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    Thursday
    Sep022010

    Western Climate Initiative Issues Final Design Document

    Following the collapse of climate change legislation in the US Senate, on July 27, 2010, the Western Climate Initiative (“WCI”) released the Final Design for its regional cap-and-trade program. The WCI was formed in 2007 with a goal of reducing regional greenhouse gas emissions 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. Currently, seven states and four Canadian provinces are participating members of the WCI, while a number of other states and provinces in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have joined as observers. The WCI’s cap-and-trade program, which is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2012, will apply to all economic sectors, including emissions from electricity generation, industrial sources, transportation, and residential and industrial fuel combustion.

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    Tuesday
    Aug312010

    State Provides Public and Private Pollution Prevention Funding 

    Earlier this month, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (“MDNRE”) announced the award of nearly $250,000 in Community Pollution Prevention (P2) Grant funding to five municipalities for projects that focus on climate action planning. The recent P2 funding was awarded to Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Hazel Park, Southgate and Ypsilanti, each of which received an average of $50,000 each to develop local climate change action plans.

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    Wednesday
    Aug182010

    EECBG Grant Funding In Action

    Earlier this week, the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth ("DELEG") announced that Genoa Township in Livingston County successfully installed five Windspire® wind/solar hybrid turbines.  The project and installation was funded by a state Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant project.

    The Windspire® wind energy conversion turbine is manufactured in Manistee, Michigan with domestic materials. The turbines are capable of generating more power than the township hall requires, feeding power back to the electrical grid. When power is fed back to the grid, a net meter attached to the system spins backwards and reduces the town’s energy bill by the amount of energy generated. According to the Township, at an average wind speed of 12 mph, one turbine will produce 2000kWh of power which is 25% of the energy usage for an average home.

    The state Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (“EECBG”) are funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”). Designed to aid smaller communities in developing and implementing energy efficient technologies and programs, these funds support various projects, such as the re-tooling of energy systems in older municipal buildings, installing light-emitting diode street lighting, creating or expanding community recycling programs, and installing small-scale renewable energy generating systems.  To date, DELEG has granted $17.6 million to 129 EECBG funded projects across the state.   

    Information on current nationally-available ARRA and non-ARRA federal grant opportunities is available here.  The Clark Hill iGreenLaw Team can provide assistance throughout all stages of the funding process.  Please send us a message using the form in the right column for more information regarding iGreenLaw’s services. 

    Friday
    Aug132010

    Federal Panel Concludes that Carbon Pricing Necessary to Promote CCS Development

    According to a federal Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage, large-scale carbon capture and storage (“CCS”) is technically viable, but widespread adoption will require a price on carbon to make it economically viable.

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    Wednesday
    Aug112010

    Regional Climate Initiatives Back in the Spotlight

    After months of anticipation, the Democratic-controlled United States Senate recently abandoned (at least for now) its efforts to pass a sweeping federal energy and climate change bill. Analysts recognize that this change in events puts the spotlight back on regional efforts to control energy consumption and climate change, such as the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (MGGRA), the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

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