QUICK NEWS, March 1: DEMS TO PRES CANDIDATES – FACE THE CLIMATE; NEW ENERGY KEEPS GROWING; NEBRASKANS FIGHT FOR WIND

DEMS TO PRES CANDIDATES – FACE THE CLIMATE Democrats Slam GOP Candidates on Climate Change: ‘Do Your Job’

Cole Mellino, March 1, 2016 (EcoWatch)

“…A new Democratic Party video slams] GOP presidential candidates for their stances on climate change…While Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have both laid out plans to address climate change, all five remaining Republican candidates have either denied man-made warming or discounted the scope of the issue,’ Reuters reported…The video features clips of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio denying climate change, while several Democratic members of Congress explain how extreme weather—including flooding, drought and wildfires—is on the rise due to climate change…The group of Democrats draw a link between these environmental issues and the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last month. They called on Republicans to ‘do your job’ and fill the vacancy…President Obama said he plans to appoint a successor for Scalia ahead of the November election, but Republicans have vowed to block that effort.” click here for more

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NEW ENERGY KEEPS GROWING Solar, natural gas, wind make up most 2016 generation additions

Tim Shear and Sara Hoff, March 1, 2016 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

“Electric generating facilities expect to add more than 26 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale generating capacity to the power grid during 2016. Most of these additions come from three resources: solar (9.5 GW), natural gas (8.0 GW), and wind (6.8 GW), which together make up 93% of total additions…[It would be] the first year in which utility-scale solar additions exceed additions from any other single energy source…[Planned utility-scale solar additions] is substantially higher than the 3.1 GW of solar added in 2015 and would be more than the total solar installations for the past three years combined (9.4 GW during 2013-15)…Most capacity additions over the past 20 years have been natural gas-fired units. About 8 GW is expected to be added this year, slightly above the 7.8 GW average annual additions over the previous five years…Additions of wind capacity are expected to be slightly lower than in 2015 [because of the longer term certainty provided by the just approved 5-year extension of the production tax credit…” click here for more

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NEBRASKANS FIGHT FOR WIND Coalition seeks loosened wind energy regulations

Kevin Abourezk, February 29, 2016 (Lincoln Journal Star)

"…[A coalition of business, labor and civic leaders are calling] on Lancaster County leaders to approve policies that will allow wind energy development…The group has begun collecting signatures for a petition that expresses support for ‘balanced policies that allow wind development’ in Lancaster County…[instead of newly approved rules that establish noise limits of 40 decibels in the day and 37 at night for wind turbines…[which is similar to the sound of a library interior when no one is talking and makes it too difficult] to develop wind energy…[The coalition wants limits closer to [50 decibels during the day and 42 at night so that the county will not lose a planned Volkswind USA project and] $500,000 in new property tax revenue for local governments…Nebraska ranks third in the nation for potential wind energy development but only 20th in actual production…[Wind] energy projects in Nebraska are generating $5.3 million in annual income for farmers and landowners who rent land to wind energy companies, $8.6 million in annual local tax revenue and $2.3 billion in total capital investment…” click here for more

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