan a threat to economy
July 14, 2009 on 2:00 pm | In idiotic things some people say | No CommentsEven Caribou Barbie has something to offer about Cap and Trade…
Associated Press Online
WASHINGTON, Jul. 14, 2009 (AP Online delivered by Newstex) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who says she’ll leave office at the end of the month, is already taking on one national issue, calling the Obama administration’s plan to reduce greenhouse gases a threat to the U.S. economy.
In an op-ed piece in Tuesday’s Washington Post, Palin attacks the administration’s so-called cap-and-trade plan that would allow industrial sources to buy and sell pollution permits.
The plan, Palin writes, is "an enormous threat to our economy. It would undermine our recovery over the short term and would inflict permanent damage."
She adds: "In addition to immediately increasing unemployment in the energy sector, even more American jobs will be threatened by the rising cost of doing business under the cap-and-tax plan."
Instead, the former Republican vice presidential nominee says: "We are ripe for economic growth and energy independence if we responsibly tap the resources that God created right underfoot on American soil. Just as important, we have more desire and ability to protect the environment than any foreign nation from which we purchase energy today."
The climate bill passed by the House last month requires power plants, factories, refineries and electricity and natural gas distributors to reduce the emissions linked to global warming. It also calls for more power production from renewable sources such wind and solar energy, and raises energy-efficiency standards.
Palin surprised political observers when she announced July 3 that she would leave the governor’s office while in the middle of her first term. The governor chose not to seek re-election and suggested it was unfair to hold onto the office as a lame duck
She did take a shot at her critics in her Post essay.
"Unfortunately," Palin wrote, "many in the national media would rather focus on the personality-driven political gossip of the day than on the gravity of these challenges."
Every Dollar Spent on Energy Efficiency Will Save Three on Your Renewable Project
July 13, 2009 on 3:22 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsTax credits tucked into the federal stimulus package are making renewable energy and energy-efficiency improvements much more affordable at a time when their popularity is rising.
The credits are part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, so they aren’t new, but their limits were expanded this year by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
For residential improvements in 2009, a home-owner can receive a tax credit up to 30 percent of the project’s cost for renewable energy systems, such as solar or wind power. For increasing the efficiency of a home by installing new windows or insulation, that 30 percent credit is capped at $1,500, according to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.
With a credit that saves on the significant upfront costs, such as $8,000 to $12,000 for a two-panel solar hot water system, renewable and efficiency systems are becoming an affordable reality that will save in the long run.
"For every dollar you spend on efficiency, you’ll save $3 on your renewable project," said Kari Heinrich, solar hot water program manager for Focus on Energy. "The best dollars spent are on efficiency first."
Those in the energy industry are seeing the benefits of the credits as renewable energy systems become more mainstream.
Mark Klein, co-owner of Gimme Shelter Construction in Amherst, said he is hearing about more and more people looking at renewable systems as an investment that can yield a solid return.
"The excitement and the fact that the new economic stimulus package has federal tax credits has helped this be a reality for people," Klein said. "It used to be people looked at renewable systems and thought, ‘How long is it going to take to get my money back?’"
Getting the word out about the credits and how to use them was an easy process for businesses at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s Energy Fair over the weekend.
Homeowners could learn about the credit and how to claim it with federal taxes in one tent, and as they walked down the next row, sample dozens of renewable and efficiency options.
"Most people don’t really know about it yet," Photovoltaics Systems owner Jim Kerbel said of the credits. But as people become more informed, "business has really kind of skyrocketed."
