Economic Impact Review — San Diego, CA
San Diego requires retail stores over 50,000 square feet to undergo a special review. … Read More
Depositing Public Funds in Local Banks – Multnomah County, Oregon
On November 18, 2010, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved a measure that creates a Community Advantage Banking Program, under which the county will invest $10 million of its funds with qualifying local community banks and local credit unions. The investment is expected to expand local lending, particularly to small businesses.… Read More
Glass-Steagall Act & the Volcker Rule
The Glass-Steagall Act created federal deposit insurance and erected a strict barrier between commercial and investment banking activities. It was repealed in 1999. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, many people, including prominent economists, policymakers, and even bankers, have called for restoring Glass-Steagall. The Volcker Rule, a provision in the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, imposed some limits on the mixing of commercial and investment banking activities, but not the firm wall that Glass-Steagall had provided. … Read More
Ontario Feed-in Tariff and micro Feed-in Tariff program
In 2009, the Canadian province of Ontario dramatically revised its standard offer renewable energy program into a full-fledged feed-in tariff(FIT). The program provides a guaranteed grid connection, cost-based prices for renewable energy producers, and a long-term power purchase contract. Paul Gipe awarded the program an ‘A-‘ in his recent analysis of North American FIT policies and we find the bonuses for domestic content and local ownership to be innovative twists on a successful policy tool.… Read More
Community Choice Aggregation – Marin Clean Energy, CA
Over 30 cities, towns and unincorporated areas have formed a community choice aggregation program in Marin County, CA. The program will provide ratepayers with significantly higher levels of renewable energy at rates comparable to their previous PG&E electric provider.… Read More
Packers and Stockyard Act
The Packers and Stockyards Act passed in 1921 to maintain competition in the livestock industry.
TheAct contains provisions banning price discrimination, the manipulation of prices, weight manipulation of livestock or carcasses, manipulation of carcass grades, commercial bribery, and misrepresentation of source, condition, or quality of livestock, in addition to other unfair and deceptive practices. The importance of the law has increased as concentration in the livestock industry continues to grow dramatically.
Wisconsin Utility Renewable Energy Production Incentives
Wisconsin investor-owned utilities have adopted production incentives for renewable energy in response to public pressure for a feed-in tariff, but their efforts fall far short. As a result, the utility programs collectively scored an ‘F’ in feed-in tariff expert Paul Gipe’s recent analysis of North American feed-in tariff policies.… Read More
Maine Community Based Renewable Energy Production Incentive
The Maine Community Based Renewable Energy Production Incentive launched in 2010 and contains many components of a feed-in tariff and is one of the few policies to (laudably) focus on community-owned projects. But the one-size-fits-all price for every renewable energy technology means it lacks the power to encourage a diversity of renewable energy technologies and may fail to encourage project development. As a result, the program scored an ‘F’ in feed-in tariff expert Paul Gipe’s recent analysis of North American feed-in tariff policies.… Read More
Gainesville Solar Feed-in Tariff
Gainesville Regional Utilities, the municipal utility serving the Florida city of Gainesville, launched its solar photovoltaic (PV) feed-in tariff program in early 2009. The city’s program set a cap of 4 MW of solar PV through 2016 and the program is fully subscribed. Customers will still have the option of installing solar with the utility’s rebate and net metering the electricity.… Read More