Measure B -- Green Energy, Good Jobs and Me
Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse the trash and clippings I produce for mulch. I reuse the rain that falls on my roof, and I reuse the sun that shines on my house for energy. I guess you could call me a strategic opportunist as much as an environmentalist.
Los Angeles is a city known as much for it's sun as for its stars and it's dirty air. Now we have an opportunity to re-use our must abundant natural resource, the beautiful Southern California sun, and convert it into energy to power our homes, clean our air and give LA a new thing to be known as - the solar capital of America. The capitol of sun power re-users.
Measure B, the Solar Energy and Job Creation Program, up for voter consideration on March 3rd in Los Angeles, will mandate the creation of 400 MW of solar power by the city's municipal power company within five years. How much power is 400 megawatts? It is enough to power 100,000 homes with clean renewable energy. Using solar instead of coal or natural gas will result in a savings of 400,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the same as taking 100,000 cars off the road. AND that is just the start.
President Obama has called for revolutionizing our economy by creating five million green-collar jobs and LA can lead the way. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power estimates that 200-400 jobs are created per megawatt of solar energy. Additionally this measure will give a bid preference to LA based solar manufacturers. With unemployment in LA pushing 10% that is a big green stimulus. Not only will this measure create jobs but it will create a training academy targeting underserved communities so that these jobs go where they are needed most.
As manufacturing jobs flee our country like the birds of Capistrano (back before climate change screwed up that metaphor) folks talk about the end of an era...but Measure B represents the beginning of a new era. A time when we shed our dependence on fossil fuels and move to renewable energy using components largely manufactured right here in America and for my purposes right here in Los Angeles where we desperately need these new jobs.
California has always led the way on environmental protection and always reaped the benefits, pioneering everything from catalytic convertors on cars to stationary source reduction. LA used to be absolutely choked by smog. Since the 1970's, there are four times the amount of cars on the road, yet we have half the ozone. There were people who said it couldn't be done, but we took bold steps anyway. And it worked, we created new industries, have a far healthier city, and led the way for the rest of the country.
But we will never get over that dirty air hump till we rid ourselves of coal and natural gas fired power plants and replace them with clean renewable energy like the in-basin programs established by Measure B.
One of the most exciting aspects of Measure B is that it represents an historic partnership of organized labor and environmental groups coming together to create green energy and green jobs. It is thrilling to see the LA County Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), SEIU and electrical workers alongside the NRDC, Sierra Club, CLCV, Heal the Bay, Coalition for Clean Air and others in one of the largest blue green coalitions to form in the Obama era.
I know solar power works, because it powers my home, my car and even my stove (I will save that for another blog!!). Now I hope it will power my city too. On March 3rd join me in voting Yes on Measure B.
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Creating green jobs is of course the first step.
The second step is dealing with the people who "know" that global warming doesn't exist because they heard it from Rush Limbaugh or Fixed News.
Dear Ed,
I know you can pick up the phone anytime and talk to Arnold. If you want a rapid expansion of alternative energy in Californis, then tell Arnie to let residential and business producers of green power to sell their excess capacity put back into the grid at full retail rates. California has an Independent Service Operator capable of buying power on demand. You wouldn't need an Investment Tax Credit to install a PacWind turbine or PV Panels with full retail rates being paid to all producers who sell their excess capacity at retail rates. Perhaps the credit could be kept in place for a few years to jump start the industry. Minnesota and Wisconsin pay retail rates for excess capacity. Unfortunately they have written the grid inteconnect rules in amanner that makes it too difficult for the average producer. See the "2008 Freeing the Grid Report".
Bravo Ed,
Thank you for putting yourself out there.
The reason Measure B was put on the ballot was to ensure that the jobs are local, in Los Angeles County. Most large scale programs are in the middle of the desert and require transmission lines to be built. This takes a lot of time and requires a lot of approvals. These installations also can have a detrimental effect on the desert environment. Any attempt to put new transmission lines will end up in court with numerous legal challenges. Finally the generation source is not near the demand and is therefore inefficient.
Good local jobs, better for the environment, faster to install, more efficient, and lower cost.
Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Lets get to work.
for more info about why the enviromental community (NRDC, Sierra Club, LCV) and progressive leaders like Courage campaign and Henry Waxman are so passionate about passing B check out the Yes on B website:
www.greenenergygoodjobsla.com
its pretty snazzy and features lots of content, courtesy of the geniuses who brought you mybarackobama.com
for more info about why the environmental community (LCV, Sierra Club, NRDC) and other leaders of the progressive community like Courage campaign, Henry Waxman ect. are so passionate about passing B check out the Yes on B website:
www.greenenergygoodjobsla.com
its pretty snazzy with tons of cool content, brought to you by the geniuses who created mybarackobama.com
oops I meant:
http://greenenergygoodjobsla.com
Sorry. For every job it "creates", it will destroy 2 jobs.
I am opening a chain of solar powered tanning parlors.
How about a simple electricity source that provides free electricity to every car owner? Drive an hour a day and have free light all night. For a one time cost of approx. $500 per car you can generate and store electricity for use when you get home. Double utilization out of every gallon of fuel. It works great, we have been using it for several years here in Uganda in large and smal cars..The car uses no additional fuel as it is being driven anyway. Even when you are stuck in the traffic jams it is storing electricity. It is literally the least expensive alternative electricity. It also is portable, providing power anyplace the car travels.
Could be a whole new industry employing thousands in manufacturing and installation.
anyone interested can contact me through the website, www.aaes-ltd.com
Even though I don't live in California (at least not yet) I am truly excited for the opportunity that L.A. has to use the beautiful sunshine available to them to solar power more homes and buildings. The cost savings (although not immediate) would be huge in the end and solar power is so much more beneficial to the environment. Bravo Ed Begley for all of your good work!
Years ago, I thought you were crazy. However, now I realize that your concepts were right all along. I'm now a huge solar supporter and I'm coordinating the installtion of over 1MW of solar PV at my place of employment right now. Go Ed Go!
"...A time when we shed our dependence on fossil fuels and move to renewable energy using components largely manufactured right here in America..."
The time was thirty years ago; yet better late than never.
Agreed. And, to be clear, the Measure B components will not be made in LA or even America. Nahai has said they will almost certainly buy the incredibly polluting Chinese panels. You know the ones where they dump toxic waste in schoolyards at night instead of recycling it like US and Japanese companies do...
We can't fall into the Utopian dream that DWP is trying to sell us, even though WE are well intentioned. They are definitely not. Everything they do is about greed and power. Decentralization and ratepayer ownership is the only weapon we have against these Robber Barons and if we don't fight super-hard for it NOW, we will miss our narrow window of opportunity for REAL energy independence...
sheila, sheila, sheila...
just one company Solar Integrated technologies says they will expand their existing thin film PV plant in South Central LA to hire 750 new workers if Measure B passes and 3 other major companies have been in talks with DWP to move to LA....thats where the panels will come from plain and simple...
Hello, Mr. Begley. Almost everybody who is not a "energy engineer" forget the biomass as a renewable source. I´m talking about a new mode of use the biomass called energy forestry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_forestry) . Despite the weather conditions of California, a simple calculation can indicate a 8.000 MW (eight thousand MW) in distribuited power plants, that uses energy forestry (400 kW per km2). This power could be obtained if 5% of the whole area of the California state (411.000 km2) be used to electricity generation with energy florestry. The cost of these power plants (excluding the forestry) will be something about $9 bilions, not too much compared with others renewable sources. The price of final energy will be as cheaper as wind energy, considering the price of wood in the order of $40 per ton, with the advantage that it is too much constant (load capacity in a scale of 0,9), and there will be more jobs involved with this kind of renewable energy generation. This source could be a alternative to California state in addition to the wind and solar power plants. Thanks.
While I do believe that solar must be implemented in Los Angeles, I sincerely hope that Huffington Post will be giving fair time to "No on B" campaign. No offense, Ed. I am a neighbor of yours and enjoy everything you do for the environment, but there is much more to this than meets the eye. There are many allegations that this Measure was put on the ballot too quickly and without a thorough vetting process; the measure was put on the ballot without a cost analysis, saying that voters would get that prior to the election. In fact, when a legislative analyst hired PA Consulting to do an assessment the result was: "PA called the initiative "extremely risky" and figured that the DWP would need to triple a renewable energy surcharge on customers' electricity bills to cover the cost of the program." And then there is the allegation that the City Council got a majority vote to put it on the ballot, when in reality a two thirds vote was required because of city charter changes included in the measure. Almost every neighborhood council has voted to stand in opposition against this Measure, and many of the local newspapers are opposed.
We need to do this the RIGHT way. We are seeing an increase to our taxes and outflow of money due to poor management on the part of our elected officials... do not let them also destroy our one chance to do right by this planet.
"....we need to do this right" right, like we did when we build nuclear power plants, that kind of right?
you may have misplaced your aggression. i am a total fanatic for rooftop solar, and am clear that Measure B is an incredibly wasteful, expensive and undemocratic way to do it.
i would absolutely oppose nuclear, and understand your skepticism of people who oppose what is designed, on the surface, to look like a "green plan," but in this case, like so many others here in CA, the PR is incredibly misleading. they are denying work to qualified union members who are unemployed (the IBEW has no idea how to install solar and should be upgrading the distribution grid to "smart gird" full-time right now, so they have tons of work), they refuse to set a price cap on the project, and they are back-dooring a change to the City Charter to give City Council new sweeping powers. The whole thing stinks and if they really wanted solar, they would just do it - they don't need an election! For example, they have obstructed ratepayers from installing solar, including the LAUSD, and now have to pay the schools $24 million for blocking them. that doesn't smell like a burning desire to have a solar city...
there is a way to do this right - funding ratepayer generator loans via AB 811 (legislation that allows the city to use the property tax system to repay the loan over 20 years, giving them first lien on the property) and by paying us a fair rate for power we feed into the grid.
With respect, Mr. Begley, as a ratepayer-generator, I wish you would stand up for the 95% of the people in LA who are NOT rich but who would like to generate clean, responsible, green power on their rooftops and be paid for excess power they produce.
I'm referring, of course, to FUNDING AB 811 LOANS and implementing the long-overdue, German-style Feed In Tariffs, so we can all make the investments in our homes and futures with simple annual assessments on our property taxes, and if we are careful with our conservation, we can collect a check each month from the utility.
Why should DWP have a generation monopoly? While net metering may be fine for you because you make money on TV, it is useless for almost all of us who pay in the lower tiers of usage rates because we can never pay off our systems by "zeroing out" our small bills. Why are are restricted to generating the amount we use when clearly, LA needs to ramp up renewables immediately? And FITs are MUCH cheaper for non-generating ratepayers because there is NO infrastructure chargeback!
Green Path North and Measure B are Empire-Building plans and won't help ratepayers secure or generate affordable clean energy. AB 811 loans and FITs are the ONLY win/win for the planet and for US. I hope you will support this position publicly! Thanks.
other then commenting all over this blog post with erroneous information and trying to turn the biggest municipial solar program in US history into a boogeyman....you are ignoring all sorts of key facts - for one that this program is part of a larger solar LA plan which includes feed-in tarrifs, homeowner incentives, and big solar thermal private arrays in the desert...
when I hear you guys talk I close my eyes and see the Republicans who oppose the stimulus...
we cant wait to make a public investment in alternative energy...Our planet is headed towards an iceberg known as global warming and you arguing about the positioning of the deck chairs
go Ed for standing up to the cynics!
Yes we can!
"Big solar thermal private arrays in the desert" are not necessarily a good thing. Done CORRECTLY large solar farms can make sense. By which I mean setting these privately-owned power plants on private (not public) property. Preferably on land that has been previously used/developed/degraded, has a water supply, and is close to existing power transmission lines.
Unfortunately, in a land grab reminiscent of the Railroad giveaways of the 19th century, hundreds of giant projects have been proposed for remote undeisturbed desert habitat. High-voltage transmission lines from these projects are planned to go through nature preserves (both private and public), transect wildlife corridors and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, require new roads through bighorn sheep & desert tortoise habitat, and take desert community lands via eminent domain.
I have solar panels on my land (which I will lose if LADWP has its way). I use gray-water when possible. I fully support development of solar power resources. But they need to be done right.
As Rachel Madddow says, "One More Thing": Global warming is an immediate problem. We need to start fighting it NOW. Rooftop solar can be implemented immediately with current technology and begin slowly as start-up funds become available. It generates LOCAL cash flow to stimulate the economy. It won't require years of development and construction and billion-dollar up-front investments. Feed-in-tarrifs can start NOW.
Thanks Ed. When I watch you on your show, I get the feeling that you are solar powered yourself. You have more than the average energy...its great that you have found a cause so close to your natural personality. You're a trip.
Yes, it is taking too much time for everyone to "get it", but they are slowly coming around and soon there will be critical mass in the knowledge of how we can save our planet.
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