It requires that 10% of the state’s electricity be generated from renewable sources by 2015, compared with the old law which required a mere 2.2 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2011. It is estimated this will reduce state greenhouse gas emissions by over 5.5 million tons. Additionally, by 2011, the state will leverage its buying power to purchase 20% of the energy for the six largest state agencies from renewable sources.
Building codes will be updated to include higher energy efficiency standards. Special energy standards for state building projects and purchases will be created.
The new policy also requires Wisconsin utilities to directly support energy efficiency programs as a percentage of their gross revenues. This will generate at least $85 million annually; and, it makes secure the funding for the Focus on Energy program by protecting energy conservation funds from future diversions.
As Governor Doyle noted when he signed the bill, this legislation aims to restore Wisconsin's leadership in energy efficiency and renewable energy. It recognizes the need for more energy capacity and begins to reduce our
dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels.
The value of recyclable materials takes center stage in a new video produced by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “Too Valuable To Waste – Recyclable Materials in Wisconsin’s Economy” follows materials commonly recycled in our homes to Wisconsin companies using the recovered materials to manufacture their products. The program can be used to illustrate the economic value of the materials collected by local recycling programs. As noted in the January 2006 edition of this newsletter (link to Recycling Business Survey Resultshere http://www3.uwm.edu/Dept/shwec/publications/newsletters/January2006.cfm#RecyclingBusiness) businesses utilizing these raw materials in their manufacturing process create jobs helping to grow Wisconsin’s economy.
The program begins at a landfill to show just how many valuable materials are still ending up in the landfill. Next you follow a recycling collection truck to a Material Recycling Facility and learn about how paper, plastic bottles, metal cans, and glass bottles are sorted and prepared for end markets. A bale of paper is tracked to Georgia Pacific’s Green Bay mill where it is recycled into various paper products. Meanwhile plastic bottles are recycled into plastic lumber at Luxemburg’s N.E.W. Plastics.
The video was developed to target state and local government officials, chambers of commerce, civic and educational groups, and households. The video is to be used as an accompanying piece during presentations by state and local waste management staff, recycling specialists, extension agents, or others in the recycling business sector.
SHWEC has a limited number of DVD copies available for loan. Joe Van Rossum, SHWEC Recycling Specialist, has also developed a video use guide for individuals interested in showing the video. Mr. Van Rossum can be contacted via email (vanrossum@epd.engr.wisc.edu) or 608-262-0936. The program is also available from DNR’s Regional Recycling Specialists in VHS and DVD formats.
Three Wisconsin companies and a large sewerage district received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Environmental Performance on March 8 at the Federation of Environmental Technologists, Environment 06 Conference. The award originally celebrated the reduction of hazardous waste. Over twenty years, the award has evolved to include pollution prevention and many other aspects of environmental management including recycling, energy and water conservation.
This year the winners are recognized for a variety of innovative environmental projects and improvements made by their companies and facilities. The awardees are:
You can get the full details about these outstanding projects by contacting the Federation of Environmental Technologists (FET) at 414-354-0070 and requesting a paper copy or through their web site at www.fetinc.org
(At the time of this story the awards are not yet on the FET web site)
- Establishing a voluntary certification and recognition program that rewards green tourism efforts;
- Developing a marketing brochure and certification checklist to educate potential businesses of the Travel Green opportunities; and
- Initiating a pilot program in diverse areas of the state to evaluate this approach and make improvements.
Four pilot areas (Bayfield, Door County, Madison, and Rhinelander) have been carefully selected for the initial program roll out. Both urban and rural communities were used to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the certification tools. A web site (http://www.travelgreenwisconsin.com) has been developed to a provide resources for businesses seeking additional technical assistance, as well as to keep the pilot business participants and project partners up-to-date on program developments.
New Federal Bill Seeks Extended Clean Energy Tax Credits
Ainka Granderson (SHWEC Intern)
Federal legislation on a suite of tax incentives for producing renewable electric power, transportation fuels and energy efficient buildings, included in the recently enacted 2005 Energy Bill, may be extended further by the Senate Finance Committee.
The Alternative Energy Extender Act, S. 2401, announced by Senators, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.), would extend the production tax credit for wind, hydropower, biomass and other renewables for three years through 2010. It would also extend the renewable energy bonds program for municipal and other public power authorities, authorizing an additional $800 million of tax-credit bonds per year. The Bill would extend the Biodiesel and Alternative Fuel Excise Tax Credit through 2010 and add $1 billion to tax credits for clean-coal facility investments.
Other incentives related to commercial and residential sectors included for extension are: commercial building deduction for energy efficiency commercial buildings; business tax credit of up to $2,000 for builders of new energy efficient homes; residential solar tax credit; business solar tax credit; fuel cell and microturbine tax credits for purchase of power plants using these technologies, and tax credit for gas stations installing "clean fuel" refueling equipment, such as E85 ethanol, biodiesel and other fuels.
E-Waste Legislation Update
Steve Brachman
The Midwest Regional Electronics Initiative has revised model legislation and recently posted it on their website for review and comment. Six Midwestern states have developed a consistent and unified approach to waste electronics with the goal of reducing the possibility that one state’s policies on e-waste might have a detrimental impact upon a neighboring state. It is anticipated that model legislation will be introduced once comments are finalized. For more information, including comments by industry representatives, see http://www.moea.state.mn.us/stewardship/electronicsmidwest.cfm.
"Investing in Wind Energy”: A growth trend
Ainka Granderson (SHWEC Intern)
The wind power industry has been growing for the past five years at 28% a year, and if it continues at this pace, as is expected, wind capacity will double about every three to four years, according to report just released by Progressive Investor on "Investing in Wind Energy" (March 17, 06 - RenewableEnergyAccess.com).
In the last three years alone, the industry transformed from a regional industry centered in Europe, mostly Germany, to an increasingly corporate worldwide industry, with 50 countries actively installing turbines and employing over 100,000 people. The growth in the wind sector is so great that turbine shortage is currently a major problem for the industry.
Renewable energy project finance, up from $10.8 billion in 2004 to $18.2 billion in 2005, is predominantly in wind (72%) with the U.S. leading the world with $3.9 billion in investments in 2005. Wind park ownership is also consolidating, with one-third of the world's wind capacity coming from the top 20 wind farm owners. Spanish utility Iberdrola and US-based FPL Energy, each providing 3400 MW in service, tied as the world leaders in wind farm ownership in 2005.
Healthy School Day: An Earth Day Focus Opportunity
Ainka Granderson and Sherrie Gruder
School Building Week coincides with Earth Week, April 17-21, 2006, and provides an opportunity to educate the public, legislators and policy makers about the significance of school facilities and improving them. The week begins with a “Healthy Schools Day” focused on creating greener, healthier school environments, drawing national attention to the importance of well planned, high performing, healthy schools that foster student achievement and well-being and provide centers of community.
Activities that could be organized over the week are an architectural design or poster competition, challenging students to create projects demonstrating their "ideal learning environment"; organizing an energy fair encouraging students to demonstrate ways to save energy at school, or planning a “School Improvement Day” where students and community members are engaged in cleaning and renovating school buildings, gardens and playground areas. A popular event has been the “Walking School Bus” where students, parents and other community members walk to school together highlighting the importance of having schools and surrounding neighborhoods that are inviting and safe for children to walk and bicycle to.
School Building Week is organized by the Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI) Foundation, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Institute of Architects and over forty associations, agencies and private firms. The CEFPI Foundation & Charitable Trust is a non-profit organization established to generate funds to foster research regarding the impact of school facilities on student achievement and the communities they serve, and so highlight the best practices for education facility planning. For more info, visit: http://sbw.cefpifoundation.org/
Healthy Schools Assessment Software Available from US-EPA
EPA has developed a unique software tool to help school districts evaluate and manage their school facilities for key environmental, safety and health issues. The new Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) is designed to be customized and used by district-level staff to conduct completely voluntary self-assessments of their school (and other) facilities and to track and manage information on environmental conditions school by school.
HealthySEAT is intended primarily as a tool for school districts to use to periodically evaluate their school facilities at a macro level to be sure that all of the essential elements of key programs are being properly managed. Districts choose the frequency with which they will conduct assessments, though EPA recommends that an assessment be conducted at each school at least annually. Districts may conduct the assessments using district staff, school-based staff, contractors, or a combination, depending on their particular circumstances and available resources.
http://www.epa.gov/schools/healthyseat/basicinformation.htm
EPA Proposes More Consistent Regulation of Ethanol Production Plants
EPA is proposing to apply the same air permitting requirements for facilities that produce ethanol for fuel or human consumption. Ethanol is produced at corn milling facilities and while the processes are similar, these facilities are currently treated differently under Clean Air Act permitting programs. EPA's proposal would provide equal treatment for corn milling facilities, regardless of whether they produce ethanol for fuel or human consumption.
Currently, corn milling facilities that produce fuel and emit less than 100 tons per year of air pollutants are not subject to the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permitting program. Conversely, corn milling facilities that produce products for human consumption do not trigger PSD until they emit more than 250 tons per year. The proposal would establish the same emissions limits under the PSD program, 250 tons per year, regardless of whether the ethanol end product is used for fuel or human consumption. The thresholds for the New Source Review and Title V permitting programs would remain at current levels, which vary from 10 to 100 tons per year depending on the area in which the facility is located.
EPA will accept comment on this proposal for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register. For more information about PSD and this proposal, visit: http://www.epa.gov/nsr/actions.html
EPA Acts on Implementation of Landmark Clean Air Interstate Rule
On March 16, 2006 EPA announced that it took a number of actions to assure implementation of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). According to the news release, EPA estimates that CAIR will achieve the largest reduction in air pollution in more than a decade by requiring 28 states and the District of Columbia to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) from power plants. CAIR will permanently cap emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the eastern United States reducing SO2 emissions in these states by over 70 percent and NOx emissions by over 60 percent from 2003 levels.
EPA also finalized federal implementation plan (FIP) rules which provide for a federal emission reduction back-up plan should a state fail to put an adequate implementation plan in place on time. The FIP rules rely upon the same model emission cap and trade programs that EPA established in the CAIR and provide additional options for states to implement the CAIR requirements. EPA will withdraw a FIP once the state's own state implementation plan, or SIP, for meeting the CAIR requirements is approved and in place.
To see how EPA estimates that CAIR will impact Wisconsin go to; http://www.epa.gov/cair/state/wi.html and for more information on these actions and the Clean Air Interstate Rule, visit: http://www.epa.gov/cair
EPA and Industry Launch Initiative to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
EPA and the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute announced an initiative March 9th that promotes the environmentally responsible use of fluorocarbon refrigerants in the annual manufacture of more than 8 million residential and commercial air conditioning units and refrigeration systems. The plan will minimize emissions of two chemicals or "working fluids" in air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons are being phased out under the Montreal Protocol and Clean Air Act because they deplete the ozone layer. Hydrofluorocarbons have become widely used as substitutes for ozone depleting refrigerants and do not deplete the ozone layer, but are strong greenhouse gases, up to 3,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In addition to the air-conditioning and refrigeration industry, EPA is working collaboratively with many key sectors to quantify and reduce emissions, and to promote efficient, climate and ozone-friendly technologies in the United States and globally. For more information on the new initiative, go to: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap
Superfund Sites find New Life under the Return to Use Initiative
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is helping communities reuse 19 cleaned-up Superfund sites as part of EPA's multi-part Land Revitalization Initiative. The Return to Use Initiative focuses on Superfund sites that have already been cleaned up but remain vacant.
The initiative is designed to help remove real and perceived barriers to community use by addressing liability concerns and providing key information about the site and available uses that would not interfere with the clean-up remedy. Returning the sites to beneficial use not only allows local communities to reclaim lost land, it can also lead to increased property values, a higher tax base and protected open space. In addition, when local interests have a stake in the revitalized property, the chances are greater for continued productive use.
The 19 new demonstration projects are located in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. For more information on EPA's Superfund Return to Use Initiative and the demonstration projects go to; http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/rtu/demos.htm and for more information on EPA's Land Revitalization Initiative; http://www.epa.gov/landrevitalization
Cleaner Small Engines are Safe, EPA Study Concludes
In a report that clears the way for less-polluting gas-powered lawn equipment and watercraft, EPA has concluded that the technology needed to meet potential tougher standards for gasoline engines below 50 horsepower will not increase the risk of fire or burns to consumers. Mandated by Congress, the study was peer reviewed and developed in coordination with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Other federal agencies and more than twenty outside experts, including fire marshals and engine manufacturers, were consulted during the study. EPA plans to propose new standards for this class of engines this year. To read the report, go to http://www.epa.gov/otaq/equip-ld.htm
New Requirement to Help Assess Potential Chemical Risks
EPA today issued a final test rule that will enable the Federal and State governments, industry, academia, the public and the Agency in evaluating potential health and environmental risks associated high production volume (HPV) chemicals. The rule requires 52 manufacturers of 17 HPV chemicals to conduct screening level tests related to physical and chemical properties, toxic effects and environmental fate, and to provide this information to EPA. HPV chemicals are manufactured or imported into the United States in amounts over 1 million pounds per year. To date, more than 400 companies have voluntarily committed to making information available on 2200 HPV chemicals as part of the Agency's High Production Volume Challenge Program. The 17 chemicals were not sponsored under the program. For a copy of the rule, go to: http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-TOX/2006/March/Day-16/t2483.htm Additional information on the HPV program can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/chemrtk/index.htm
April 5, 2006 Environmental Regulatory Requirements and Options for Building Owners and the Construction & Demolition Industry, presented in Milwaukee at the Dept of Neighborhood Services. No cost but you must register to attend. For information and registration call Nathan Luedke at 608-264-8892 before March 29.
April 6-7, 2006 WI Chapter of the American Planning Association, WAPA/WASLA 2006 Spring Conference , WI Dells Chula Vista Resort. For more information contact Thomas Favour, at tfavour@aol.com or 608 238-4943.
April 19, 2006 Wood Energy Conference at North Central Technical College in Wausau. Register by April 5. For information visit the Events Calendar on the Focus on Energy Web site. www.focusonenergy.com
Second Annual National Environmental Education Week, April 16-22, 2006
Coordinated by National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF) the 2nd Annual National EE Week will provide a week of educational preparedness for Earth Day for thousands of educators and millions of students. Find out how to get involved at www.eeweek.org/.
April 20-21 GLOBAL WARMING CONFERENCE - CFP in Miami, Florida.
Topics for the 17th Global Warming International Conference and Expo include; Sustainable Environment And Health For The 21st Century; Water Resources Management; Global Warming And The Oceans; Human Health In A Changing Climate; Education: Global Change & Sustainable Development. See website for details http://www.globalwarming.net/
Earth Day, April 22, 2006
Find an Earth Day event near you at www.earthday.net. People from all over the world register and search for events on this web site and if you don’t see an event scheduled in your area, consider organizing and listing one of your own!
National Wildlife Week, April 22-30, 2006
National Wildlife Week is your chance to get outside and explore it! National Wildlife Federation is celebrating National Wildlife Week by offering three different opportunities. Visit www.nwf.org/nationalwildlifeweek/ for details.
April 25,2006, RCRA Hazardous Waste 8hr Refresher in Milwaukee and sponsored by FET, visit http://www.fetinc.org/ for information and registration.
May 13, 2006, Wind Turbine Tours. Guided tours of We Energies Byron wind turbines, 5656 County Road F, Byron, WI. Tours begin every half hour between 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Group of 10 or more should call 414/221-4264 to reserve a tour time. To learn more about wind turbines visit http://www.we-energies.com/eft/.
June 26-30 the 4th International Conference on Environmental Management for Sustainable Universities in Stevens Point. See web link for details: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/GEM/EMSU/Home.htm
On March 17, 2006, Governor Jim Doyle signed the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Act, Senate Bill 459. This bipartisan legislation passed nearly unanimously in the senate and assembly (see SHWEC News, March 2006). The Act focuses on three areas: increasing the use of renewable energy in Wisconsin; promoting the development of renewable energy technologies, and strengthening the state’s energy efficiency programs. 
