Maria Howard'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:
- I am an engineer. I once got involved with a wind project (in the research stage) with the Boeing Corporation a few years back (California). They were looking for investors in the project and I had friend who was interested in investing.
- What excites you about this campaign?
- Its a clean, renewable, and practical solution to some of our energy problems.
- What do you want to do to help?
- Anything I can
Maria Howard's Blog
Parker Actuators Optimise Productivity of World’s Third Largest Solar Power Plant
Posted on July 8, 2009 at 5:00pm —
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Happy New Year Maria,
Last year I helped so many members of Pickens Plan learn about personal home energy plans. It's all about conservation of power, and home power generation, things I have been doing at my residence to lower my electricity costs. Send me a friend request a to add me Maria, I'd be honored to have you as a friend here.
BTW, Texas: I just posted an article link on my pickens page about Home Wind Systems in Texas. Your state's representatives, governor, and public utility commission officials are not in your corner with this "weak policy" on Net Metering. Instead they have the tables turned against green power for businesses and homeowners. Texas has created multiple sets of rules for loopholes and you have less rights than people in other states. You should read that article, important.
EMAIL A LETTER TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES BY USING OUR EASY RED "CONTACT CONGRESS" BUTTON -This is urgent, because the Energy Bill in Congress is in danger of not passing! With little effort, we have the ability here for you to send a letter to our Representatives in Washington and Governor, too. Go to THE PLEDGE (at the very top of this page on the blue header) On the top of the pledge page there are three rectangular buttons- two blue ones and ONE RED BUTTON, that reads "CONTACT CONGRESS" . Fill in the short, standard form. Done!
YOU CAN ALSO HELP BY BRINGING 5 FOLKS TO JOIN the site today, so that we can build a voice big enough that Congress will finally have to listen to us, instead of the lobbyists and special interests, who are trying to derail this historic effort.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE PLEDGE on the main page. Print out 10 or more of them, get them signed and fax them back to Boone ASAP. This is how we build our numbers fast! Be a leader, be a part of the "100 CLUB", by faxing in 100 signed pledges. Let me know when you are done and I will add you to the list.
PICKENS U has been formed for college and university students to get involved. If you know of a student who would like to become an ambassador to helped coordinate the pledge drive please submit names to Pickens U site. This would be good for job resume.
THERE IS NO TIME TO DELAY
…to wait and see…or to see if someone else will step up to the plate. It is time for US to roll up our sleeves and go to work. Right now momentum is working in our favor, but if gas prices retreat, the public will forget the pain, and our moment may be lost.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Check out Pickens "August Call to Action"- for a course of action! Here is an informative video "Topeka, Kansas Town Hall Meeting": http://www.pickensplan.com/news/2008/08/04/video-of-the-topeka-town...
PERSONAL ACTION OPTIONSWe need to do more than “preach to the choir”. Sharing ideas with each other is encouraging but that will not 1) increase our membership nor 2) influence public policy. If you know someone in the press or someone who blogs - get them to cover this. Ask those in the public eye to support this plan.
A GROUP FOR EVERYONE. Join the Guides and Materials for New Members Group. Lot's of good information there.
Check out the many groups for Solar, CNG, your area, etc. Connect, learn and share. We grow stronger with your input. If you don't see a group that speaks to your interest, then start a group of your own.
PLEASE FRIEND ME so we can keep in touch
Trucking Seeks ‘Comprehensive Solution’
Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.
The Senate approved a bill that would provide tax credits for renewable energy and energy efficiency, the Associated Press reported, and a top trucking official urged Congress to pass comprehensive measures to help lower fuel costs.
The energy tax credits were part of a bigger tax bill that included business and personal tax credits, and now travels to the House for final consideration, AP said.
The bill also would send money to 29 Texas counties to respond to the effects of Hurricane Ike, which hit near Houston on Sept. 13, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, a trucking executive speaking on behalf American Trucking Associations urged Congress and the Bush administration to implement a comprehensive energy plan to help ensure affordable supply of oil and limit the effect of rising fuel costs on the overall economy.
“It is clear that our energy crisis is a complex problem that requires a comprehensive solution,” said Barbara Windsor, chief executive officer of Hahn Transportation, New Market, Md.
“This dramatic year-over-year increase in the cost of diesel fuel is harmful to the trucking industry and the U.S. economy. The fuel crisis we face today is severe,” she told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday.
Windsor said the United States needs a comprehensive energy plan that decreases demand for fossil fuels, increases domestic energy production and ensures transparency in oil markets.
Just wanted to take a second of your time to invite you to view the solar solution equivalent of the PickensPlan.
www.powur.com/homeenergy1
click View Our Mission and if interested click the back arrow to Become an Ecopreneur.
Also you can see what we offer home owners - www.glenburniesolar.com
Thank You For Your Time
* Provide multiyear tax incentives for renewable-energy production and energy-efficiency projects.
* Set national mandates that would require utilities to get at least 20 percent of their electricity from wind, solar and geothermal energy by 2020.
* Add and updating the building code to require energy-efficiency measures in the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing buildings, and setting a goal to reduce buildings' energy use 50 percent by 2030.
* Set prices for carbon-dioxide emissions and creating a program that caps emissions from different industries and allowing companies to trade emissions allowances.
* Upgrade and expanding the nation's electric grid to enable it to support electric cars and the transport and storage of renewable energy.
* Provide incentives for utilities to invest in energy-efficiency technologies.
* Increase the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks and investing more money in private-public partnerships that would develop transportation systems that rely on little or no oil, such as electric cars.
* Provide incentives to consumers and small businesses to buy plug-in hybrid cars and alternative fuels, including natural-gas-powered cars.
* Invest more federal dollars in cleantech research and development, including ways to capture and store carbon-dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.
* Speed up the process of setting aside public lands and improving the permitting process for renewable-electricity projects on public lands.
* Shift from ethanol made from corn to ethanol made from wood chips, agricultural waste and other nonfood feedstock, and encouraging a joint U.S.-Brazil partnership to turn sugar cane into ethanol in the Caribbean.
Please join our group:
http://push.pickensplan.com/group/greenjobsnow
My mother's madden name is Howard. I have relatives that live in Forth Worth. I have relative all over Texas. I am also from north Texas.
Robert
Thank you for getting involved with the Pickens Plan. I would like to invite you to join the Write Congress and Pressure Your Congressperson Now groups.
Robert
Welcome.
Robert
California has been asking for these changes for years so they can develop a comprehensive infrastructure transferable to hydrogen in the future.
I do not care which politician makes the proposal as long as the result is getting off the foreign oil bandwagon as quick as possible. This will reduce our foreign dependence very quickly.
This act will help many Americans by reducing cost and creating a nationwide training system throughout the Vo-Tech education system. Millions of jobs will be created and millions of gas technologist will be educated on natural gas and hydrogen technologies. This is a good common sense approach to bridging.
Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma Introduces Drive America on Natural Gas Act and we need to show our support. This is a first step on the road to energy independence.
Here are changes it will make.
NATURAL GAS VEHICLE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS – This is a big deal it is directing the EPA to develop alternatives to the present certification procedures to streamline and centralize the process.
Expanding product availability by assisting manufacturers with the certification of the engines or vehicles described in paragraph – EPA is directed to release propriety data to manufacturers so they do not have to figure out the OBDII system by guesswork (A very big deal)
CERTIFICATION OF CONVERSION SYSTEMS = COOPERATION AND COORDINATION WITH INDUSTRY – This is designed to streamline the certification process and remove the adversarial system now in place.
Waive all fees applicable to small volume manufacturers for the certification and conversion of alternative-fueled vehicles – Dramatically reduces the cost of a conversion kit.
Waive requirements for recertification of kits for the conversion of vehicles in any case in which, as determined by the Administrator – More cost reduction
The kit has been previously certified for the model of vehicle to be converted; and neither the kit nor the design and specifications of the model of vehicle to be converted have substantially changed – More cost savings = less expensive conversion kits.
Modify such regulatory requirements relating to OBD systems as the Administrator determines to be appropriate to provide flexibility to small volume manufacturers in reprogramming OBD systems to be compatible with the use of alternative fuel – Huge savings and allows many more companies into the industry = less expensive kits.
Permit small volume manufacturers to include more vehicles and engines in a single engine category to improve the cost-efficiency of emission testing of converted vehicles – less expensive kits and more competition = dramatic savings
OLDER VEHICLES — the Administrator shall waive emission certification system requirements for a vehicle that is over 10 years old or has over 120,000 miles that is powered by natural gas – I really like this one because it is designed for the working poor and the youth with older vehicles. The cost of these kits would be astronomically low.
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