QUICK NEWS, May 3: The Children Win Again In Climate Change Court Fight; The Solar Deal Gets Better Every Day; New England’s Offshore Wind
The Children Win Again In Climate Change Court Fight Climate Change Litigation - The Children Win In Court
James Conca, May 1, 2016 (Forbes)
“Against all odds, another group of children who are suing the government to protect the environment against the harm of global warming in their future, have won in court…King County Superior Court Judge Hollis Hill ordered [the State of Washington’s Department of Ecology] to promulgate a carbon emissions reduction rule by the end of 2016 and make recommendations to the state legislature on science-based greenhouse gas reductions in the 2017 legislative session. Judge Hill also ordered the Department of Ecology to consult with the young plaintiffs in advance of that recommendation…[The lawsuit] alleges that the Federal Government is violating the Plaintiffs’ constitutional and public trust rights by promoting the use of fossil fuels…[Their basis is that, for over fifty years, the United States Government and the Fossil Fuel Industry have known that carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels causes global warming and dangerous climate change, and that continuing to burn fossil fuels destabilizes the climate system…[Similar cases in Oregon,] North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Massachusetts, all supported by Our Children’s Trust, [are]seeking the legal right to a healthy atmosphere and stable climate…” click here for more
The Solar Deal Gets Better Every Day Cost of solar energy falls every time the sun rises
Audrey Hoffer, April 21, 2016 (Washington Post)
“…The increasing ease of the process and the financial returns have made going solar practically mainstream…Nationwide, [solar] grew 10 times between 2008 and 2015…[With net metering, the power from a solar owner’s system that isn’t used onsite goes into the grid and the owner gets bill credit for it. Whatever the amount of credit,] your household remains connected to the grid and you receive an electric bill from the utility…Eventually, the savings on the electric bill will add up to what you paid for the system, which means from then on you’re basically getting free electricity…Tax breaks and other incentives reduce the cost of electricity and cover a large portion of a system’s cost…[The average $16,000 system installed in Washington, D.C., last year was five kilowatts, with 20 panels…After a 30 percent tax credit of $4,800 and [another upfront credit of $5,500, the] cost would be $5,700. This size system typically provides an electric savings of $950 per year at today’s rates…[You can also lease. Solar providers] own the system, so you don’t pay for installation. You pay for the electricity, but at cheaper rate than the utility charges…” click here for more
New England’s Offshore Wind Lawmakers seek greater role for wind power
Christian M. Wade, May 1, 2016 (Eagle-Tribune)
“Towering turbines in Maine and New York -- and off the Atlantic Coast -- could ease a looming energy crunch in Massachusetts, and wind energy companies want the state to support their budding industry…Lawmakers are discussing plans to force utilities to enter long-term contracts with clean energy providers to replace the energy created by retiring nuclear and coal-fired power plants, while cutting carbon emissions and potentially lowering electricity prices…The outcome of those talks could affect the state's energy production and electricity costs for decades…Environmentalists want wind -- in addition to solar and hydropower -- to play a major part in the renewable energy mix…The demand for new sources of electricity is drawing some of the world's biggest wind companies to the region, and a range of projects are in various stages of development to feed power-hungry Southern New England…” click here for more
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