TALK: Buffalo's SolarCity Plant - New Jobs in Clean Energy

 

For a printable flier, Click Here

UPDATE: Please Note - The event will be held in the Sanctuary of the Church, not the 2nd Floor Alliance Room as stated above.  

We'll be using the Ferry Street entrance.

Tell Governor Cuomo to Lead on Clean Energy

A clean energy economy is the future New Yorkers want and deserve. But investment is not moving fast enough under Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The governor committed to solar energy with the NY SUN initiative, but his administration no longer plans to deliver the promised 30% renewable energy portfolio by 2015.

Wind energy in NY lags far behind states like Iowa. New York will be unable to meet our renewable energy goals without wind power.

These delays are denying New Yorkers job opportunities in manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of clean, renewable energy.

Tell Andrew Cuomo that New York State should be a national leader and not take a backseat to Iowa, South Dakota and Texas. Demand a major, enforceable wind energy commitment from him today.

TAKE ACTION: Please endorse the Petition. Thank You!

Free Conference: Great Lakes Wind Energy Development in NY State - April 12th

The Pace Energy and Climate Center, in collaboration with Citizens Campaign for the Environment and Alliance for Clean Energy New York, is hosting a free conference.

The conference is entitled “Great Lakes Wind Energy Development in New York State”. It will be held on April 12, 9am to 4pm, at the Center for Tomorrow on the University at Buffalo North campus.

Anyone interested in Great Lakes wind energy - students, government officials, local stakeholders, wind developers, etc. - is encouraged to attend. Please feel free to circulate this invitation.

The conference will include four panel presentations and discussions featuring speakers from industry, government and various stakeholder groups. Panelists will cover a range of issues pertaining to the proposed project including regulatory, technical, economic and environmental. Topics to be covered are listed here.

REGISTRATION: To register for the free conference, please click here.

President Obama visits Buffalo

"Buffalo LOVES Obama" was the message conveyed by a red,white, and blue sign on a Liberty cab roof when President Obama came to town on May 13th.

The purpose of the president's visit was to talk about jobs and the effect his administration is having on the economy, as well as to hear from Buffalonians, according to White House deputy press secretary and Buffalo native, Bill Burton, as described in an article in The Buffalo News.

The president also held a private meeting with several representatives of the Families of Flight 3407. Obama thanked the families of Flight 3407 for their efforts to boost aviation safety in wake of the plane crash that claimed their loved ones, according to Burton.

Previous stops on on his "White House to Main Street Tour" have included a visit to a local restaurant. Obama and his entourage did stop to buy something to eat, and the prez ordered Buffalo chicken wings. So where did they go? Anchor Bar, home of the Original Buffalo Wings? Nope. They went to Duff's Famous Wings, also an excellent choice.

It was the Buffalo wings stop at Duff's, and in particular something that a local resident said to the president there, that received the most media attention. According to The Buffalo News article, "Obama stories, blog put reader where action was", by Margaret Sullivan, readers of BuffaloNews.com heard about it first, thanks to News Washington Bureau Chief Jerry Zremski, who was with the president almost every step of the way.

Below is the electronic message that appeared on the Buffalo News live blog:
1:23 p.m.: Louann Haley, of Chaffee, greeted the president with the words: "You're a hottie with a smokin' little body." Obama's response: He hugged her. --JZ

Oh, yes, and about jobs and the economy...

Obama did meet with workers at Industrial Support Inc., where he offered a vigorous defense of his economic policies, saying they are creating jobs to boost the economy, according to live blogger, JZ.

Industrial Support Company officials spent about 45 minutes with Obama, introducing him to employees and giving him a tour of the plant, which manufactures a variety of products, from aeronautical parts to salad bars for the grocery industry, as stated in The Buffalo News article, 'President's visit makes impression at Industrial Support', by Jay Rey and Jay Tokasz.

David Sullivan, founder and president of Industrial Support, told Obama that 15 years ago he was in a shoe-box of an office, struggling to meet payroll. Today, he was shaking hands with the president. "That's the American dream," Obama told Sullivan, as he gave him a big hug.

Although Obama was in Buffalo ostensibly to talk about small business and jobs, the national media attention on the president's visit focused on the stop for Buffalo wings and and the "hottie" quote, not on small business matters. This, together with the decision to have the president give his wing business to Duffs, not the Anchor Bar, prompted an editorial cartoon, below, by Adam Zyglis.

[Click image to enlarge]

In the NEWS

Great Lakes, Great Wind bring great Federal Investment
But not in Western New York...see Map

DOE-funded wind energy projects: Great Lakes Region

The Great Lakes region will receive nearly a third of the $8.5 million federal officials recently set aside for wind energy development. The region will see $475,929 to study wind energy environmental impacts, $100,000 for development of small turbines, $1,446,942 for wind energy education and training and $587,029 to bring wind energy to market. The projects are aimed at challenges identified in the Department of Energy (DOE) 2008 report, which sets a goal of using wind to supply 20 percent of the country’s energy needs by 2030. The full report is here.

Donn Esmonde: Future jobs are blowing in the wind - 7/22/2009
The problem, as I see it, is the usual one around here: plenty of talk, not much action. The gap between rhetoric and results in Western New York is as wide as Lake Erie. All of the hot air blown by various officials and politicians would make those eight Lackawanna windmills spin like pinwheels.
We have what it takes—rail and roads, water access, work force, cheap power—to grab a piece of an industry of the future. Manufacturing windmill parts here means, in a word, jobs. The jobs will not come if we just talk about it. Commentary by Donn Esmonde in The Buffalo News.

But look at what's going on in Michigan. More than 30 Clean Energy Manufacturers have established new production facilities in the last 20 months, generating more than 3,000 new jobs! See the blog post here.

Environmental alliance launches bid to increase groups’ impact - 7/17/2009
A group of 150 Western New York organizations launched an initiative Thursday to restore and preserve the region’s natural environment. The Western New York Environmental Alliance is a collective effort that wants to increase the impact of local environmental efforts.
“The health and enhancement of our region’s natural assets is crucial to the revitalization of this area and to the well-being of its residents,” said Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, president and chief executive of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, which helped convene the 150 groups. Read the report by Jake May in The Buffalo News.

Central Terminal is not out as Rail Hub - 7/24/2009
DOT officials reverse stand
State transportation officials did an about-face Thursday, saying it’s premature to rule out Buffalo’s Central Terminal as a train station if New York receives federal stimulus money to build high-speed rail.
The state Department of Transportation said it’s too early to preclude the Central Terminal from being considered. A group that has been working to revitalize the sprawling complex praised the modified stand, as did Rep. Louise M. Slaughter. She called the old train station a “jewel.” “The purpose of bringing high-speed rail to upstate New York is to strengthen and re-energize our region, and if it’s possible, the Central Terminal should be part of this effort,” Slaughter said in a prepared statement.
Skip Carrier, the DOT’s communications director, made it clear Thursday that the Central Terminal has not been ruled out. “It’s premature to be talking about a decision on a passenger rail station,” he said, noting that the looming challenge involves securing $8 billion in federal funds. “When we get to the station issue, we can look at [Central Terminal],” Carrier continued. Read the report by Brian Meyer in The Buffalo News.

State seeks money for Falls Train Station - 7/23/2009
Among 37 rail projects DOT proposes for use of federal stimulus funds A new train station in Niagara Falls and upgrades to the Amtrak passenger station in Depew are among 37 projects for which the state is seeking federal stimulus funds as part of a sweeping plan to upgrade the state’s rail system. The state Department of Transportation next month will submit applications seeking $22 million for the proposed Niagara Falls train station and $573,000 for the Depew station, according to pre-applications that have already been submitted. Read the report by Denise Jewell Gee in The Buffalo News.

In the NEWS

Riding the wind to new jobs - 7/16/2009
Wind power seen as a hot industry
Speakers at a conference hosted by Buffalo Niagara Enterprise suggested the Buffalo Niagara region is well-positioned to tap into the wind power manufacturing industry, if it can capitalize on resources it already has. The wind power industry is gaining appeal as other economic sectors struggle, and renewable energy draws more interest with the fluctuations in the cost of oil and environmental concerns. Read the full report Matt Glynn by in The Buffalo News.

Upstate NY representatives get money for high-speed rail line - 7/14/2009
The Upstate New York congressional delegation today secured federal money needed to lay the groundwork for a high-speed rail line from Buffalo to Albany. Five House members gained a subcommittee's approval of nearly $4.6 million to improve tracks and grade crossing safety across Upstate which is essential work for a high-speed passenger rail line. The money will pay for work to reconfigure existing tracks and improve existing warning devices, allowing for Amtrak's passenger rail to travel at higher speeds, according to Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, chairwoman of the House Upstate New York Caucus. Read the full report in The Post-Standard.
See an earlier blog post on NY high-speed rail here.

Central Terminal won’t serve as rail hub - 7/15/2009
Buffalo’s Central Terminal will not be used as a train station if New York receives stimulus funds to build high-speed rail, a key Congress member said Tuesday. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, who heads the Upstate New York Caucus, which has made bringing high-speed rail to Western and Central New York a top priority, said the station is ill-suited to become a rail hub again. “At first I had hoped [it could be], but I don’t think it’s situated in the right place,” said Slaughter, DFairport. Read the full report Mark Sommer by in The Buffalo News.
See an earlier blog post on an intermodal transportation center for the high-speed rail hub here.

Let’s rename Buffalo the Emerald City - 7/10/2009
Frank J. Hotchkiss, of the Western New York Apollo Alliance, believes in Buffalo’s green future.
Buffalo and the surrounding region have the potential to become the greenest location on the Great Lakes. The Emerald City will be the city that recognized the opportunity and seized the moment to build the yellow brick road to prosperity as the largest green manufacturing and services city in the United States. Buffalo and Western New York are in a competition to capture the new manufacturing businesses as our old established industries fade from the scene. We need to transition from “brown” smokestacks of old to “green” smokestacks of the future. Read the full My View article in The Buffalo News.

Gillibrand seeks aid for manufacturers - 7/8/2009
Western New York has lost 23,627 factory jobs since 2001, and the decline is accelerating
U. S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said that Congress should promptly pass legislation to help struggling New York manufacturers afford health insurance for their workers, open and expand new markets, and switch to cleaner energy production. Touting the historic importance of manufacturing to the state, she said support is critical, as the state “cannot rebuild our economy without our manufacturers.” The Democratic lawmaker said manufacturers “powered us through the 20th century, but have been among those hardest hit by these difficult economic times.” Read the full report by Jonathan D. Epstein in The Buffalo News.

Prospectus 2009: Working Toward Green

The Buffalo News Prospectus -- The Year's Business Forecast -- 1/25/2009

Western New York business takes an ENVIRONMENTAL approach

Green Dreams Colliding with Recession Realities
[My note: despite the negative-sounding title, this feature article has some very positive stories about the successful greening of local business.]
Carubba Collision, after hiring a waste solutions advisory firm to oversee its waste stream, launched a program to recycle virtually all of the waste produced by its collision-repair business. Plastic parts, used headlights, steel and aluminum parts and cardboard all are recycled. [click image to enlarge]


Ecology & Environment consulting firm was awarded the highest level of LEED certification for their headquarters building, one of only 10 existing buildings in the country, and the oldest structure in the world, to achieve that status. [click image to enlarge] Full article.

Home Energy -- Audit is first step in energy efficiency
Once an energy audit determines what improvements should be made, there’s a sizable chunk of money available to homeowners willing to make them. National Fuel will give rebates of up to $400 to consumers who install more efficient furnaces, boilers and hot water tanks. NY State offers low-interest loans, cash back on energy improvement expenditures, income-qualified subsidies. Full article.

Jobs -- No shortage of options in search for green jobs
There are plenty of lesser-known, ready-to-go green jobs for a wide variety of workers. “It’s about simplifying the principles so we think about it in our daily lives,” said Aaron Bartley, executive director of the Buffalo chapter of People United for Sustainable Housing. “For us, it is making a home more efficient and sustainable and providing jobs at the same time.” Full article.

Federal Government -- Stimulus plan is sure to boost ‘green-collar’ job creation
Few in official Washington doubt the importance of the “green-collar jobs” that will come as the nation transitions from fossil fuels to new, cleaner forms of energy. Full article.

Buffalo Niagara Enterprise -- Kucharski sees bright spots in economy
Thomas Kucharski, president and chief executive of Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, was thrilled to hear Gov. David A. Paterson single out Buffalo’s fast-growing bioscience industry as a bright spot in the economy. He was similarly upbeat with Paterson’s call for an energy plan that would aim for 45 percent of the state’s electricity produced through energy-efficient and renewable-energy measures by 2015. The governor estimated the initiative, which would specifically focus on clean-energy vehicle research, could bring up to 50,000 new jobs to upstate New York. Full article.

Manufacturing -- Saving money by cutting waste
Manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to reduce expenses by eliminating waste and limiting energy consumption. As they push to become leaner and more cost-efficient, they are embracing some of the same goals as the environmental movement. Full article.

Restaurants -- Kitchens going green by recycling and staying local
Tina Ames had to swear that she would no longer use Styrofoam, and she had to prove that she recycled paper goods. The proprietor of the Craftsmen Cafe in Clarence installed a rain barrel, put in a larger composter and emphasized her practice of buying food from local suppliers. Full article.

This is a sample of the Prospectus 2009 articles, all of which are at the Buffalo News Website.

Offshore Wind Turbines: a Powerful Plan

A report from the University at Buffalo urges New York State to develop a comprehensive plan for production of clean, renewable offshore wind power from wind turbines located in Lakes Erie and Ontario. Doing so would create a demand for wind-power energy, as well as large-scale manufacturing of wind turbines and components, that could bring new jobs to Western New York. The report is the product of UB law professor Robert Berger, director of its Environment and Development Clinic, and Dwight Kanyuck. The full report can be viewed here.

GROWING BUFFALO'S GREEN ECONOMY

NY State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt

hosts a

Green Economy Summit

featuring Empire State Development Upstate Chairman

DAN GUNDERSEN

April 12, 9AM at Buffalo State College

To download a Conversation Starter for a Green Economy, click here

To visit the Green Economy Summit Wikispace, click here