Where there's a Will, there's a way

The little ways that climate change impacts people and our surroundings keep surprising me. Recently, I'm experiencing how mild winters like we had this year will be horrible for my asthma and allergies. It didn't freeze long enough to kill off many allergens.

My mom noticed that there's only one chipmunk in her backyard garden/wildlife sanctuary/all-you-can-beak bird buffet this year. She's used to having around nine, like she did last year. An article in National Wildlife Magazine told her the likely reason why.

Chipmunks hibernate for portions of the winter, interrupted by periods of activity, when certain temperature conditions are met. A chipmunk study shows that warm winters interrupt their normal hibernation pattern, which means 80%-90% don't survive the winter.

Since the winter of 2006 to 2007, Frank hasn’t seen chipmunks hibernate regularly at his study site. He fears dire times ahead for the world’s 90 hibernating mammal species. “Very little is known about how climate changes influence mammalian communities, but investigations over the past five years have suggested that species that use hibernation to survive the winter may be particularly sensitive to it,” Frank says. As such, chipmunks serve as one more warning that global warming is closing in.

Yet another party foul by climate change. I don't want to encourage anyone to make another Alvin and the Chipmunks movie but it looks like they need to take on fossil fuels in the next one.

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Two cartoons recently reminded me of Tenaska's coal plant proposed in Taylorville, Illinois.

The first is a t-shirt I bought at threadless called Greenwashing. It's a coal plant pretending to be green!

It must be saying, "Clean coal really does exist! Please believe me!"

On facebook I discovered that Tenaska bases their business model on an old Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. It perfectly describes the Taylorville Energy Center!

Dirty project. No customer demand or need. Refusal to put carbon sequestration in their EPA permit. Looking for massive government subsidies. All check.
All they demand is monstrous profits guaranteed by the state of Illinois. Sadly, Illinois consumers wouldn't have the right to walk away from this lemon if the General Assembly passes Tenaska's subsidy bill.

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In Illinois the seasons typically progress in this order:
Winter
Spring Begins
Tornado Season

This year we experienced the seasons in this order:
No winter in December or January
Tornado season
One week of winter snow in early March
Spring began in mid-March

This is incorrect. I would request that you return Illinois to our normal seasonal progression next year, but I know things will only get worse.

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A rate hike proposed for Springfield City Water Light & Power customers would have the utility double down on a bad bet.

CWLP went into debt to build the new power plant and reasonably assumed that it could pay down that debt by selling excess power to the wholesale market outside Springfield. Instead, power demand dropped dramatically when the recession hit, leaving CWLP with far less revenue than expected. A rate increase is now being requested to increase revenue and pay down the remaining debt.

At Tuesday night's city council meeting, Mayor Houston said the proposed rate increase would only keep the utility afloat for a few years until they could begin generating more revenue by selling excess power again. Houston is betting that demand for coal power will significantly increase within a few years.

At the same time, CWLP proposes going deeper into debt to upgrade and maintain its oldest coal boilers, Dallman units 1 & 2. Like an old clunker car, these units are becoming financial liabilities, both because of their age and due to new environmental regulation. Coal units of a similar size and age are being retired across the country because coal companies know it's no longer cost effective to maintain and upgrade them.

CWLP deserves credit for running a coal fleet with better pollution controls than most other coal utilities, certainly in comparison to others in Illinois. But, new regulation and required maintenance will make the late 60's and early 70's era Dallman 1 & 2 units a money-pit.

Springfield doesn't need these smaller units to meet its energy needs, so the only reason to keep shoveling money into them is in the hopes that they can eventually be used to sell excess power on the wholesale market. There are several factors that make this a risky gamble.

1) State and federal energy efficiency policies will keep power demand from rising rapidly. The federal stimulus bill spent billions on efficiency projects. The Illinois energy efficiency standard will keep demand down within the state. If these policies are only partially successful then we can't expect a quick return to pre-recession power demand.

2) Demand for new energy will be for clean sources, not aging coal plants. Illinois' renewable energy portfolio standard requires that an increasing amount of the state's power come from wind and solar, not polluting coal plants. President Obama proposed a similar standard at the federal level. Additionally, community aggregation will likely result in more cities demanding clean energy.

3) Natural gas may remain cheaper than coal for at least several years. A fracking boom is about to start in Illinois. Even if fracking is better regulated, as it badly needs to be, it's likely that natural gas will be cheaper than power produced from the Dallman 1 & 2 boilers, which are less efficient than the newer Dallman 3 & 4 units. Also, wind power is coming down in price as it remains the fastest growing energy source in America.

These can all be difficult realities to accept for a coal-based utility, but Springfield can no longer afford to do things because "we've always done it that way." The economics of coal are rapidly changing.

The most likely scenario is that CWLP will go even deeper into debt to maintain its two oldest, smallest coal boilers, and still not be able to use them to generate significant revenue from sales to the wholesale market. We're digging ourselves deeper into the hole by keeping Dallman 1 & 2 running.

The city council shouldn't be rushed. They can pass a city budget tonight without a CWLP rate increase. Then ask CWLP to come back with another proposal that reflects what it would cost to retire its oldest, least efficient coal boilers instead of going deeper into debt to maintain units that we don't need.

CWLP's chief engineer stated that not passing the rate increase would force significant changes in how the utility operates. That may not be a bad thing.

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Here's my best guess.

I was the first Republican President.

I created the first federal income tax. It was a graduated tax based on ability to pay that required the wealthiest to pay their fair share at a higher rate.

Most Americans didn’t make enough to pay any income tax at all when I was President because that’s fair and just. I also created the estate tax on large inheritances.

In my day, Republican Presidents paid for the wars we fought by taxing the 1% instead of leaving a debt for future generations.

I am the 99%

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Several Occupy Illinois groups came together Saturday in Springfield for Occupy Your State Capital Day. I've been to enough protest rallies that it gets routine, but this event had some of the most exciting, energetic moments I've seen at any grass-roots political event.

A WAND TV reporter posted a short video that gives a feel for the day.

It started with reading a proclamation from Occupy Wall Street. Then several Occupy groups from central Illinois, including Occupy Peoria, were given a chance at the mic. Bloomington-Normal brought a large delegation and had someone sing a great song on banjo.

Next came the first reading of an eviction notice delivered to the lobbyists for the 1% and their servants in elected office who currently occupy the Illinois Capitol Building. It reflects that the same issues raised by the Wall Street Occupiers exist in Illinois state government. Rather than a request for temporary fixes, it's an indictment of a broken, corrupted political system that's largely unresponsive to the 99%.

The group then went on the march by downtown Springfield banks, including Chase, Bank of America, and US Bank. I started taking lo-fi cell phone picks as they arrived back at the Capitol grounds.

They marched to the front steps of the Capitol Building to deliver a notice of eviction at the door.

The eclectic crowd included union members, boomer hippies, young veterans, and everyone in between. The eviction was read again by a representative from AFSCME using "the people's mic."

After the reading, an energized group marched up the final steps to leave the notice at the door. It was a beautiful moment of the people demanding government represent them again. I wasn't sure what would happen next when a few people knocked on the door as the crowd shouted, "Who's house? Our House!"

The group eventually went back to the Lincoln statue for an open mic period. Occupy BloNo went up front as a group for another statement.

The whole event lasted almost three hours altogether. Radio show host Greg Bishop has a longer video with some highlights. It starts with Occupy BloNo's awesome banjo song. The reading of the eviction notice before the crowd stormed up the Capitol steps starts at the 7:45 point.

Saturday night, Occupy Springfield began a physical, round the clock occupation in view of three national bank offices. Stop by and see them on the South side of the Old State Capitol Plaza.

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The coal plant proposed in Taylorville by Tenaska is being called a clean coal facility. So, how much global-warming-causing CO2 will it add to the atmosphere? It depends on who you ask and what day you're asking.

The company is telling the legislature it will capture CO2. But, their new permit filed with EPA doesn't include CO2 limits. Once again, they're seeking to avoid binding commitments on how much will be captured and stored underground.

The carbon sequestration aspect of this plant is getting the most attention. But, there are several other places CO2 from the plant will go.

Some CO2 will be released into the air when they're using coal to make synthetic natural gas.
Some CO2 will be sold for Enhanced Oil Recovery operations, which will then cause more to be released in the atmosphere.
More will be released when they're burning Synthetic Natural Gas for electricity production.
And even more when their Synthetic Natural Gas is sold on the market and burned by someone else.

Taken together this would put over 6.5 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. That's more than what's being released by CWLP's new conventional coal plant in Springfield.

Clean coal is a myth.

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Tenaska is making yet another push for their so-called clean coal plant proposed in Taylorville. They need the legislature to give the plant special help because it's not economically viable in a competitive energy market.

Last year, Tenaska threatened that they would abandon the project if the General Assembly didn't quickly approve their bill. But, like a Kiss farewell tour, they keep coming back no matter how many times we think it's over.

The biggest special favor Tenaska demands is mandatory thirty-year contracts at a rate which guarantees their profits. Nearly all Illinois utilities will be forced to participate and rate increases will be passed on to their customers. It's socialism for the company, which gets guaranteed profits, while us taxpayers assume all the financial risk.

The Illinois legislature is being pressured to pass this bill because it will create temporary jobs for a few years while the plant is built. Even after those jobs are long gone, the state will be forced to carry the burden of overpriced, dirty power for the nest 30 years.

It's important to consider that the Illinois Commerce Commission study determined that the proposed Taylorville plant would produce some of the most expensive energy on the market, costing even more than current wind power prices. Will overpriced power from this plant still make sense 10, 25, or 30 years from now after wind and solar come down even further in cost?

It's amazing how far a bad idea can go when it's being pushed by every other lobbyist in town. Burdening the next generation with a 30-year mistake would rank as one of the legislature's most short sighted failures.

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Occupy Springfield will serve a notice of eviction on the Illinois Capitol Building. It will be read during an "Occupy Your State Capital" rally, October 29, 1:00pm.

Notice of Eviction

The lobbyists for the 1%, and their cohabitating servants in elected office, are hereby notified that your occupation of the Illinois State Capitol Building is terminated. You are ordered to vacate for violation of your lease agreement with the people of Illinois. We, the 99%, demand that you return state government to the people due to your violations of the public trust:

• You have created barriers to direct democracy, concentrating power in the hands of a few Legislative Leaders and special interest lobbyists, who block most bills which serve the people from coming to a vote before the full legislature.

• You have maintained an unfair tax structure that does not require the super-wealthy 1% to pay their fair share.

• You have erected barriers to our right to receive an education by allowing the cost of tuition at state universities to skyrocket while also cutting financing opportunities.

• You have given millions of our tax dollars to fossil fuel interests that poison our air and water.

• You have betrayed the trust of public servants employed by the state by ignoring their right to collective bargaining and failing to pay your share of their pensions.

• You have enacted budget cuts which harm the most vulnerable among us rather than asking sacrifices from the wealthy few.

• You blocked legislation that would require banks to know the name, age and disability status of those being evicted, showing you have no regard for the fate of those you make homeless.

For these and other breaches of the public good you are hereby ordered on this day, October 29, 2011, National Occupy Your State Capital Day, to return this Capitol Building to its rightful owners, the people of Illinois.

Sincerely,
Occupy Springfield

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I decided to check out Occupy Chicago on October 21 while I was in town. They didn't have an encampment site yet but around 200 were lined up along the sidewalk in the financial district. I heard the drumming from two city blocks away as I approached.

I could have used more cowbell.

They're under the shadow of the Chicago Board of Trade, which also appeared as Wayne Tower in Batman Begins. I heard a man in a suit ask a small group of occupiers why they were protesting him and his job.

The atmosphere was friendly. There appeared to be a non-stop soapbox session around the corner from the drummers. They had food and sign-making supplies free for the taking. This one was my favorite:

They marched to a spot in Grant Park for their General Assembly meeting. It was the most filmed and photographed walk down the street I've ever seen.

I had to leave before a rally planned for Saturday 10/22 in conjunction with their second attempt to establish a place to set up camp. Apparently, the city is responding with more arrests. I can't imagine what Mayor Emanuel hopes to gain by getting aggressive with a group that just wants to sit around and bang drums.

Posted by Will at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A rally in support of the Wall Street Occupiers happened today in Springfield at the Illinois Capitol Building. Over 300 people came for the peaceful protest.

After a reading of a statement from the Occupy Wall Street protestors, the group walked by several downtown banks, including Chase, and came back to the Capitol.

Following the stroll through downtown, there was time for anyone who wished to address the crowd. An AFSCME representative announced that their convention in Springfield today voted to support the Occupy protests.

One person brought their guitar for a short sing-a-long. About a dozen people took their turn at the microphone expressing a diversity of viewpoints.

There were plenty of Democrats but my impression is that a majority of the crowd were people disaffected from the two major parties and disgusted with electoral politics in general. Ron Paul Libertarians, union members, and the Radical Student Union were all well represented.

Everything went smoothly. The police were helpful and professional. Oddly, one person was asked by the police to either leave or remove his Guy Fawkes mask. He left.

I saw no sign of counter-protesters. A local conservative radio host spent all week telling people to counter-protest and even made a threatening comment on his discussion board. Apparently, his listeners chickened out (assuming he has any listeners).

It was a very positive event and I think everyone left with a desire to follow up. The next event is a national "Occupy your State Capital" day October 29. Expect it to be even bigger and better!

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Over 50 students from the University of Iowa, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and several other campuses toured sites in central Illinois to learn about the impacts of coal mining. It was covered by The Daily Iowan and The Daily Illini.

The Illini article quoted several tour participants and organizers.

“We’re busting at the seams with interest,” Cross said. “We’ll be able to see firsthand what’s happening.”

The students had the opportunity to talk to affected individuals of coal mines. They will be visiting coal mines that are disposing coal waste above ground, discharging coal ash into the water supply and storing it in pounds next to a local lake, Cross added.

“Coal is not a viable energy source,” she said. “We need to be moving beyond coal."

(Iowa Hawkeyes give thumbs down to impacts of coal mining)

The Daily Iowan article wrote about the tour and a campaign to shut down their campus coal plant.

The University of Iowa consumes almost 500 tons of coal each day.

And UI junior Zach Carter wants to change that.

After attending the alternative-energy event Power Shift 2011 in Washington, D.C., last spring, Carter started the UI Sierra Student Coalition this fall, in hopes of pushing for the university to shift its energy production away from coal and other fossil fuels to biomass.

I spoke on the tour so I'll post pictures and details soon.

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Ameren announced that it will close two of its oldest, deadliest plants in Meredosia and Hutsonville, Illinois. Ameren is blaming EPA's new Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) that regulates sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx). The rule will force the oldest, dirtiest coal plants in America to either clean up their act or shut down. Apparently, it's working already.

Despite making billions of dollars in profits, Ameren refused to update pollution controls on these plants for decades. Failure to control their sulfur pollution is why Ameren plants import coal from out of state rather than using Illinois coal. The Meredosia plant imports coal from mountaintop removal mining operators.

Mary Anne Hitt wrote in her blog that the Cross State Air Pollution Rule is designed to prevent soot and smog pollution that contributes to health hazards like asthma attacks and heart attacks. EPA estimates that in just the first two years of enforcement, these protections will save up to 34,000 lives, prevent more than 19,000 emergency room visits, prevent 1.8 million missed work and school days and improve the lives of millions.

I'm glad to see Ameren's press release express their "regret" for the impact the closures will have on the economy of these two communities. I have yet to see Ameren express regret for premature deaths and other health impacts they inflicted on Illinois communities for decades by refusing to install basic pollution controls on their coal plants.

Illinois residents have suffered for the sake of Ameren's quarterly profit margin. Closing these dirty coal dinosaurs is the right decision.

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Peabody sold investors on the Prairie State Energy Campus with the lure of coal as a cheap energy source. Reality hit when the plant's construction costs more than doubled and investors were asked to shoulder the burden.

That resulted in price hikes for customers of utilities who invested in Prairie State. One of the biggest is the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) based in Springfield. The cost of expensive coal will be passed on to IMEA customers like the cities of Naperville, Chatham and the Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative based in Auburn.

These rate hikes offer an occasion for suppliers like IMEA to reevaluate their investment in coal. The cost of operating coal plants will only go up as EPA moves forward on new clean air and water rules. That will happen even if Congress doesn't put an additional price on carbon, which would make coal even less attractive. Coal based utilities will be forced to internalize the cost of their pollution instead of forcing everyone else to pay for their mess. The promise of cheap coal is a relic of the past.

Unfortunately, IMEA and it's partners like the American Public Power Association have chosen to act as puppets of the coal industry's legislative agenda. They work hand in hand with industry polluters to fight against regulations that protect public health and the environment. Customers should be aware that if your town or co-op is as member of IMEA or APPA then you're supporting the coal industry's campaign to demonize the EPA.

I'm sure the coal industry appreciates the loyalty of public utilities but procrastinating the transition to clean energy will only hurt their customers in the long run. It's time for providers like IMEA to reconsider whether marrying their fate to coal is really in their best interests.

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Chris Britt delivers another classic cartoon.

Great point! If you have to squint for this version, check it out here.

And yes, I'm purposely not linking to it at the SJ-R because their comment section is still completely out of control.

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If you want to know what's really going on in Springfield you have to read the Business Journal. Business and political leaders are a little more clear about their plans for the future in the Business Journal than they are in other media outlets. One example is an editorial by Mayor Mike Houston titled "Retail Revolution good for Springfield" in their July 2011 issue.

He begins by referencing White Oaks Mall, which had opened shortly before Houston's first term as mayor in 1979, and how the resulting development on the southwest end moved the city's retail center away from downtown. He states that "a similar sort of retail revolution is about to take place" around Scheels along the MacArthur Extension.

Houston argues that this will benefit the entire city, and not just one geographic area, because "a rising tide floats all ships. This larger economic base will be a great asset as we continue to market our community to other potential retailers."

This claim, that sprawl on the edge of town won't detract from the city center, is an article of faith among Springfield's business and political establishment. Everyone is expected to believe that new development on the MacArthur extension won't detract from downtown, won't create vacant stores on the Southwest end, and will even bring new businesses to older sections of MacArthur Blvd.

Since Houston is making the comparison to White Oaks Mall, it's fair to reflect on what happened during that phrase of sprawl.

Did sprawl on the southwest end lift downtown or did it help empty out downtown retail activity? Did central neighborhoods deteriorate as newer houses were built on the southwest end? Did the city center suffer from neglect as limited resources were spent to build new infrastructure on the edge of town?

Any fair minded observer would have to admit that the last hiccup of commercial sprawl most certainly did not lift all ships. What we have on the southwest end is ugly, poorly planned sprawl with the city's most accident-prone intersections and stores that are inaccessible to pedestrians and bicyclists. At the same time, downtown and central neighborhoods suffered as businesses abandoned a sinking ship. Most other cities have had the same experience.

So, will Springfield do anything differently this time? Can we keep doing the same thing and expect a different result?

Groups like the central neighborhood associations, the MacArthur Blvd Association, and Downtown Springfield Inc should reexamine the "rising tide floats all boats" theory. The sprawl agenda being pushed by the Chamber and Q5 may not be in their best interests.

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