QUICK NEWS, May 15: U.S. Cities Are Getting Greener; Electricity Choice Movement Faces Pushback From Utilities
Why Doubters Deny Climate Change The Science Of Climate Change Skepticism
Melissa Pandika, March 17, 2017 (OZY)
“…Recent research suggests one possible explanation [for climate change denial despite overwhelming scientific evidence]: Your beliefs about climate change depend partly on the weather where you live…Climate describes weather patterns over time…[The metaphor says weather is mood and climate is personality. Though global climate change is conclusively documented, the weather outside people’s front doors has more to do with whether] they believe in the phenomenon…[A recent study] found that people in parts of the country that have experienced more record-low temperatures than record highs since 2005 were less likely to believe in climate change…[L]ocal temperatures seemed to have a modest effect on beliefs…[but are, apparently,] a distraction from the very serious problem and challenge of climate change.” click here for more
U.S. Cities Are Getting Greener 32 Cities Improve Energy Score Per New Ranking
Josh Cohen, May 11, 2017 (Next City)
“…[A scorecard ranking the 51 largest U.S. cities on five criteria – local government operations, community-wide initiatives, building policies, energy and water utilities, and transportation policies – found 32] cities improved this year compared to 2015’s scorecard…Boston slotted into first with a score of 84.5 out of a possible 100 points…New York and Seattle rounded out the top three with Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, tied for fourth…The scorecard weights the five categories by potential energy savings. For example, transportation gets the most points because it often accounts for a city’s greatest energy consumption. In a sample of 20 large cities, the ACEEE found that transportation-related energy use accounted for 36 percent of citywide energy consumption…On the other end of the scorecard, Detroit, Oklahoma City and Birmingham, Alabama, were least energy efficient…” click here for more
Electricity Choice Movement Faces Pushback From Utilities Sonoma Clean Power, utilities face battle over energy costs
Robert Digitale, May 14, 2017 (The Press Democrat)
“…[A new type of public energy program in California] appears poised to change who buys electricity for homes and businesses across large swaths of the state…[Growth of Community Choice Aggregation (CCA)] is leading experts to examine how well the programs are boosting the use of renewable electricity compared to the private utilities that formerly served the same communities…The growth is also prompting a face-off between the public programs and California’s three biggest private utilities…In the dispute, both sides have suggested their ratepayers are getting a bum deal in how the state has set the rules for this new era. For the public programs, the outcome has high-stakes implications because their customers could end up paying considerably more to offset the growing costs for excess power that the utilities contracted for but no longer need…[CCA is now about 5 percent of the state’s electricity market and] both utilities and other experts say that number will increase markedly…” click here for more
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