FRONTLINE: Climate of Doubt

Professional contrarians are attacking science again, and they are doing it for the carbon-fuel industries. Your local utilities could be their funders. Watch this FRONTLINE documentary and vote.

Watch Climate of Doubt on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

"In 50 years, 100 years, when we look back, I want to make sure that nobody can say we didn't warn them." -

Andrew Dessler: Science and the Politics of Climate Change

If you are in Fred Upton's (R-MI) district, recall him. Fred is Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, he is in the pocket of the Koch Brothers gas lobby.

If you are in Frank James (Jim) Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI) representing Wisconsin's 5th congressional district. Get him out of office. He is in the pocket of the carbon-fuels Corporations. 


American Politics is now under control of the huge sums of money that come from every carbon-fuel lobby from GM to BIG Oil, Auto Insurance to Gas Refiners like the Koch Brothers, from "Clean Coal" to your local utilities, they are all terrified of CAP & TRADE laws to limit carbon pollution.

Where they can't buy an election, they delay and obstruct. Where they can't fool the adult voters, they change the textbooks, eliminate words like "Sea Level Rise", which they deem to be 'left wing vocabulary'.

These nefarious forces rely upon their ignorance as an argument, counting upon the limited education of their constituants to sell their radical skepticism. It's not just the fact that they fail to use science or facts, its that they obviously have a direct conflict of interest with the fossil fuel industries, and they willingly take that funding, but don't recuse themselves from the policy debates. This is unethical.

This level of corruption, that attacks science and scientists, changes textbooks, and pays for elections, is all for profit, is no different than the tabaco industry fraud, or the O-zone debates, or any of the issues where Corporate interests are threatened by government regulations and policy changes. These people are always on the side of the dollar.

They buy up talk-radio stations and talking heads by the dozen. They fund "Americans For Prosperity"and other ideologically motivated foundations through secret organizations such as "Donors Trust". This anonymously funds these fraudulent projects, seeking to avoid transparency and responsibility for corrupting the political process.

If they are wrong, they will help cause the suffering and death of millions of people and perhaps hundreds of thousands of species. For their own financial interests they are attacking generations yet unborn, hoping they will be long dead and beyond accountability as the world burns. This is pure evil.

Learn more ...

Steve Coll: How Exxon Shaped the Climate Debate

Moral Questions

A Moral Question from Sustainable Man on Vimeo.

"Externalities" (prepare to cry)

READ THIS, IT'S IMPORTANT:

"Externalities" from Sustainable Man on Vimeo.

"Economists say, if you clearcut the forests and put [the money] in the bank, you could make 6 or 7 percent. If you cut down the forests and put it into Malaysia or Papua New Guinea, you could make 30 or 40 perc

ent. So, who cares whether you keep the forest, cut it down [and] put the money somewhere else! When those forests are gone, put it in fish; when the fish are gone, put it in computers. Money doesn't stand for anything, and money now grows faster than the real world.

Economics is so fundamentally disconnected from the real world, it is destructive. If you take an introductory course in economics, the professor—in the first lecture—will show a slide of the economy, and it looks very impressive. They try and impress you, because they know damn well that economics is not a science, but they're trying to fool us into thinking that it's a real science; it's not.

Economics is [just] a set of values, and [they] use mathematical equations and pretend that it's a science. But, if you ask the economist, 'in that equation, where do you put the ozone layer? Where do you put the deep, underground aquifers? Where do you put top soil or biodiversity?', their answer is 'oh, those are externalities.' Well, then you might as well be on Mars! That economy's not based [on] anything like the real world. It's life, the web of life, that filters water, it's microorganisms in the soil that create the soil we can grow our food in…insects fertilize all of the flowering plants…nature performs all kinds of services…these services are vital to the health of the planet. Economists call these externalities; that's NUTS."

—David Suzuki

(★★★★) Must Watch Video ft. above quote:
http://vimeo.com/49953262

Check out Heartland Coalition - Forging a Sustainable Future | Living Green at Blue Sky Ranch

I want you to take a look at: Heartland Coalition - Forging a Sustainable Future | Living Green at Blue Sky Ranch 

Great Tax Subsidies for Carbon-Fuel Corps.

This week we came across this article from the OB Rag:"Among the 47% Who Pay No Income Taxes Is Mitt Romney Himself!" By John Lawrence / San Diego Free Press / September 19, 2012

In response to the comments made by Presidential Candidate, Billionare Mitt Rmoney, John Lawerence notes that Rmoney has funneled his income through offshore corporations linked to bank accounts in no tax jurisdictions, and it has been taxed as capital gains, not income. Rmoney dismissed 47% of the American people who don’t pay income tax as slackers and deadbeats. Thanks to a loophole Romney pays US taxes as “carried interest” which is taxed at the capital gains rate of 15%. That figure would not only include Romney himself who pays no income tax, but also all those corporate persons (remember Romney said, “Corporations are people, my friend”) such as Exxon Mobil and GE who not only pay no income tax but get a generous rebate thanks to American taxpayers.

Here is a list of the top 10 corporate deadbeats and slackers (thanks to Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont), note how many deal in the toxic carbon-fuel industry (and MICC):

1) Exxon Mobil made $19 billion in profits in 2009. Exxon not only paid no federal income taxes, it actually received a $156 million rebate from the IRS, according to its SEC filings.

2) Bank of America received a $1.9 billion tax refund from the IRS last year, although it made $4.4 billion in profits and received a bailout from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department of nearly $1 trillion.

3) Over the past five years, while General Electric made $26 billion in profits in the United States, it received a $4.1 billion refund from the IRS.

4) Chevron received a $19 million refund from the IRS last year after it made $10 billion in profits in 2009.

5) Boeing, which received a $30 billion contract from the Pentagon to build 179 airborne tankers, got a $124 million refund from the IRS last year.

6) Valero Energy (Koch Brothers), the 25th largest company in America with $68 billion in sales last year received a $157 million tax refund check from the IRS and, over the past three years, it received a $134 million tax break from the oil and gas manufacturing tax deduction.

7) Goldman Sachs in 2008 only paid 1.1 percent of its income in taxes even though it earned a profit of $2.3 billion and received an almost $800 billion from the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury Department.

8) Citigroup last year made more than $4 billion in profits but paid no federal income taxes. It received a $2.5 trillion bailout from the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury.

9) ConocoPhillips, the fifth largest oil company in the United States, made $16 billion in profits from 2007 through 2009, but received $451 million in tax breaks through the oil and gas manufacturing deduction.

10) Over the past five years, Carnival Cruise Lines made more than $11 billion in profits, but its federal income tax rate during those years was just 1.1 percent.

It's worth noting that three of the 10 are banks we bailed out in 2008, and that are part of the cartel that makes up the Federal Reserve. Bowing and G.E. are military contractors and profit from war spending.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Genetic Roulette
Watch this NOW! Only available online for a limited time! 

When you watch this Documentary: Genetic Roulette, please don't try to watch it all at once. If you feel symptoms of fear, panic, or depression, this is normal. Pause, eat some organic food. Rest. And return to the video when the symptoms pass. Video by Jeff Smith

There are only 9 Genetically Engineered FOOD crops:

1. Soy
2. Corn (not Pop-corn)
3. Cottonseed (for Oil)
4. Canola (for Oil)
5. Sugar Beets (for Sugar)
6. Papaya (Hawaiian and Chinese)
7. Zucchini
8. Yellow Crookneck Squash 
9. Alfalfa (for Hay) 

But their derivatives are found in 70% of the foods at the Grocery Store.
Buy foods that say Organic or Non-GMO!
http://www.nonGMOshoppingguide.com
http://www.nongmoproject.org/

Stay away from Aspartame when possible, it may or may not be harmful, but it is definitely unnecessary as a sweet.

Watch out for your milk, especially for kids. Don't buy milk that uses Bovine Growth Hormone, if you can afford it, buy only organic labels.

Solutions for San Diego

Please give us a listen, then post the link below to your facebook friends or email them: http://soundcloud.com/san-diego-speaks/sdsolutionsdemo

In this Program:

• Grant Writing Specialists - Penny Goforth
• East County Magazine - Director, Leon Thomson
• Ilan Lael Foundation - Marianne Gerdes 
• San Diego Brain Tumor Foundation - Connie Reeves Campbell

This has been a San Diego Speaks production of "San Diego Solutions". This is a demonstration project for a new one-hour, weekly talk-show about Non-Profit Businesses in San Diego and the solutions created by social-entrepreneurs to deal with local issues.

If you want to find out more about San Diego Solutions, and listen to extended interviews, go to our web site SDSpeaks.com 

There you can log-in and find ways to contribute to your local community, volunteer, become a citizen journalist, or submit a your favorite charity for an interview. 

The people of San Diego face many issues, If you would like to be part of the solution, then join the conversation online, and contact us with your thoughts about how we can improve this local show and create a better tomorrow. Together, there is nothing our community can't accomplish. 

Please, support our local Charities. Lean how to find worthy non-profit businesses in your area, and achieve results in your neighborhood. 

You can support San Diego Solutions through our web-site, simply subscribe to our email newsletter and listen to the podcast. You can listen to archived shows and extended interviews with local leaders about the challenges and opportunities we all face together. 

When you join our community, you'll find you are not alone, and that what at first may seem overwhelming is manageable when we share the work. Best of all you can express yourself, tell us your ideas, and propose your solutions to the issues you care most about. 

Thanks for listening, and welcome to "San Diego Solutions". 

Support CA Prop. 37

"After two decades fighting to force U.S. food companies to tell consumers when their products are made with genetically modified organisms, activists in California have mounted what is potentially their most promising offensive to date." - Ruters, Aug. 16, 2012

Labeling Genetically Modified Food is simple and makes sense, but in California Proposition 37 is under attack from corporations like General Mills and Monsanto who are spending millions of dollars to fight CA Prop. 37. The truth is almost everything we eat is Genetically Modified (GM) but corn, soy, and canola are among the transgenic food crops patented by corporations, so that they can maximize food production by splicing in genes that produce pesticide, growth stimulis, or help the crops survive in poor soil or a changing climate.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) has put out a new report calling for a moratorium on Genetically Modified (GM) foods.

Food designed to produce toxin: GM corn and cotton are engineered to produce their own built-in pesticide in every cell. When bugs bite the plant, the poison splits open their stomach and kills them. Biotech companies claim that the pesticide, called Bt—produced from soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis—has a history of safe use, since organic farmers and others use Bt bacteria spray for natural insect control. Genetic engineers insert Bt genes into corn and cotton, so the plants do the killing. The Bt-toxin produced in GM plants, however, is thousands of times more concentrated than natural Bt spray, is designed to be more toxic,[10] has properties of an allergen, and unlike the spray, cannot be washed off the plant.

There is mounting evidence that some of the Genetic Engineering of Plant DNA can transfer to the myriad of bacteria flora in our gut.

Worst finding of all—GMOs remain inside of us:
The only published human feeding study revealed what may be the most dangerous problem from GM foods. The gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function.[26] This means that long after we stop eating GMOs, we may still have potentially harmful GM proteins produced continuously inside of us. Put more plainly, eating a corn chip produced from Bt corn might transform our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories, possibly for the rest of our lives.When evidence of gene transfer is reported at medical conferences around the US, doctors often respond by citing the huge increase of gastrointestinal problems among their patients over the last decade. GM foods might be colonizing the gut flora of North Americans. - Culture Change

Vote YES on CA Prop. 37! 

Happy Planet Index

The index uses global data on life expectancy, experienced well-being and Ecological Footprint.

Each of these components is based on a separate measure:

Experienced well-being. 
If you want to know how well someone’s life is going, your best bet is to ask them directly. In this year’s HPI, experienced well-being is assessed using a question called the ‘Ladder of Life’ from the Gallup World Poll. This asks respondents to imagine a ladder, where 0 represents the worst possible life and 10 the best possible life, and report the step of the ladder they feel they currently stand on.

Life expectancy. 
Alongside experienced well-being, the HPI includes a universally important measure of health – life expectancy. We used life expectancy data from the 2011 UNDP Human Development Report

Ecological Footprint. 
The HPI uses the Ecological Footprint promoted by the environmental charity WWF as a measure of resource consumption. It is a per capita measure of the amount of land required to sustain a country’s consumption patterns, measured in terms of global hectares (g ha) which represent a hectare of land with average productive biocapacity.

 5 things to do everyday:

1. Connections/Social-Network, 
2. Curiosity/Learning, 
3. Give/Compassion, 
4. Activity/Exercise, 
5. Notice/Aware

Check out the HPI poster

Global Weirdness

For the first time in six years, National Public Radio has aired episodes about global warming without excuse or apology. The new book "Global Weirdness", by Michael Lemonick, makes no bones about it, we are going to see rough seas ahead.

Listen to the story ... Surprisingly, even our local KPBS is on top of this story.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the past year through June 2012 has been the hottest year in the continental U.S. since modern record-keeping started in 1895.

"While it's true that the primary effect of carbon dioxide buildup is to warm the Earth and to change the climate, some of that carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans, and when water absorbs carbon dioxide, it becomes more acidic. ... That has some implications for sea life, especially organisms that form shells: In an acidic environment it's harder to form a shell, and because a lot of these organisms are at the very base of the ocean food chain, there could be some real disruptions to that part of our food supply. "

Severe Storms, Deadly Heat Waves, Relentless Drought, Rising Seas, and the Weather of the Future. published by the nonprofit research organization Climate Central

AZ State perfects cost efficient solar collectors

Gizmag report says new furnace type solar collectors can melt glass in seconds.

The DNA Barcode of Life

I love sushi, but high priced fish is often mislabeled. One of the biggest problems I run into with food is that I can't know for sure what I'm eating. There have been studies that show that most of what we eat in Sushi Restaurants is mislabeled. This is fraud, they are tricking the consumers into eating cheap or endangered species instead of the expensive premium fish they are charging you for. In Japan, using species substitution, fishermen sell illegal dolphin meat, labeled as whale, for school lunches, dosing kids with mercury, a known neurotoxin. Read more at Oceana.org ...

Now EarthSky reports that a clever team of scientists is planing to use cell phone bar-code readers to give consumers more of the information they need to make good choices for the environment.

David Schindel said: “The image that some people have in mind is being able to sit down to a restaurant meal and take out your smart phone and scan a barcode on the menu and find out more about how the dish is prepared, but also about the species. Where was it fished? What fisherman caught this? When it was caught? Was it tested? Does this fisherman have a good record of authentic labeling? And all of that could be on your smart phone while you enjoy a glass of wine and you wait for your meal to be served.”

For more information about what to eat, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's SEAFOOD WATCH list: seafoodwatch.org

The Water Energy Connection

KQED's California Report notes that about 20% of all California Energy is used to provide water to our residents.

Check out the full story at the Climate Watch Web Page.
You might call that report, entitled California’s Water-Energy Relationship, as The Great Wake-Up Call. The idea that so much power could go into this one vital activity—moving and treating and using water—is both stunning and captivating. See the illustrated guide to how water and energy are connected.

Update on Reinventing Fire, TED Video

Update on Reinventing Fire by Amory Lovins of the Rockey Mountain Institute

Pay special attention at time stamp 17:50

Reinventing Fire: Amory Lovins

Those who know Amory Lovins of the Rockey Mountain Institute know that he was one of the first to speak up about climate change and challenge the existing economy. I first learned about Lovins and RMI in 2007 watching a TED video in which he claimed "The whales were saved by profit seeking capitalist and technological innovators" (perhaps he spoke too soon). He offers a unique scientific vision of how business and industry should transition to a post oil economy, a synergistic model that claims that our entire energy economy can be replace through innovative efficiency and new energy technology with minimal infrastructure investments. Download his "Oil Endgame" here.

The Eight Guiding Principles of Rocky Mountain Institute

• Advanced Resource Productivity: Using natural resources much more productively — efficiently — is both profitable and better for the environment.
• Whole-Systems Design: Whole-systems design reveals lasting, elegantly frugal solutions with multiple benefits.
• Positive Action: We don't lobby, litigate, or harass those with whom we disagree.
• Market-Oriented Solutions: We believe in working with markets, not against them.
• End-use/Least-cost Approach: "What are we trying to do, and what's the best and cheapest way to do it?"
• Biological Insight: Nature offers extraordinary design solutions honed by 3.8 billion years' rigorous testing
• Corporate Transformation: We view the corporate world, which environmental groups often dismiss as "the problem," as an essential part of the solution.
• The Pursuit of Interconnection: We believe strongly in the importance of a "vision across boundaries."

About Amory Lovins - Lovins has been a visionary leader in sustainable technologies and soft energy paths since 1976, when Foreign Affairs published his landmark essay, Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?" As the co-founder, chairman, and chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Lovins has briefed heads of state, consulted with CEOs, and worked with environmentalists to create an alternative energy strategy---and he contends his vision can be achieved with no new acts of Congress or government regulation, and no major shift in our lifestyles. A prolific author and entrepreneur, Lovins has received honorary doctorates and awards around the world for his inclusive and broad-based approach to creating a sustainable economy. In 2009, Time magazine named Lovins as one of the 100 most-influential people in the world.

Clean Tech San Diego and The California Center for Sustainable Energy welcome Amory to San Diego.

How Cleantech Innovation in San Diego is Lighting the Way to Economic Prosperity

Reinventing Fire:
Amory Lovins Talks Energy Strategy
Wednesday April 11, 2012,  5:00 – 7:30pm

Energy Innovation Center
4760 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

***************

Amory Lovins is reinventing fire, and CleanTECH San Diego and the California Center for Sustainable Energy are bringing him to San Diego to explain how it can be done. In his latest book, Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era, Lovins argues that it is possible to run a U.S. economy that is 2.6 times bigger by 2050---without oil, coal, or nuclear power---and in ways that will make the economy much stronger.

Named by TIME magazine as one of the “World's 100 Most Influential People” in 2009, Amory Lovins is the co-founder, chairman and chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute – a nationally recognized, non-profit think-and-do tank in Colorado. He has been active at the nexus of energy and environmental resources and development in more than 50 countries for over 35 years, and is among the world's leading energy authorities.

Mr. Lovins will join CleanTECH San Diego President & CEO Jim Waring to discuss Reinventing Fire and how San Diego entrepreneurs and innovators are already applying some of his strategies for actionable solutions for the four energy-intensive sectors of the economy: transportation, buildings, industry and electricity. The event will highlight a number of clean technologies being developed in San Diego, and explore how they can be broadly applied to revolutionize markets around the world. The evening will conclude with a book signing and reception.

Reinventing Fire will be sold at the event at the discounted price of $30 (cash only). Reserve your copy here.

RSVP http://ctsdamorylovins2012.eventbrite.com

Limited seating available.
***************

About CleanTECH San Diego

CleanTECH San Diego is a private, non-profit member organization formed in 2007. As one of the nation's premier cleantech cluster organizations, its mission is to position the region as a global leader in the cleantech economy. CleanTECH San Diego serves as a catalyst for a diverse group of stakeholders to advance a common agenda.

www.cleantechsandiego.org

About California Center for Sustainable Energy

The California Center for Sustainable Energy ( CCSE) is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that helps residents, businesses and public agencies save energy, reduce grid demand and generate their own power through a variety of rebate, technical assistance and education programs. CCSE also provides the community with objective information, research, analysis and long-term planning on energy issues and technologies. The California Center for Sustainable Energy promotes change for a clean energy future.
www.energycenter.org

Bee Hive Colony Collapse Disorder linked to Pesticide, beware of corn-syrup

Wired reports yet another tragic use for tabaco is the manufacture of neonicotinoids like Imidacloprid.  This popular toxic pesticide, imidacloprid, is a systemic insecticide which acts as an insect neurotoxin and belongs to a class of chemicals called the neonicotinoids which act on the central nervous system of insects. 

"Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health '...have re-created the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder in several honeybee hives simply by giving them small doses of a popular pesticide, imidacloprid.' This follows recently-reported studies also linked the disorder to neonicotinoid pesticides. What is really interesting is the link to when the disorder started appearing, 2006. 'That mech...anism? High-fructose corn syrup. Many bee-keepers have turned to high-fructose corn syrup to feed their bees, which the researchers say did not imperil bees until U.S. corn began to be sprayed with imidacloprid in 2004-2005. A year later was the first outbreak of Colony Collapse Disorder.'"

Now off patent, you can buy imidacloprid under many trade names: Admire, Advantage (Advocate) (flea killer for pets), Gaucho, Merit, Nuprid, Prothor, Turfthor, Confidor, Conguard, Hachikusan, Kohinor, Optrol, Premise, Prothor, Provado, Intercept, Winner, and Xytect. 

(Note: You may want to sell your stock in Bayer, the Aspirin pharmaceutical company that created imidacloprid neurotoxin pesticides, they will likely be sued for all the damage to food crops, cooperate farms, and by starving nations for loss of production.)

The Proper Loading Order

People want the sexy new expensive technology, because it's profitable to sell, but the truth is that most of the things we can due to change our future for the better are fairly inexpensive, don't take an expert or any technical education, and you can do them yourself with a little help from your friends.

The following is a note from my friends at Sacraemento Building Performance:
---------------------------------------------------------------
Energy Efficiency Loading Order

When contemplating improving our home’s performance it helps to have a general guideline or ordering of priorities when making the decisions that provide the most benefit for our investment.  It’s important to look at the house as a system where each part interacts and ideally works together with the rest.  If we ignore this interaction and focus our attention on single source solutions, at best we miss opportunities to leverage our decisions and in the worse case cause unintentionally negative results.

For example if we add insulation without first taking the time and effort to airseal points of unwanted infiltration, the R-value of that insulation can be reduced by over 50%.  We might be uncomfortable and think we need a new and larger HVAC system.  If we first seal the envelope and add insulation we may be able to downsize that new system, saving on first costs and subsequent utility bills.

It’s important to avoid the “silver bullet” mentality when it comes to energy efficiency.  Using the following loading order of upgrade priorities can help.   It starts with the easiest, least expensive items and progresses to increasingly complex activities.  Tightening up a home’s envelope by air sealing and adding insulation are the two most cost effective steps you can take toward affordable comfort.  It pays to put your money into simple measures first.

Envelope
1. Air sealing the envelope
2. Insulation
3. Duct sealing

Load Reduction
4. Fluorescent lighting
5. Energy efficient appliances
6. Reducing plug loads (especially phantom loads)
7. Reducing water consumption
8. Occupant behavior

Mechanical Systems
9. High efficiency HVAC
10. High efficiency water heating
11. Heat recovery ventilation

Renewables
12. Solar hot water
13. PV solar
14. Wind power
15. Rain water harvesting

Of course nothing can replace a comprehensive home performance survey performed by a competent professional to analyze our homes particular needs and to develop a cost effective strategy.

http://sacbuildingperformance.com/2010/05/26/energy-efficiency-loading-order/

---------------------------------
Bonus, went to the BLUE GREEN Jobs Conference in San Diego this week, learned a lot about the potential for collaborative solutions to seemingly catastrophic problems, but there is still a lack of public awareness and thus political will to dedicate the resources necessary to address the coming crisis.


You can download and listen to the rough audio here with QuickTime Player:
BlueGreen.3gp

Donald Sadoway: The missing link to renewable energy

Inventing inventors may be more difficult than inventing batteries, but the process is the same, find the right elements, melt-them into a solution, break the rules, and tell everyone.

This MIT solution to a chemical battery may work, it may even be produced, but its problem is not the electric charge it can hold, it's real challenge is that none of the existing power structures: government, corporate, military, utility, etc. will support it, because they depend upon waste for their position.

The PACE Lawsuit is maturing

A few years ago California and 37 other states filed a lawsuit against the US Federal Government when FHMA (Fanny May) and FRMC (Freddy Mac) convinced the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to quash Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. Apparently a federal judge saw the light, and ruled that FHFA must do 'rulemaking' processes before crushing PACE programs. Now the Vote Solar Initiative is spearheading a letter writing campaign to help inform FHMA of the cost of their mistake.


By derailing PACE in the USA, we have lost the lead in Green Industries to other nations like China and Germany, and we have failed to create the new jobs and train the new Green workforce necessary to compete in the renewable energy economy. Please add your opinion about the future of PACE programs at the local level, click here for more.


Below is my personal letter to FHFA : Please Email: RegComments@fhfa.gov
--------------------------------------------------

Mr. Alfred Pollard

General Counsel

Federal Housing Finance Agency

400 7th St., N.W.

Washington, DC 20024

RE: RIN 2590-AA53 Mortgage Assets Affected by PACE Programs; Comments on Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and EIS Scoping Comments

Dear Mr. Pollard:

When I first learned of Property Assessed Clean Energy, I saw the genius behind the concept. Paying up front for expensive energy remodeling and renewable energy generation systems on every building is not economically feasible for most property owners, and by providing lenders with security by placing a lean against the property gives each property owner the liberty to become their own energy utility. In addition, by removing themselves from the carbon-fuel and nuclear energy consumers group, they save the environment one building at a time. Finally, PACE programs pay for this new energy infrastructure over the life of the buildings and equipment, allowing the cost of the energy to be transfered to each new owner or occupant, without unduly limiting the current owner from selling their property if necessary.

When I found out that FHMA and FRMC had put the kibosh on PACE programs by filing a federal lawsuit, it seemed counter productive, but I was willing to hear their reasoning. When I found out that they were afraid that the primary leans that PACE provides, I thought they were very short sighted, because, of course, by increasing the energy efficiency and renewable energy independence of each building, you increase the value of the property, and that translates across communities, ensuring the long term viability of the real-estate markets and guaranteeing that the outstanding loans will be paid with their interest. It also will create new jobs, and train the US construction industry to build quality efficient net-zero buildings for our future.

When it was explained to me that their short-sighted legal objection was motivated because FHMA and FRMC are NOT FEDERAL LENDERS but simply INSURE PRIVATE SECTOR LOANS on the backs of tax payers! I then concluded that this legal challenge was not coming from educated federal housing experts, but from economic power brokers who were willing to sacrifice our future for the chance to keep a broken system of energy waste, pollution, and economic crisis going in a cycle of boom and bust so that they could take advantage of the foreclosure crisis and the spikes in energy commodities.

Further, Mello-Roos type local property taxes are NOT UNDER FEDERAL JURISTICTION, under the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution, the Federal Government can not levy such tax within the individual States, and under the 10th Amendment such property taxes fall are clearly under State's Rights, and the power of local municipal corporations to levy such leans in order to improve the quality and independence of their individual communities should not be infringed.

Therefore, I urge you to decide in favor of PACE type programs in every state, it is in the long-term interest of our citizens, their communities, and our nation.

------------------------------

PACE was developed in 2007 to enable local communities interested in increasing energy security and electric grid reliability, creating jobs and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants to provide an affordable mechanism for homeowners to make energy efficiency or renewable energy improvements. PACE is a means by which local governments can effect these important public purposes using longstanding, widely-adopted land-secured municipal finance structures, known around the country as “improvement districts”, “special tax districts”, “assessment districts” and the like (collectively “land-secured municipal finance districts”).

PACE enables local communities to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements with little or no upfront cost, at competitive interest rates and over a time period that matches the period over which energy savings associated with such improvements are realized. With PACE, assessments are made against property that benefits from energy efficiency or renewable energy improvements financed by a local government, tying the repayment obligation with the beneficiary of the financing.

Because of its unique ability to spur homeowner investment in energy efficiency and clean, on-site renewable energy, PACE legislation was passed by 27 states in just two and a half years. It has strong bi-partisan support at the local, state and Federal levels. PACE programs have been received with such overwhelming public support because they address one of the most important problems facing America, and offer an ability to scale that is unmatched by other alternatives.

We believe that FHFA’s action to unilaterally halt local government PACE programs on July 6, 2010 was unwarranted. This rulemaking provides an opportunity to establish a fact-based record and correct misinformation and misunderstandings, to the benefit of all stakeholders: local governments, mortgage lenders, homeowners, and our nation. We appreciate the opportunity, and urge FHFA to look for ways to accommodate these broadly beneficial programs. To this end, we recommend that the FHFA adopt reasonable underwriting standards that ensure local PACE programs are designed to maximize benefit and minimize risk, as described below.

1) PACE assessments are valid - and are not “loans” as asserted by FHFA

FHFA has repeatedly referred to PACE assessments as “loans.” To the contrary, they are property assessments with characteristics similar to those of more than 37,000 other land-secured special assessment districts in the United States that are rooted in hundreds of years of state and local law. Such districts are typically created at the voluntary behest of property owners who vote to allow their local governments to finance public improvements such as sewer systems, sidewalks, lighting, parks, open space acquisitions, and business improvements on their behalf. Other districts allow property owners to act voluntarily and individually to adopt municipally financed improvements to their property that are repaid with assessments. These assessments are secured by liens, just as with property tax liens, which have always been senior to privately-held liens such as the first mortgage. PACE is but an additional public purpose sought to be carried out by municipalities using an established finance structure well familiar to the real estate and mortgage industries.

2) PACE assessments present minimal risks to lenders, investors, homeowners and GSEs

FHFA asserts that PACE presents “significant safety and soundness” concerns, but there is no evidence that this is true. There is long-standing experience, borne out by studies, that energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements reduce homeowners’ energy bills and increase their property’s value, strengthening their financial position and increasing the value of a lender’s collateral. PACE financed improvements allow homeowners to hedge themselves against fuel price spikes and rising fuel costs over time. These factors lessen, if not eliminate, the safety and soundness risk than the FHFA has asserted. Local governments that established PACE programs prior to the July 6, 2010 action by FHFA developed program standards to protect lenders and consumers. The White House (October 18, 2009) and the Department of Energy (May 7, 2010) both published national PACE guidelines with clear, strong underwriting standards to ensure that homeowners are able to afford the improvements. A bi-partisan bill in the House of Representatives (HR 2599 – Hayworth R-NY19) further delineates national standards to minimize risk to lenders and consumers. Finally, the early results of PACE pilot programs in Boulder County, CO; Sonoma County and Palm Desert, CA; and Babylon, NY; show that PACE presents minimal risk: there are only a handful of known defaults out of nearly 3,200 upgraded properties, substantially fewer than the rate of default for non-PACE property-owners in the same districts.

3) Home energy improvements financed with PACE achieve important economic and environmental benefits

State and local governments have also passed PACE laws because PACE has great potential to help governments attain important economic and environmental goals. For example, according to a May 2011 Department of Energy study, the Boulder County PACE program created over 120 jobs, generated more than $20 million in overall economic activity and reduced consumers’ energy use by more than $125,000 in the first year alone. These benefits are important by themselves. In developing a rule that serves the public interest, the FHFA must weigh perceived risks against economic benefits that clearly reduce default rates.

4) Proposed Rule:

We strongly urge FHFA to reconsider its blanket opposition to PACE programs and to revise the Statement and the Directive. We recommend that FHFA’s proposed rule provide that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and any other mortgage lenders regulated by FHFA (Enterprises) be allowed to buy residential mortgages with PACE assessments that are originated by programs that conform to standards and guidelines such as those established in the Department of Energy’s “Guidelines for Pilot PACE Financing Programs” (May 7, 2010) (DOE Guidelines) or HR 2599 (The PACE Assessment Protection Act) to protect the interests of local governments, homeowners, mortgage lenders and the Enterprises.

5) EIS Scoping Comments

The Proposed Action in FHFA’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) should be changed to provide that the Enterprises may purchase mortgages subject to a first-lien PACE obligation or that could become subject to first-lien PACE obligations so long as the applicable PACE program conforms to standards and guidelines such as those established in HR 2599 or the DOE Guidelines. If FHFA does not alter the Proposed Action, one of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS should be revisions to the FHFA’s July 6, 2010 Statement and February 28, 2010 Directive to provide that the Enterprises are permitted to purchase mortgages subject to a first-lien PACE obligation or that could become subject to first-lien PACE obligations so long as the applicable PACE program conforms to standards and guidelines such as those established in HR 2599 or the DOE Guidelines.

Sincerely,

Michael Russell

BPI - HERS Consultant

San Diego, CA

How to corrupt the minds of the youth

A recent exposé of the corporate funded Heartland Institute's secret documents revealed an elaborate plan to purposefully manipulate K-12 curriculum, with efforts to inject doubt about climate change into young students and ensure that paralysis on clean energy technology and climate change legislation continues for another generation. This exemplifies how far international profiteering interests will go to systematically misinform the American public.

You can listen in on the conference call:
Science Denial and the Human Cost of Misinformation - Eric Byler talks to Robert Proctor, Prof. of History, Stanford University, Thursday, Mar 15, 2012 - 5:30 pm Eastern Time (2:30 pm PT), CLICK HERE to listen live or call (646) 929-2495 to join the conversation

2007 Habitat for Humanity Builds A LEED Platinum Home

No renewable energy, R45 walls, R62 Roof, R10 Basement Floor, all ducts are inside insulated space.

All we need is to change how we think and feel

Some of us have accepted the challenges we face, having moved through the grieving process, most are still in denial. It is too late for most of the people on the planet, the only question is which species will survive and who will we save.

James Hansen's Call to Arms

Top climate scientist James Hansen tells the story of his involvement in the science of and debate over global climate change. In doing so he outlines the overwhelming evidence that change is happening and why that makes him deeply worried about the future.James Hansen has made key insights into our global climate -- and inspired a generation of activists and scientists. Full bio »

We need a neutral carbon tax to offset subsidies on carbon-fuels. NOW! There is a giant cataclysm coming and the costs keep rising. It is immoral to leave our children the world we've created.

Sustainable Hedonism

Our leadership is failing to imagine a sustainable future. They are focused upon finding a way to survive through austerity, rather than thrive via sustainable hedonism. This Protestant theory that sustainable living must hurt is a symptom of the parasitical nature of corporate bureaucracy in government. We can do better.


Democratic Para-scope - combines political overview with public insight - the architectural alchemy of radical transparency.

A power-plant that becomes a ski slope. A land fill that turns into a waste plant. Trash that turns into electricity and heat. Waste water that becomes a thermal pool you can swim in. All the same architecture of an ecosystem.

Bjarke Ingels' architecture is luxurious, sustainable and community-driven. At TEDxEast he shows us his playful designs, from a factory chimney that blows smoke rings to a ski slope built atop a waste processing plant. Why can't we have this in San Diego, CA?

CCSE GetUP House

For the next few months the GetUP Program, which trains Home Performance workers in conjunction with EnergyUPGRADE California, will be showing their Showcase Home at 590 Fig Ave. in Chula Vista. The Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting is January 24th, 2012, from 1-2pm.

Thanks to the California Center for Sustainable Energy and the City of Chula Vista, which offers matching funds to the $4000/home EnergyUPGRADE program, a group of students (including me) got the opportunity to fully retrofit an existing home for energy efficiency and renewable energy ( <--- see pictures <--- ).

Also, thanks to Dan Ignosci, Home Performance Advisor with Comfort Advisors Heating and Air Conditioning, we have nice videos of the class at work (see below) with our instructors:
Dan Perunko, Judy Rachel, Rick Powell, and Scott Nyborg, and contractor Jesse Fulton.

The house will be open for tours over the next three months if you wish to see how an energy upgrade works.

Protest against SDGE's solar fee 1/18/12

When SEMPRA uses rate-payer fees (i.e. taxes) to open their NEW SDG&E 'Energy Innovation Center' (i.e. propaganda center), they were met with protesters. Planning to charge people with Solar Panels a 'fee' for using the public electric grid. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) rejected the SDG&E "Network Usage" fee.Funny how people only protest when the money can be easily shown to come from them, but when it is hidden in their utility bills they don't even notice?

Recycled Waste Energy- a 400 Billion Dollar Secret

Someone explain to me why we need to use FRACKING to get fuel, when we already have all we need?

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

From 60 Minutes - a story about the Bloom Box, a $700,000 electricity generator that EBAY, Google, and others use to backup their server farms. Cheap to make, easy to install, and you get tax-credits and incentives that pay for half of it!