PV Tech, April 21, 2014 Value of solar tariffs (VOST) of the type recently adopted in the US state of Minnesota create “serious instability for the solar industry”, according to US advocacy group The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC). The group has spoken out on the VOST, which could replace net metering. The policy is designed … Read More
U.S. News and World Report, April 18, 2014 In my column last week, I wrote of Wal-Mart and Target’s launch of organic foods and sustainable household products. This drew a mixed response from readers. For example, Stacy Mitchell of the highly-regarded Institute for Local Self Reliance, tweeted to challenge Wal-Mart’s organics program, saying any company that … Read More
Government Technology, March 4, 2014 From the thermostats on our walls to the sensors under the asphalt of our streets, digital technology – the so-called Internet of things – is pervading and infecting every aspect of our lives. As this technology comes to cities, whether lazy suburban ones or frenetic urban centers, it is increasingly wearing … Read More
International Business Times, February 26, 2014 Boehner hasn’t threatened suicide lately, but he stands against raising the minimum wage. Doing so, he says, is bad for small business. Indeed, said Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, at a Washington meeting of the National Governors Association, over the weekend: “I’m not for increasing the minimum wage because I’m … Read More
Huffington Post, February 22, 2014 Two years ago, the state of Hawaii made history in the U.S. by becoming the first place where solar reached, and then exceeded grid parity with dirtier sources of energy. The Institute for Local Self Reliance published a study showing that even without any incentives, the simple payback for residential and … Read More
Minnesota Public Radio, February 22, 2014 A study has found Minneapolis can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions without going through the expensive process of creating its own electric utility. Minneapolis commissioned the $250,000 study last year amid a push from environmentalists to end the city’s relationship with Xcel Energy. The study recommended the city instead negotiate … Read More
Idaho Falls Post Register, February 19, 2014 When it comes to fiber optics, the city of Ammon is pursuing a high-reward, low-risk strategy. Christopher Mitchell, program director for the Institute for Local Self Reliance, a nonprofit tracking more than 400 municipal fiber networks, said he is impressed with Ammon’s effort. “They are definitely succeeding. When you … Read More
The Nation, February 19, 2014 Yesterday Mayor Bill de Blasio picked another Bloomberg administration veteran, Emily Lloyd, to head the Department of Environmental Protection. It was another perfectly smart, sound, safe choice of an effective policymaker. It also was, like many of de Blasio’s personnel picks, at odds with the message of sweeping change that he … Read More
Bangor Daily News, February 18, 2014 PORTLAND, Maine — About two-thirds of independent Portland businesses saw sales increases in 2013, but many reported struggling with high health insurance and marketing costs, according to the results of two surveys released this week by the organization Portland Buy Local. The surveys — which attracted the most responses from … Read More
