Wednesday, May 8, 2013

ALEC Koch LEED RPS

Maine is under attack from ALEC and Koch Industries.  How can an outside group come to a state and suddenly have it's interest brought to the state house floor?  Money and Republicans that's how.  After losing in 22 states, Kansas then North Carolina within the last few weeks, ALEC continues towards hopefully it's 23rd failure.  The bill ALEC wants is designed to make wind and solar energy less attractive by destroying agreements with utilities called RPS (renewable portfolio standard).   If they can get one win, thats the camels nose under the tent.
Why Maine?  Maine has only a few wind turbines and little if any commercial solar.  Maine uses coal and fuel oil, and fossil fuel guys making billions can't let even a tiny fraction of the market slip away, maybe they can win Maine, or one of the other 6 or 7 states left to attack.

Speaking of North Carolina, they are about to pass a law forbidding LEED certified buildings in the state.  I don't remember what LEED stands for, but it means the building was built using products that had a minimum impact (so far as possible) on the environment, and the building must be extremely energy stingy.  These building cost more but energy savings soon overtakes the higher cost, and, it's better for all of us by creating less pollution and demand.  
So, what's up with outlawing LEED?  They want to outlaw until the Federal standard kowtows and becomes toothless and meaningless.  Fossil fuel and lumber companies are behind this.  One wants to prevent energy efficiency buildings, the other wants clear cut lumber from any source to be permitted in LEED buildings, or they take the ball and go home.  Again, as with Maine's RPS fight, billionaires are trying to stop a tiny little leak in their profits, constructions are a drop in the bucket to big lumber, and the savings in energy is a drop in the bucket to fossil fuel, but Koch owns both.  Do not buy Georgia Pacific lumber, that's Koch brothers lumber.

I'm not sure companies who recognize the investment value of LEED will think when they are shopping for a new state to build in?  If I was in the business of recruiting corporations to move, this would be my loudest horn to honk if NC was the competitor.  Of course, I imagine this legislation will appear in most all the red states in the next few months.

2 comments:

  1. LEEDS basically about making buildings more energy efficient.

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    1. Kulkuri, I found out it is an international standard, thus the hatred from the right I guess, also thus the push from some international companies to have their building certified, international bragging rights in places that it is appreciated.

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