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February
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Local Action Roundup
by Natasha Umer Feb 09, 2011
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Get DOE's Updated Solar Guidebook for Local Governments
by Don Knapp Feb 08, 2011
Solar panels in Palm Desert, CA As more local governments set up solar panels to capture the sun's energy, the Department of Energy is capturing something nearly as valuable: their lessons learned. "Profiles of new innovations and market developments, and additional case studies that share in-depth experience from leading local governments," says Lisa Milligan, ICLEI USA's Director of Sustainable Energy, who is leading up ICLEI's partnership with DOE to deliver technical trainings and guidance to local governments based on the Guide. DOE's Solar America Communities website describes the Guide as follows: The guide introduces a range of policy and program options that have been successfully field tested in cities and counties around the country. The guide describes each policy or program, followed by more information on: 
Today DOE's Solar America Communities program released the second edition of "Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments," a free, comprehensive resource to help local governments scale solar in their communities. The Guide is designed to help any local government understand the range of strategies, successes, policies, and programs trailblazed by DOE's original 25 Solar America Cities. A little more than a year has passed since DOE released the first edition of the Guide. What's different in the second edition?Inside the Guide
San Francisco Passes Sweeping Building Energy Efficiency Law
by SF Environment Staff Feb 08, 2011
Yesterday the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved groundbreaking policy aimed at transforming commercial buildings from the biggest energy users in the city to the biggest energy savers. The newly adopted “Existing Commercial Building Energy Performance Ordinance” requires commercial property owners to measure and rate, or “benchmark” the energy performance of their buildings and make energy ratings available to the public. The ordinance also requires owners to conduct energy audits every five years. While benchmarking and auditing will be relatively new practices for smaller building owners, many large property managers already use these proven energy-saving techniques, including those profiled below. This decision comes just a week after President Obama unveiled his “Better Buildings Initiative” aimed at reducing energy use in buildings by 20 percent by 2020 by improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Benchmarking building energy performance is widely regarded as the critical first step that owners can take to start taking control of energy use and costs; and more cities and states are starting to require owners to do so, including Seattle, New York City, Austin and Washington D.C. and California and Washington state. Below is additional information on San Francisco’s new law and similar efforts around the nation:
The Clean Energy Road to 2035 Paved by the Hard Work of Local Governments
by Martin Chavez, ICLEI USA Executive Director Feb 08, 2011
Originally published on the Huffington Post by Martin Chavez, ICLEI USA Executive Director During his State of the Union address, President Obama threw down the innovation gauntlet to Congress and the American people in declaring that 80 percent of our nation's energy will come from clean energy sources by 2035. This ambitious target is both necessary and achievable -- and local governments have been demonstrating for years why and how that's the case. While President Obama framed his clean energy target as a way to boost American innovation -- and, in turn, "win the future" -- there are several other reasons why this goal is particularly worthy of a 21st century Apollo Program. Following the State of the Union, both Mayor Patrick Hays of North Little Rock, Arkansas and I made the case that significantly increasing clean energy production in line with the President's target is necessary for the sustained prosperity and well-being of all Americans. Indeed, clean energy has been a proven job creator: through the decade preceding the financial crisis -- at a time when Washington was largely deaf to calls for support for the clean energy sector -- clean energy jobs grew at a faster rate than the overall jobs growth rate, employing over 700,000 people. As we move into the new normal economy and the global demand for clean energy technologies expands, the "clean energy creates jobs" mantra is only going to become more familiar: according to a 2010 report by the Pew Environment Group, investments in clean energy could equal $2.3 trillion over the next 10 years.
Why It's a Worthwhile Goal
How to Integrate Solar Energy into Public Facilities
by Adrienne DeAngelo Feb 03, 2011
Source: Western Resources Advocate Press Release
Governments can reap the rewards of using solar energy by incorporating creative solar power projects into public infrastructure, according to a new report from Western Resource Advocates. The report, titled "Solar Solutions: Incorporating Photovoltaics into Public Infrastructure,” details how local and regional governments can, and do, integrate sustainable energy generation into their public facilities.
Buildings, airports, parks, shade structures, water supply systems, sound barriers, and even public art can feature photovoltaic (PV) solar systems that generate electricity. The report also highlights how local governments can design, build, pay for, and overcome barriers to PV installations for buildings and other public structures and landscapes. With each passing year, PV has become less expensive and more cost-competitive with other sources of electric power.
Photovoltaic electric generation is a mainstream technology. It can provide energy that is immune to sudden price fluctuations, has no fuel costs, and requires minimal water consumption. Since public infrastructure is already in place, there are few new land use impacts.
“More and more communities are creating sustainability plans. PV projects can help meet sustainability goals by providing stably priced electricity and reducing the environmental impacts of power generation,” said David Berry, the report’s author.
Western Resource Advocates is a regional non‐profit conservation organization dedicated to protecting the West’s land, air and water.
Local Governments Ready to Act on President Obama’s Clean Energy Challenge
by Guillermo Meneses, Communications Director Feb 03, 2011
Local governments are giving high marks to President Obama and his Administration for its steadfast commitment to fostering innovation and building a roadmap to a clean energy economy that will create jobs and improve the quality of life of city residents throughout the nation. In his State of the Union address, President Obama proposed several bold and innovative clean energy proposals 
On behalf of our more than 600 local government members across the nation, ICLEI USA commends the President’s actions. “These actions proposed by the President will clearly put a 21st century America on the right track to bolstering much needed job creation and clean tech innovation that will be a catalyst for building healthier communities and a cleaner environment for future generations,” remarked ICLEI USA Executive Director Martin Chávez
Webinar Recap for Plan B: National Climate Action in a Post-Climate-Bill World
by Don Knapp Feb 02, 2011
On Jan. 26, ICLEI brought together a panel of experts to discuss a national path forward on climate mitigation -- in the obvious absence of a federal climate and energy bill. To find out the details, view the recorded webinar video or download the presentation slides. 
Download the Presentation Slides
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New Report Profiles Five Innovative "Community Wind" Financing Projects
by Adrienne DeAngelo Jan 31, 2011
Five innovative new financing structures are the subject of a new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report, titled "Community Wind: Once Again Pushing the Envelope of Project Finance," examines how each project was financed and distills pertinent lessons learned from the experiences of the projects. Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 
Inside Montgomery County’s Historic Carbon Tax
by Rena Ragimova Jan 31, 2011
Without so much as a blueprint, the small community of Montgomery County, MD, instituted a daring plan for reducing emissions by levying the nation's first local carbon tax. Our webinar, "Inside the Nation’s First Local Carbon Tax Legislation in Montgomery County, MD," held Jan. 21, 2011, explored how Montgomery County enacted its historic tax law and the obstacles it encountered along the way. The panelists, Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner and Chesapeake Climate Action Network Director Mike Tidwell, offered valuable insights on ways to create tax law legislation in your own community. If you missed the webinar, view the slideshow or listen to the presentation it in its entirety: Faced with a looming budget deficit and a mandated 80% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2050, Montgomery County needed a solution that would reduce emissions without increasing the deficit. Sound familiar? Officials calculated that by charging $5 for every ton of CO2 emitted by a major emitter, they could generate revenue to slash the deficit, and reduce carbon emissions. A carbon tax is one of the market-based policies that use the price signal to spur greenhouse gas emissions reduction. With the absence of an effective national climate policy, local governments, as always, are moving forward with innovative local solutions.
Download the Presentation Slides (pdf)The Back Story
Local Governments Make EPA's Green Power Partners Top 50 List
by Adrienne DeAngelo Jan 31, 2011
While much of the buzz has been about Intel and Kohl's -- the top two green power purchasers in the U.S. -- local government made an impressive showing on the list, with the cities of Houston and Dallas continuing to stake out positions in the top 10 with their commitment to wind energy. The much-publicized Top 50 list includes both public and private purchasers, but the EPA also compiles a Top 20 Local Government Green Power Partners list.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its list of National Top 50 Green Power Partner organizations using the most renewable electricity to help reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and protect people’s health.
