Last week WineAmerica held the 2015 National Grape and Wine Policy Conference in Washington, DC. The conference consisted of visits to Capitol Hill to meet with Representatives and informational panels. The panel presentations covered major legislative issues related to the United States wine industry with presentations from members of Congress, their staff, industry members, and…
on April 08, 2015 at 2:37 PM, updated April 08, 2015 at 2:53 PM by Hannah Watts “There was a lot to like in his message,” Skip Pruss tells Kirk Heinze on Greening of the Great Lakes. “He set the bar high and indicated that Michigan should meet 30 to 40 percent of its future energy needs through renewable…
http://www.mlui.org/energy/news-views/news-views-articles/time-for-lansing-to-catch-not-ignore-the-new-tech-energy-wave.html#.VSU6EPnF-So Employing new grid technologies can weave together renewable and storage energy sources large and small, reducing the need to build additional old-fashioned,centralized, fossil-fueled plants. (Graphic: Powertown) Now that Governor Rick Snyder, state Senate and House Republicans, and Democrats in both chambers have each outlined their proposed next steps for Michigan’s energy future, it’s time…
The Obama administration is planning new fuel efficiency and carbon emission standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Later this summer, the EPA and NHTSA are expected to issue draft rules covering medium- and heavy-duty trucks and vans, vocational vehicles, and trailers sold after 2018. These new rules will save consumers and businesses money at the…
As Michigan policymakers consider implementing a robust integrated resource planning (IRP) process for forecasting energy supply and demand – or an integrated distribution planning (IDP) process that recognizes the accelerating deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs) and the economic benefits of demand-side energy efficiency programs (more on this from 5 Lakes Energy coming soon), attention…
http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2015/03/23/natural-gas-or-renewables-new-model-helps-states-decide/ Posted on 03/23/2015 by Andy Balaskovitz Shifting natural gas prices are making it a challenge for states to place their bets on the most cost-effective and least risky ways to comply with impending carbon regulations. Those prices could likely determine whether it makes sense to replace retiring coal generation with natural gas or renewable…
March 9, 2015 Dear Senator Nofs, Representative Nesbitt, and Members of the Michigan Senate Energy and Technology Committee and Michigan House Energy Policy Committee: We, the undersigned employers and trade associations – representing thousands of jobs within this state – strongly oppose any effort to eliminate Michigan’s successful and cost-effective Energy Optimization…
As the legislature and Governor’s office in Lansing consider changes to Michigan’s energy policy, there is one area upon which there should be consensus: the current extremely successful “Energy Optimization” policy for utility energy efficiency programs should be reinforced and expanded. Yet remarkably, Michigan’s energy optimization may be repealed. The data on Michigan’s current PA…
The sixth ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy) summit occurred this last week. This annual event in Washington, D.C. showcases a host of disruptive (and at times, radical) energy ideas that will help create future energy technologies. The goal of ARPA-E grant funding is to accelerate changes in the way America generates, uses, and stores energy. Bringing…
Dave Bos, a Michigan native, has been working in vineyards throughout northern California for the last ten years. To kick off our final day in California, Dave treated us to a rare vineyard tour of Grgich Hills Zinfandel planted in 1890. Remarkably, the block still produces 2 tons of fruit per acre. For Dave, those…