Lew and Shirley Rice's Page
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- Are you interested in becoming an organizer in your area?
- Yes
- Tell us about your experience with alternative energy:
- Attempting to build wind generator for residental use.
Having to use gas.
Not having alternatives available in our area.
- What excites you about this campaign?
- Adding input and ideas.
Finally someone is serious ablout alternatives and not just asking for money.
Tax incentives.
- What do you want to do to help?
- What do you need help with?
Organizing small areas to create alternative energy sources
as within a city or community and using them as examples
in a co-op.
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27FEB09
Honorable Speaker of the House Congresswoman Pelosi,
I am an Electronic Technician Chief in the US Navy with 27 years service stationed overseas. I’m outlying an idea to assist and work with current plans for achieving energy independence. I urge you, as speaker of the house and the driving force to form the select committee on energy independence and global warming, consider for discussion and introduction into the house US Treasury Savings Bonds for Energy Independance.
In WWII America sold war bonds supporting the war effort. When young, my mother told me her primary school raised enough money through bonds to build a tank to support troops. I am impressed with the patriotism and purpose of our greatest generation that accomplished so much.
Selling energy bonds for RE (Renewable Energy) development would lower foreign oil imports and assist with the complex problem of funding. Bonds sold as “Energy S” could support new solar trough plants, “Energy W” to support wind farms, Energy “H” to support hydroelectric plants, Energy “T” to support RE transportation such as electric bullet train routes powered by RE, Energy "C" COOPS for small communities only needing a small quantity of turbines, and Energy “I” for needed infrastructure high voltage power lines to the RE site. Bonds will have the project name and include an artist’s perspective of the project and an American flag. President Obama had great success with the internet during his campaign. In a similar manner, using the internet, energy bonds could have a website listing current projects and an “electronic checkout” could purchase a bond $25 or higher. Simpler methods of payment such as “PAYPAL” and credit cards would be available and after an electronic purchase is complete a color print out of the bond is available with a follow up of the bond in the mail. The website would limit quantity of projects for each category until funding is complete. After a project becomes funded, a new project will be available. A tab on the site will show history and status of previous projects. Purchasers may take great pride in “collecting” and displaying bonds of various RE projects and participating at different levels of financial support. Solar trough plants in the multi-hundred MW size capacity with molten salt energy storage in California, Arizona, and West Texas can provide a major portion of electric needs. North Dakota has potential to support 1/3 of our nations electric needs in it’s class 4 wind zone areas. There are plenty of suitable proposed wind turbine farms now around the nation to significantly increase our RE if funded. Mid sized hydro-electric has not been used in America to it’s full potential. Following the example of our neighbor, Canada, it would provide a significant increase in percentage of electric production. Developing all three we could provide the majority of our electric and heating needs through renewable energy in a "New New Deal" fashion allowing natural gas for transportation as T. Boone Pickens is working for. Bullet train routes have proven a viable alternative to commercial domestic air service and when powered by electricity provided by RE suppliers America would be in the forefront of world technology. Example, I heard of discussion for a commuter train from Denver to Colorado Springs. Such a route built as a renewable energy project with charter requirement legally requiring to only purchase electricity from available renewable energy sources would be a model example. There are many train routes, city bus systems, and government vehicles that can be converted to run from alternative energy sources and fuels. Jobs created would bolster the economy, lower trade deficit, and strengthen national security. I would take great pride in print outs of bonds with graphics of each project I supported and many other Americans would also. The energy bonds could have tax breaks. BLM lands may be a viable place to start for some projects.
I contacted the US treasury department and was told that the marketing department for savings bonds closed several years ago. I was told there would be problems because savings bonds are at the federal level while the projects will be at the state and local level. I disagree and believe that these can easily be figured out in the way of grants to the state and local level using money from the bonds for those specific projects. I was told to check out auctions on the www.treasurydirect.gov website and found them to not apply to citizens wanting to buy savings bonds to support a cause such as energy independance. I was told by the treasury department to look into CREB (Clean Renewable Energy Bonds). I found CREB to be large scale funding that a citizen would not be able to participate in as a US Treasury Energy Independance Bond would provide. If given the tools to participate directly, the power of the citizens of the United States to help achieve energy independance could not be denied. Americans mean well and the Energy Independance Savings bond program will give citizens the power at their level to make it happen. If marketed through a web page, commercials, and to federal employees the word would get out and participation would spread like wildfire.
Mr. Paul Gipe, a resident of Bakersfield CA, an author of several books about wind energy, and recipient of multiple awards as a pioneer in the industry since the 1970's has put a letter I wrote to Senator Dorgan on this subject as well as an older letter I wrote on wind COOP in JAN07. These websites are:
http://www.wind-works.org/coopwind/RenewableEnergyBondsforEnergyIndependence.html
and
http://www.wind-works.org/articles/AmericanEnergyIndependencethroughCooperativeInvestmentinWindEnergy.html
Sincerely and very respectfully,
ETC(SW/AW) Mike Kendall USN
Mailing address: PSC 476, Box 879, FPO AP, 96322 USA
Telephone (803) 265-4756, Email: michael.kendall@ymail.com
Welcome to the chance to make a difference in our lives!
Thank you so very much for joining.
Here are some ways that you can help. Please feel free to share any other ways with myself and the group.
PLEASE email the Pickens Plan video to everyone you know. www.pickensplan.com. Ask them to JOIN. Ask them to pass it along. Time is of the essence. If every member had 10 friends join today, we could put the number of members over 1 million very quickly!
If we can not get critical numbers how can we take advantage of this golden opportunity? High gas prices have "woken up" America to our plight and a paradigm shift like no other is in the wind. We need to do this now.
So many new members write "I want to help, what can I do?" This is a start. We may not get to the next step if we can not get this one done. Our leaders can not ignore millions of members of the Pickens Plan. We are not there yet.
Put a sign in your car window that reads...
" $700 BILLION IN FOREIGN OIL ANNUALLY. STOP THE LARGEST TRANSFER OF WEALTH IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND.....TO OUR ENEMIES. JOIN www.pickensplan.com."
Run a small, inexpensive advertisement on the headlines page of your local online newspaper.Have small business card size notes that you can give to friends with the same message. It's grass roots, but that is what this is going to take.
If you know someone in the press- get them to cover this.
If you know someone who blogs- get them to cover this.
If you can write a letter to your Representative or Senator- get them to see and understand this. Ask them if they support 100% clean electricity in the next 10 years.
If you know someone who is in the public eye - ask them to support this.
If you can write a letter to the editor of your local paper- please do.
If you want to print downloadable flyers and put them in your car and/or business window- please do.
Join any of the Groups and get involved. Add discussions in the Forum and let me know how it goes.
Have a nice day. Please friend me if you like.
James "Gator" Fiske
We the people of the United States of America deserve a coherent energy policy that looks toward an energy independent future.
There are numerous examples of nations working toward energy independence. Brazil, for example, has already achieved this goal through sugar cane ethanol and increases in their domestic drilling program, resulting in stable fuel prices not subject to international fluctuations. Please note that many Brazilian alternative fuel vehicles are manufactured by Ford and General Motors but are not available for purchase in the United States.
Iran has initiated a government-subsidized program to convert all cars to natural gas or bifuel (natural gas and gasoline) capability, and to make both fuels available at filling stations.
China’s alternative fuel of choice is methanol. It’s more corrosive than ethanol but doesn’t require organic food sources to produce, instead being made from coal, natural gas, organic or industrial wastes, or even power stations’ smokestack emissions, reducing greenhouse gases and fueling cars at the same time.
There are many other nations that are either working toward energy independence or have already achieved it, including Iceland, India, Israel, Denmark, and Sweden. The too-often vocalized opinion that the United States is incapable of achieving this same goal is absurd.
For too long we have been hostage to external influences over which we have no control. Reliance upon foreign oil has allowed the politics of our international friends no less than those of our enemies to undercut our economic and industrial freedom. This must stop.
Also for too long we have been polluting our own land, air, and water. All forms of toxic emissions must be reduced to preserve a heritage for our descendants.
The elements for energy independence and a more livable environment are present throughout America, including natural gas, wind and solar power, and nuclear energy. The necessary technology is readily available to achieve this goal, allowing for electricity generation and transportation needs by alternative and cleaner means. All that has been lacking is a logical plan to put these pieces together and the leadership to see it through.
Such a plan has recently been proposed by Mr. T. Boone Pickens. As a citizen of these United States, I ask you to support the modify Pickens Plan in your sphere of political influence and to help us achieve energy independence for now and for our children’s future. Enclose is copy of modify Pickens’ plan
Sincerely,
Our Plan that we would like to be enacted into legislation
1. We need a modern, updated national grid system capable of handling alternative energy sources from multiple providers as advocated by the Pickens Plan. We propose that Congress legislate this national grid for harvesting wind, solar, and other power sources from appropriate locations, including the interior wind corridor, offshore wind sources, the solar corridor in the Southwestern states, and others as established through ongoing research and development. Design and preparation for upgrades and/or new construction should be undertaken in the next 24 months, financed by Federal loan guarantees and a $500Bn grant building program.
2. We need a national net metering standard enacted for all states.
Discussion: Net metering is a tariff that allows you (the people) to have your own renewable energy system located at your house or place of business, allowing you to generate electricity on your premises and trade it against your power usage. Essentially, this means your power meter would run backward when you generated power.
A tariff limitation of 10 kW or 100 kW, as is the case in some states, is generally too small for many businesses. The limitation is tied to transmission line capability, and a recent study conducted in Oregon concluded that 2 MW is an appropriate limitation standard. Several states, including California, Nevada, Oregon, and now New York, have already enacted that standard.
Solution: Make 2 MW the national standard for the net metering tariff limitation and apply it both to individual premises, such as residences or businesses, and to community solar or wind parks.
3. We need community solar and wind farms, not only to supply power within local load and service areas, but also to supply electricity to the grid through net metering. However, the current definition of “customer” in the concept of net metering limits its application to individual locations, such as a residence or business, and does not allow for the application of community co-ops. We need to change that definition to allow for such local initiatives within load and service areas, and to allow for orderly grid management of distributed energy systems.
4. We need a comprehensive incentives program, much like the Europeans but different. We need an energy trust of $50Bn, to be managed by the states, as incentives for individuals, businesses, and industries. These incentives can take the form of either tax credits or rebates to encourage the adoption of the renewable energy technology.
5. We have the technology today for wind and solar energy production, and private venture groups are funding all manner of systems. For example, organic dyes developed by the MIT and new work by spectral spitting by the University of Delaware have the potential for solar efficiencies 50%. In addition to these private groups, the Department of Energy has enacted a $10Bn loan guarantee program, which in June 2008 entered its second round of solicitations. We need to support this program. As well, the SBA’s Office of Technology includes award programs to encourage high-tech and alternative energy research and development projects among America’s small businesses. We need to pass their new Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs to provide $300K for phase I (startups) and $2.1Mn for Phase II (expansion and evaluations) with a national goal of $2Bn for these programs.
6. We need a real incentive, not only for American manufacturers to develop more fuel-efficient and alternative energy cars for the American marketplace, but also for Americans to buy and drive these cars.
Discussion: Today Americans are faced with increasing inflationary pressures on their pocketbooks, with higher prices in the areas of energy, food, clothing, and housing. Many Americans are unable to purchase more fuel-efficient cars or convert their current cars to run on alternative fuels. Currently available and future alternatives include the 30 electric car companies in America, some of which have products ready for the market, as well as large automobile manufacturers with forward-looking NG, Flex, hybrid, and electrical cars.
Solution: We need a Federal tax credit ranging from $4K to $16K to assist with the cost of upgrading American automobiles to a minimum mileage of 35 MPG, with an additional $1K credit for every 5 MPG increase above that level.
In addition, the current tax credit of $4K for converting a vehicle from burning gasoline to natural gas should be increased to 50% of the cost of conversion over a three-year period.
7. Finally, we need to enact a 10-year Production Tax Credit for wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources, forcing an end to the “stop and go” policy of past Congresses.