posted Nov 12, 2009 6:53 AM by Jasmin Moore
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced up to $30.6 million in Recovery Act funding for the selection of seven hydropower projects that modernize hydropower infrastructure by increasing efficiency and reducing environmental impacts at existing facilities. The expanded hydro generation projects have estimated incremental costs of less than 4 cents per kWh on average.
DOE sought cost-shared projects that upgrade existing hydropower facilities without requiring significant civil works modifications to dams, allowing for them to be developed quickly to help create jobs and stimulate the local economy. The solicitation sought two classes of projects: those larger than 50 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity and those of 50 MW or smaller.
North Little Rock Electric Department - up to $450,000 for a project in Little Rock, AR – To install an automated intake maintenance device at its 39 MW hydroelectric facility on the Arkansas River to clear debris currently obstructing the intake and allow the facility to operate consistently at near peak efficiency and significantly reduce the high cost of dredging. Air pollution would be reduced in a non-attainment air basin as the debris has been previously burned for removal. |
posted Oct 20, 2009 11:48 AM by Jasmin Moore
[
updated Oct 21, 2009 7:32 AM
]
Google Maps is now accepting nominations for new places to feature on Google Street View like pedestrian malls and trails. The Arkansas River Trail seems like an obvious choice and we would like your support to make it happen! Many of us have been on the trail, but adding it to Google Street View would allow those who haven’t taken advantage of the trail the opportunity to see what they’re missing. To nominate the Arkansas River Trail log on to www.google.com/trike by Wednesday, October 28. After the nomination process, the public will be able to cast their final votes and choose the top locations to add to Street View. Log on to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=194232691928&ref=share to join the Facebook group “Get Arkansas River Trail on Google Street View!” and check out http://twitter.com/ARRiverTrail for updates about the effort. Please share with anyone who may be interested. |
posted Sep 14, 2009 10:35 AM by Jasmin Moore
Source: Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy News, September 14, 2009
"Arkansas will use its Recovery Act EECBG funding to provide technical assistance to Arkansas' industries, public institutions, and local governments to enhance energy efficiency and identify opportunities for job creation to support these efforts. These projects will lead to substantial energy and cost savings, and create or retain jobs statewide. Sixty percent of the funds Arkansas receives today will be distributed to local cities and counties that were not eligible for direct funding from the Department of Energy. These local communities will be competitively selected for funding, with an emphasis on highly-leveraged projects and regional collaboration. The Arkansas State Energy Office will use this funding to establish a grant program for small cities and counties in Arkansas to reduce carbon emissions, as well as provide information about energy efficiency and conservation projects. A Web site will be developed to provide administrative information as well as links and other resources about energy efficiency topics and technologies for potential applicants. The state's remaining funds will be used to support programs to improve energy efficiency in state infrastructure and provide home energy audits to help improve residential energy efficiency." |
posted Jul 10, 2009 2:17 PM by Jasmin Moore
“Go RED!” STIMULUS FUNDING AVAILABLE,
WORKSHOPS PLANNED
The Arkansas Recovery Office and the
Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality announced today that the state
will offer financial assistance opportunities totaling $1.5 million in a new
round of funding through ADEQ’s Reduce Emissions from Diesels program.
The program, known as “Go RED!,” is
funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from money received through
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The program helps pay for projects
that reduce diesel emissions in Arkansas.
“This economic stimulus money will
not only help the businesses and groups that apply for assistance, but it will
help the environment by reducing the amount of pollutants that older diesel
engines emit into the air,” said ADEQ Director Teresa Marks.
The department has already awarded
$400,000 for “Go RED!” projects in an initial funding assistance round targeted
at government and nonprofit agencies. With the new funding from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, private entities will also be eligible for
money.
ADEQ will limit funding assistance to
up to $200,000 per organization.
ADEQ’s funding assistance
opportunities will pay for retrofits, idling reduction technologies and engine
upgrades up to 100 percent, engine replacements up to 75 percent and equipment
replacement up to 25 percent. ADEQ will provide up to 50 percent funding
for school bus replacements meeting 2010 emission standards.
Private entities must provide a 15
percent funding match.
ADEQ will host a series of workshops
throughout the state to promote the program and provide assistance in
submitting applications.
“We encourage everyone interested in
the ‘Go RED!’ program to attend a workshop,” Marks said. “ADEQ employees will
be able to answer any questions and assist with the application process.”
All workshops are free and open to
the public.
The workshop schedule:
Wednesday
– Hope, University of Arkansas Community College at
Hope, Student Center, Purtle Meeting Room 201, 2500 S. Main St., 10 a.m.
– El Dorado,
South Arkansas Community College, Library Auditorium, 300 S. West Ave., 3 p.m.
Thursday
–
Batesville, White River Planning and Development District, 1652 White Drive, 10
a.m.
July
21
–
West Memphis, Mid-South Community College, University Center– Room 120, 2000 W.
Broadway, 11 a.m.
–
Jonesboro, East Arkansas Planning and Development District, 2905 King St.,
2 p.m.
July 22
–
North Little Rock, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, 5301
Northshore Drive, 10 a.m.
July 23
- Fort Smith, Fort Smith Public Library
Community Room, 3201 Rogers Ave., 10 a.m.
- Springdale, Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning
Commission, 1311 Clayton St, 2 p.m.
July
28
- Hot
Springs, West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, 835 Central Ave., 10 a.m.
July 30
- Mena, St. Agnes Catholic Church Parish Hall, 203 Eighth St., 11 a.m.
Aug. 4
–
Harrison, Northwest
Arkansas Economic and Development District, 818 Highway. 62-65-412 North, 10
a.m.
–
Russellville, Pope
County Library Heritage Hall, 116 E. Third St., 3 p.m.
Aug. 5
–
Pine Bluff, Southeast
Arkansas Economic Development District, 721 S. Walnut St., 10 a.m.
–
Monticello, University
of Arkansas at Monticello, Gibson Center Caucus Room, 346 University
Drive, 2 p.m.
While
diesel engines provide mobility and are critical to the nation’s economy,
exhaust from diesel engines contains pollutants that negatively impact human
health and the environment. Diesel engines emit nitrogen oxides, particulate
matter and air toxics, which contribute to public health problems.
More information about the “Go RED!”
program, as well as an application guide, can be found on the
department’s Web site, www.adeq.state.ar.us.
Information is also available at the Arkansas Recovery Office site,
recovery.arkansas.gov.
The deadline to submit applications
is Aug. 31, 2009. Projects must be completed by Aug. 31, 2010. |
posted Jul 7, 2009 2:24 PM by Jasmin Moore
For the third consecutive year Ozone Action Days and CATA have partnered for the Ride Bus to Work Free Day which is scheduled for Thursday, July 9, 2009.
Also, Wednesday, July 8 is an Orange Ozone Advisory Day.
Central Arkansans can help improve air quality while saving gasoline by taking advantage of the third annual Ride the Bus to Work Free Day, Thursday, July 9. The free trips are made possible by a partnership between Ozone Action Days and Central Arkansas Transit Authority.
In addition to using public transportation, there are many other ways to help reduce ground-level ozone air pollution: • Take a sack lunch or walk to lunch instead of driving. • Postpone unnecessary travel in your vehicle. • Combine errands whenever possible. • Keep your vehicle tuned up. • Don’t carry heavy things in the back of your vehicle. • Accelerate gradually and avoid making jack-rabbit starts. • Share a ride with a family member, neighbor or co-worker.
Exposure to high concentrations of ground-level ozone can cause shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, headaches, nausea, and eye and throat irritation. People who suffer from asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or other respiratory diseases have even more trouble breathing when the air is polluted. Children are especially at risk, because they may play outside on hot summer afternoons, their lungs are still developing, and they breathe more rapidly and inhale more air pollution per pound than adults.
Central Arkansas Ozone Action Days was created in 1997 to increase awareness of ozone air pollution, reduce the health risks associated with exposure to ground-level ozone and help keep the region in compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone.
For more information about the Ride the Bus to Work Free Day, call CATA at (501) 375-6717 or 375-1163 or visit cat.org. To find a carpool partner or request vanpool service, visit www.arkRide.com. To learn more about ozone action days, to sign up for ozone email alerts from the Environmental Protection Agency, and for links to the daily ozone Metroplan at (501) 372-3300.
Ozone Action Days is a public awareness program of Metroplan in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Arkansas Department of Health, and Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. |
posted Jul 6, 2009 11:36 AM by Jasmin Moore
Full Story: Obama Administration Awards More than $153 Million for State Energy Programs in Seven States and Territories Source: DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable
Energy, Progress Alerts (7/6/09) "Arkansas will use SEP Recovery Act funding to reduce energy consumption and advance energy independence by implementing several energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. These programs will also help create and support jobs within the state. Arkansas will use over half of its SEP Recovery Act funding to establish two loan programs to encourage industry and state buildings to invest in energy efficiency technologies. These energy efficiency upgrades will reduce utility bills for both sectors and make businesses more profitable. After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive almost $20 million in additional funding, for a total of nearly $40 million."
|
posted Jul 6, 2009 6:10 AM by Jasmin Moore
On July 1, the Notice
of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the NTIA and USDA’s RUS broadband
programs were released. Applications for
funds will be accepted between July 14 and August 14, 2009 and at this time,
Connect Arkansas is collaborating with
organizations throughout Arkansas
in application for these funds.
Other items of interest:
·
Funding Workshops. There are also a series of
workshops being held with regards to this broadband funding opportunity. More information regarding the workshops and
the NOFA can be found at: www.broadbandusa.gov. The workshops are being held in conjunction
with the Delta Regional Authority in Memphis, TN on July 15 and in Lonoke, AR
on the 16th. It is anticipated that both
meetings will be held in the morning with a follow-up on the application in the
afternoon.
·
RUS & NTIA Links. Other links that may be of interest include the RUS – Broadband Infrastructure Programs
(BIP): www.usda.gov/rus/telecom and the NTIA BTOP: www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants.
·
Fact Sheet for BTOP & Mapping.
See
attached.
Please send this information to anyone that you know that might be
interested in broadband funding. We are
also working to identify any organizations that are either applying for or
interested in applying for such funds and would appreciate the opportunity to
meet with you to discuss any ways we can work with your organization. We look forward to hearing from you.
"Empowering
Entrepreneurs"
Arkansas Capital Corporation Group
Kim Tran - VP, Connect Arkansas
200 South Commerce, Suite 400
Little Rock, AR 72201
P. 501.374.9247
F. 501.374.9425
www.connect-arkansas.org |
posted Jun 24, 2009 11:24 AM by Jasmin Moore
——-
PRESS RELEASE June 24, 2009 Ross Introduces Comprehensive
“American-Made Energy Act” WASHINGTON – Amidst the current national debate focused on energy independence and the need to curb climate change, U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) today introduced the American-Made Energy Act of 2009 in the House of Representatives. Ross’ comprehensive legislation makes the largest investment in American-made alternative and renewable energy in our nation’s history and helps combat the effects of climate change on the environment while creating new jobs here at home. Ross, who is a member of the House Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, made the announcement from his Washington office during his live telephone town hall. “The United States has been dependent on foreign oil for far too long and we must begin to develop our own energy resources,” said Ross. “Securing America’s energy future and putting substantive policies in place to drive down our soaring energy costs requires a multi-faceted approach which consists of increasing our domestic energy production, encouraging the use of alternative and renewable energy sources, promoting conservation, utilizing energy efficient technologies and helping our working families who are being strained by ever-increasing energy prices.” The American Made Energy Act of 2009 opens up domestic resources for energy exploration and reinvests the lease and royalty revenues from the sale of this oil and gas into alternative and renewable energy sources. The bill creates a federal trust fund in which the federal share of the lease and royalty revenue from oil and natural gas production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) would be deposited. Those revenues, which are estimated to total approximately $80 billion, would then be used to fund alternative and renewable energy incentives and projects. “The lease and royalty revenues from the sale of domestic oil and gas will help us move promising alternative and renewable energies from the science lab to the marketplace,” said Ross. “The revenues will also allow us to make resources like solar and wind more effective and more cost-efficient as we work to sharply reduce our carbon emissions while also ensuring we keep energy rates low for working families.” The bill’s introduction comes in the middle of a national debate on climate change and how the nation can best put itself on a path to energy independence while also attempting to reduce carbon emissions that are harmful to the environment. The Clean Energy & Security Act, also known as the “cap-and-trade” and “energy tax” bill which Ross opposed in committee, could be considered by the full House of Representatives as early as Friday. “Our policies must be broad enough to embrace all forms of domestic energy, including thoughtful investments in biofuels, nuclear power and clean coal technology,” said Ross. “The federal government cannot pick the winners and losers of energy reform in this country. While I agree we must address climate change, I cannot support the cap-and-trade bill which lacks certain provisions that protect rural areas like Arkansas and limits the ability of our foresters and farmers to have a leading role in producing American-made energy.” A recent study by a Boston economic-consulting firm found that if this legislation becomes law, Arkansas is among a group of states that stands to suffer a 1.5 percent decline in jobs by 2030. Additionally, the bill will raise electric rates and energy prices in the region because, among other things, it currently limits the definition of biomass and refuses to allow certain existing hydro and nuclear power, many of which are in Arkansas, to count toward the proposed federally-mandated renewable electricity standard. “We must be very careful in passing any climate change legislation to ensure that we do not enact policies that close our local factories and ship our jobs and carbon dioxide emissions overseas which would do nothing for planet Earth, but could have a devastating impact on our already fragile economy,” said Ross. “These limitations stand to increase the price consumers pay for energy while limiting the ability of Arkansas’s foresters and farmers to have a leading role in producing American-made energy.” The comprehensive energy bill Ross introduced today - the American-Made Energy Act of 2009 – does embrace all forms of energy. In fact, it will increase domestic oil production and reinvest the revenue from its sale into alternative and renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. However, oil provisions are just one part of the bill’s comprehensive plan to make the nation more energy independent. The legislation sets the strictest environmental conditions for energy development on federal lands under a “no significant adverse effect” standard using “best commercially available technology” and limits total surface disturbance to 2000 acres in Coastal Plain; requires issuance of regulations, terms, and prohibitions before implementation of the leasing program; and, requires compliance with all federal and state environmental laws, and a host of other requirements, stipulations and prohibitions. “We can become better stewards of our environment by utilizing new technologies that will also create new ‘green’ jobs here at home,” said Ross. “At a time when Americans across the country, and especially here in Arkansas, are paying the price for America’s failed energy policies, we must begin to invest in America to provide relief to our working families, farmers and small businesses. Our nation spends nearly $500 billion a year importing energy from other nations. If done correctly, we have an opportunity to keep these dollars here at home, invest them in our nation’s economy by growing a new generation of energy innovators, increase American-made energy and create hundreds of thousands of new ‘green collar’ jobs.” To learn more about how the American Made Energy Act of 2008 puts the nation on a path towards energy independence in an environmentally conscious way, please visit ross.house.gov and click on the energy icon. |
posted Jun 22, 2009 8:41 AM by Jasmin Moore
Full Article: 2 pressed to back energy legislation -- Bill evolving, Berry, Snyder say
"Berry and Snyder, both Democrats from Arkansas, said in e-mailed statements that the bill was still evolving and they were still unclear on whether they support the legislation."
"A summary of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 says the legislation is aimed at creating “green” jobs, reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and combating global warming. Jack Blackstone, a spokesman for the Wildlife Federation, said global warming poses a hefty threat to Arkansas’ economy. He said Arkansas receives more than 23 million tourists annually who spend about $5 billion. He said that breaks down to about $290 million in state taxes and about $106 million in local taxes and creates at least 60,000 tourist-related jobs." |
posted May 28, 2009 11:10 AM by Jasmin Moore
[
updated May 28, 2009 2:37 PM by watkins@metroplan.org
]
Full Story: Beebe Orders State Agencies to Reduce Energy Costs
Source: Arkansas Business, May 28, 2009
"Gov. Mike Beebe is ordering all state agencies under his control to submit plans to reduce energy costs and says they can tap into a $15 million fund to pay for those improvements."
The governor's executive order comes in response to an energy audit by Wal-Mart, as part of a new agenda called Greening State Capitols that is part of Wal-Mart's partnership with the National Governor's Association. The audit, conducted by engineers from P.E. Energy, Inc., a Jacksonville, FL-based company, highlighted three recommendations for increasing energy efficiency in the state capitol including reducing plug load, upgrading to energy-efficient lighting, and swapping single-pane windows for double-pane.
"A $3 million revolving loan fund is being set up from the state's surplus to pay for improvements by some agencies, and Beebe said he hopes to get another $12 million from federal stimulus money for the fund."
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