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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Government infighting stops local energy savings program
by Kathleen Haley, published on August 5, 2010 at 10:04 PM
Storyline: Sacramento City Hall / Politics
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A local energy efficiency program led by Sacramento City Councilman Kevin McCarty is caught in the middle of a giant bureaucratic tug-of-war.
McCarty’s program would give residents and businesses a lengthy period of time to pay for energy-efficient upgrades at their homes and workplaces. Assessments on residents’ property taxes would fund the upgrades. The local program garnered $740,000 in federal stimulus funds in November.
But McCarty’s planned program — one of many similar energy-saving programs throughout the country — was squashed in July by the federal agency in charge of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Sacramento City Council passed a resolution Thursday that backs a bill in Congress to overturn the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s decision on the programs.
The federal agency argued that the financing system for the energy efficiency programs created problems for lenders. McCarty’s program and similar efforts elsewhere are formally called property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs.
“First liens established by PACE loans are unlike routine tax assessments and pose unusual and difficult risk management challenges for lenders, servicers and mortgage securities investors,” according to a July 6 statement from the agency.
The local program was halted before it had begun, city Sustainability Manager Yvette Rincon Rincon said. In July, the federal agency “stopped almost all the PACE programs in the nation,” Rincon told the City Council Thursday night.
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, is the author of a bill aiming to reverse the federal agency’s decision. Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, is co-sponsoring the bill along with several other Congress members.
The state has also joined the fray. California Attorney General Jerry Brown challenged the federal agency on the PACE issue in a lawsuit last month.
McCarty said after Thursday’s City Council meeting that the local program would help lower energy costs for residents, create new jobs and confront climate change.
“We’re right on track to make this work,” McCarty said. “And there’s one hiccup all of a sudden with this federal government action.”
Photo by Brandon Darnell.
Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.
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There are plenty of resources available to anyone to help with this.
http://dailyhomerenotips.com/energy-conservation/
This one, as one example, is a freely available listing containing more than 530 energy and clean water savings ideas for any household, of which:
- 440+ are simple and easy to do
- 300+ cost absolutely no money
- 125+ cost next to nothing
- 145+ clean water saving tips
- 115+ electricity savings tips
- 110+ winter heating savings tips
- 80+ summer cooling saving tips
With so many simple and no cost ideas, all it takes is just a little action to save money through reduced utility bills by actually using some of these ideas that others are already using.
I hope this helps,
Dan
Really? My energy costs have not been reduced by any means. In fact, they have continually gone up over the years on McCarty and the rest of the council's watch.
New jobs? Does he mean green jobs? Are these the same green jobs that were supposed to be created from AB 32? Are these the same green initiatives that have cost Californian's 1.1 million jobs, or are they the same federally subsidized jobs (Economic Recovery Act of 2009) that are akin to corporate welfare on the taxpayers dime? By the way, what is going to happen to these federally subsidized jobs when the corporate welfare runs out and these green businesses have to compete in California's high tax and over regulated business climate? Will these green jobs end up in China, Mexico, or some other third world country since the businesses that create these jobs will not be able to turn a profit due to the aforementioned high taxes and over regulation?
Confront climate change? Really? Get the other states in proximity to California on board and then we'll discuss climate change. Of course, none of California's neighboring states will touch anything close to the provisions of AB 32 because they are benefiting from all of the jobs that have gone out of business and left California due to AB 32. Nice try.
Kevin McCarty has demonstrated time and time again that he cannot be trusted as his words almost never match his deeds. Furthermore, his counter culture views on government and individual rights and freedoms are proof enough that citizens should no longer regard his ideas or proposals. Citizens should challenge McCarty on his shady version of the facts at every opportunity and strongly consider not re-electing him come 2012.