Majority of Americans want President to use Veto Power
82.7 percent of Americans support a presidential veto of legislation containing unnecessary Congressional spending
The Council for Retirement Security (CRS), a program of the nonpartisan, nonprofit grassroots citizens organization Our Generation, has released a survey that found that 82.7 percent of respondents support a presidential veto to prevent Congress from spending money from the Social Security Trust Fund on other government programs.
As part of its mission to improve the lives of senior citizens through awareness and advocacy, CRS mailed more than six million questionnaires on a variety of issues noted Rita Smith, the organization’s executive director. “One of the program’s main goals is to make sure the federal government is able to keep its promise to hardworking Americans. People who paid into the Social Security system should be able to receive the benefits they have earned,” Smith stated. “Unfortunately, these benefits are being threatened by Washington’s wasteful spending on pork barrel projects, our growing national debt and profligate deficit spending. President Obama should listen to the overwhelming majority of Americans who think he should use his veto power to stop wasteful Congressional spending.”
Smith said the use of the veto, which President Obama did not use in his first year in office, is the only way to prevent Congress from adding “earmarks” for special interests onto the hefty $3.8 trillion fiscal year 2011 budget the White House recently sent to Capitol Hill. “This budget already contains a $100 billion increase in spending, and we simply can’t afford for Congress to ladle more unnecessary pork on top,” she added.
Smith’s group also urges President Obama to take more measures to curb out-of-control spending. In particular, CRS also supports the President’s call in his State of the Union address for a freeze on discretionary spending with statutory spending caps — as well as veto any expenditure exceeding that limit. “President Obama should keep his campaign promise to reduce earmarks or eliminate them altogether,” Smith said.
CRS is a program of Our Generation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 2009 to research, educate and promote long-term free market solutions to today’s public policy concerns.
New research from EBRI: Older Americans staying longer in the work force
The labor-force participation rate is increasing for older Americans (those age 55 and older) as older workers are faced with higher health costs and economic losses, according to a study published by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).
For those ages 55-64 (the “near elderly”), the increase is being driven almost exclusively by the increase of women in the work force; the male participation rate is flat to declining. However, among those age 65 and older (the elderly), labor-force participation is increasing for both male and females, says the study in the February 2010 EBRI Notes, available at www.ebri.org
As the study suggests, workers increasingly are facing more responsibility in paying for their retirement expenses: Private-sector workers who have access to an employment-based retirement plan most commonly have a defined contribution plan (typically a 401(k) plan, financed at least partially with workers’ own contributions), and retiree health insurance is becoming increasingly scarce. Even for those who do have retiree health insurance, caps on what the employer will pay annually for the coverage are being reached and/or surpassed.
Consequently, the study says, workers today have greater incentives to stay in the work force, such as the ability (and in some cases the need) to continue to accumulate assets in defined contribution plans and to have access to employment-based health insurance coverage, instead of having to tap into their savings to pay for their expenses.
The study, based on U.S. Census Bureau data, includes these additional points:
- The percentage of civilian noninstitutionalized Americans age 55 or older who were in the labor force declined from 34.6 percent 1975 to 29.4 percent in 1993. However, since 1993, the labor-force participation rate has steadily increased, reaching 39.4 percent in 2008–the highest level over the 1975-2008 period.
- Education is a strong factor in an individual’s participation in the labor force at older ages: Individuals with higher levels of education are significantly more likely to be in the labor force than those with the lower levels of education.
- The upward trend among the working near elderly and elderly is not surprising and is likely to continue because of workers’ need for access to employment-based health insurance and for more earning years to accumulate assets in defined contribution (401(k)-type) plans–especially after the 2008 downturn in the stock market and economy.
- While some older Americans have a greater need to work to help make their retirement assets last longer or to continue to build up assets, monetary incentives are not the only motivating factor. There also is an increased desire among Americans to work longer, particularly among those with more education, for whom more meaningful jobs may be available that can be done well into older ages.
Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute
Tough times drive Americans to take far more interest in serious issues
Survey Shows Interest in Celebrities Waning
Whether or not Americans heeded President Obama’s inaugural admonition to “put away childish things,” they have certainly developed a lot more interest in serious issues. A new national survey shows self-declared interest in a raft of weighty matters has grown, while almost half of Americans (48.2 percent) say they’ve become less interested in celebrities over the past 12 to 18 months.
Losing their appetite for celebrity antics, 46.4 percent of Americans are more interested in general news than they were. This news-hungry trend is even more pronounced among men than women, with 51 percent of men versus 41.7 percent of women more interested. Taking account of those rating themselves “less interested” (6.7 percent of men versus 10.9 percent of women), the net margin of greater interest in the news is 44.3 percent for men and 30.8 percent of women. This gender skew pertains to all major fields of interest in the survey; higher net percentages of men than women rate themselves more interested.
The findings come from an online “mood monitor” survey of 388 Americans across the country that was commissioned by global integrated marketing communications agency Euro RSCG Worldwide in February 2010. MicroDialogue collected and analyzed the data.
Regarding their own local politics, a net 29.4 percent of men have become more interested, compared with 16.7 percent of women. Men even show a net increase in interest in the local politics of other areas (net 10.8 percent more), whereas women show a net decrease of interest (net 6.2 percent less). Moving the focus up to the politics of their own state, there’s a surge of greater interest with net 47.9 percent more men and net 30.2 percent more women. In terms of the politics of other states, net 23.1 percent of men and 9.4 percent of women are more interested. There are clear, strong increases in interest for domestic politics in general, although the margin is far higher with men than with women (net 42.3 percent men versus net 24.5 percent women).
The Great Recession and head-spinning news from Wall Street have pushed economy and finance firmly center stage for Americans. Huge net margins of 63.4 percent of men and 52.1 percent of women rate themselves more interested in these topics than they were 12 to 18 months ago. Business and corporations have also come in for higher levels of interest, although they’re far more of a guy thing: Net 42.3 percent of men are more interested, compared with net 16 percent of women.
It’s no surprise that health care has garnered far more interest over the past 12 to 18 months. Among men, 67.6 percent are more interested, and among women 61.5 percent are more interested. What is surprising is that a small minority rate themselves less interested in the issue: 6.2 percent of men and 8.3 percent of women. This suggests some Americans have been turned off of the whole subject, despite–or perhaps because of–the health-care reform tug-of-war in Congress and across the media.
Although there are consistently higher percentages of men who are more interested in the big issues, there are consistently higher percentages of women who feel growing disapproval with the issues compared with 12 to 18 months ago. With local politics in their area, a net 1.5 percent of men disapprove (25.8 percent more approving versus 27.3 percent more disapproving) but net 14.6 percent of women disapprove (15.1 percent more approving versus 29.7 percent more disapproving). Feelings about politics in respondents’ state of residence are slightly more soured: Net 13.9 percent of men and net 19.3 percent of women disapprove. Farther from home, feelings about domestic politics in general are even more negative: Net 16.9 percent of men and net 26 percent of women are more disapproving now compared with 12 to 18 months ago.
As well as rating their opinions, respondents were also asked in the survey to give their views on their state in their own words. Although some expressed partisan views and a few praised their local politicians, many others longed for politicians to focus on doing a better job. There was a strong current of opinion in favor of dumping incumbents. As a respondent from New York put it: “Politicians have lost the will to represent the people who voted them in. They are only interested in their own power and interests. Most cannot be trusted. When political parties are too involved with their own politics, we the people and the USA suffer greatly.”
With job losses, bailouts and bonuses still looming large, economy and finance score strong overall negative ratings: Net 29.4 percent of men and 45.4 percent of women disapprove more now. It’s a similar story with business and corporations: Net 31 percent of men and 40.6 percent of women now feel more disapproving compared with 12 to 18 months ago.
“A year into the Obama presidency and 18 months into the economic crisis, Americans are looking more closely and more critically than ever at the public issues that affect them,” said Marian Salzman, president of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America. “As households struggle to manage their budgets in the face of a dire employment market, they’re looking more closely to see whether people in power are behaving more responsibly, too.
“Many Americans aren’t liking what they’re seeing. The stronger ‘disapprove’ scores from American women across major issues suggests that women had higher hopes for things to be managed better,” continued Salzman. “With this disgruntled mood prevailing, we can expect a lot of heat and upset in election contests this year. The country was fractious and divided even when the economy was booming a few years ago. It’s hard to see the mood sweetening as long as debt and budget cuts are the order of the day.”
Respondents are also bracing themselves for higher taxes: Net 39.7 percent of men and 39.1 percent of women are pessimistic about taxation levels in the foreseeable future. Adding to the gloom, net 22.7 percent of men and net 45.8 percent of women are pessimistic about the cost of living.
Source: Euro RSCG Worldwide
Help Wanted: Federal agencies look to hire nearly a quarter of a million workers from now through Fall of 2012
Aon Consulting Offers Keys to Securing a Federal Position
The federal government is hiring tens of thousands of new employees, according to a report titled “Where the Jobs Are 2009: Mission-Critical Opportunities for America,” released by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service and cosponsored by Aon Consulting, the global human capital consulting organization of Aon Corporation .
The report represents job data from 35 federal agencies (employing more than 1,000 people), and found that from October 2009 through September 2012, these employers plan to hire approximately 273,000 workers in mission-critical roles (positions considered crucial by agencies to fulfill their essential obligations to the American people)*. This represents a 41 percent increase, compared to the three previous fiscal years.
“For job seekers motivated by a desire to make a difference and improve the lives of Americans, there are no better possibilities than those provided by our federal government,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. “This report confirms that the job opportunities are there. People need to seize them.”
The majority of new federal hires are expected to come from five professional fields, led by jobs in the medical and public health category, as well as in security and protection. The number of medical and public health openings projected from now through fall of 2012 is 53 percent higher than from 2007 through 2009, while the demand for security and protection positions show an estimated increase of 46 percent during that timeframe. Other top categories include compliance and enforcement, legal occupations, and administration and program management.
“It’s important to note that while there has been considerable growth in mission-critical jobs, the government is not growing significantly larger in historical terms. By the end of 2012, with all new hires, our nation’s workforce will still be smaller than it was in 1967,” said Stier.
The largest increase in new hires from 2010 through 2012 will come at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). From 2007 through 2009, the VA needed about 30,000 new workers, but the department plans to recruit 48,159 new hires in the next three years. The Department of Homeland Security projects a jump from almost 48,000 hires in the previous three-year period to an estimated 65,730 new job openings between 2010 and 2012. The Department of Defense (including the Army, Navy and Air Force) estimates it will hire 43,514 new employees, an increase from the 35,000 it needed in the 2007 through 2009 timeframe.
Getting Hired by a Federal Agency
Many federal agencies will receive an unprecedented number of resumes for each of their job openings, including several from candidates who are applying for a public sector position for the first time. While standing out from the crowd is important in pursuing all jobs, there are a number of keys in doing so for the federal sector. Aon Consulting offers the following tips:
1. Start by visiting www.usajobs.com, which is the official jobs site for the U.S. Federal Government. Much like private sector job sites, you can review openings by keywords and set up job alerts. Review job postings carefully, including qualifications, assessment processes, job location and application closing dates. This information is important in customizing a cover letter and communications, as well as in completing applications and online questionnaires.
2. If you haven’t held a public sector job in the past, demonstrate your interest in the position by highlighting appropriate experience in serving your community, town, school board, etc. In many cases, the skills and commitment to public service will translate, based on this experience.
3. Follow up on your application within the first two weeks after the closing date. With the number of candidates vying for these positions, research and follow up are critical to landing the new role.
4. Stay current on federal news that may impact your search by subscribing to the Federal News Daily e-newsletter at www.federaldaily.com, which is a news and resource site for federal employees.
5. Remember, you don’t need to live in the Washington, D.C., area to work for a federal agency. Nearly 85 percent of federal jobs are outside Washington, D.C. In addition, there are several international postings, if those are of interest. According to the Where the Jobs Are 2009 report, more than 44,000 federal employees are currently working abroad.
“This hiring surge comes at a time of high national unemployment and a renewed enthusiasm for public service,” said Cecelia Evans, leader of the Federal Sector Practice for Aon Consulting. “This means there will be fierce competition for federal jobs, offering the government a chance to select high-caliber talent, reinvigorate civil service and build a workforce for tomorrow.”
For a copy of this report, please visit www.aon.com/federal.
*The projected 273,000 openings in the next three fiscal years do not include every single job that will be available in our government, just those designated as permanent, full-time, mission-critical positions. Separately, the Partnership for Public Service estimates that during the full four years of President Obama’s term, new hiring for all types of federal government positions will reach nearly 600,000 people or almost one-third of the current workforce.
Source: Aon Corporation
U.S. Government rejoins worldwide consensus on reproductive health
Health and Development Groups Applaud Clinton Speech; Call for Action
A broad coalition of organizations representing millions of Americans applauded statement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the United States unequivocally supports the worldwide consensus that achieving universal access to reproductive health is critical for individual health, family well-being, broader economic development and a healthy planet.
In a speech today at the State Department, Secretary Clinton declared the U.S. government’s renewed support and dedication to reaching the health and development goals laid out in the International Conference on Population Development and other related UN agreements, including the Millennium Development Goals.
The Secretary said that “women’s health is essential to the prosperity and health of all people,” and that the U.S. has rejoined with all governments to “make the access to reproductive healthcare a basic right.”
During the groundbreaking 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, 179 nations laid out an ambitious plan of action to improve health and achieve sustainable development by focusing on individual health needs and human rights, especially for women and girls.
Countries agreed to achieve universal access to reproductive health services by the year 2015, a target reaffirmed in the Millennium Development Goals. Reproductive health services include voluntary contraception that is affordable and safe, sex education programs to prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and programs that improve maternal and child health.
“The United States was a major architect of the 1994 Cairo agreement, but U.S. funding for international family planning programs, a major component of reproductive health services, has fallen 23 percent in real dollars since its high in 1995,” said Suzanne Ehlers, Interim President of Population Action International. “Today’s statement by Secretary Clinton marks a return to U.S. leadership on international family planning.”
Investments in reproductive health programs have saved lives and delivered real results. In Mexico, the infant mortality rate fell by 70% between 1970 and 2005, as the use of modern contraceptives nearly doubled. Similar results have been seen in Bangladesh, Egypt, Thailand, and elsewhere.
Conversely, inadequate funding for reproductive health and family planning programs hold grave consequences for women and families. One woman dies needlessly in pregnancy or childbirth every minute of every day, and six million more suffer injury, illness or disability. Each year, between 70 to 80 million unintended pregnancies occur in the developing world.
To meet the unmet need for family planning and achieve the goal of achieving universal access to reproductive health, the coalition of non-profit organizations calls on the Obama Administration to:
– Ensure that the new Global Health Initiative retain a strong focus on interventions to prevent unintended pregnancy, promote women’s health and save women’s lives.
– Ensure that greater access to contraception and reproductive health care remains a high priority within any restructuring of the U.S. government’s foreign assistance program so that women, men and youth can access a comprehensive range of reproductive health services no matter where they are accessing care.
– Work with the U. S. Congress to fund international family planning programs at $1 billion, to reverse a decade of inadequate funding, and eliminate punitive legislative restrictions that continue to tie-up the U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
“Poll after poll has shown that a majority of Americans across the ideological divide support family planning programs and proven investments in women’s health,” said Tamara Kreinin, Executive Director of Women and Population at the United Nations Foundation. “I hope that Secretary Clinton’s speech is a signal to everyone that the U.S. government is done with political theater and instead will focus on the important work of saving lives.”
Source: CEDPA
Survey reveals roadways increasingly filled with unsafe drivers distracted by their cell phones
72% of Survey Respondents Say Current and Upcoming Texting While Driving Bans by States Will Not Alter Their Use of a Cell Phone While Driving According to Cellcontrol
cellcontrol announced a new study that shows a majority of drivers still use cell phones while on the road even though its proven to be more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. The study was conducted by odbEdge, the creator of cellcontrol, during the week of December 14, 2009, to learn about views on driving while distracted. From a pool of 100 respondents, 88 percent of drivers admitted to using their cell phone to text, email, surf the Web or have a conversation in the past 12-months. However, nearly 75 percent of the same group agreed that driving while intoxicated and texting are equally dangerous. While this shows an increased awareness of distracted driving as a problem, drivers still fail to realize that Distracted Driving is 23 times more dangerous than Driving While Intoxicated.
While great progress has been made with laws in place and awareness campaigns, the study shows that 72 percent of drivers still continue to drive and be distracted by their cell phones and other mobile devices regardless of state cell phone usage while driving bans. Solutions like cellcontrol, which works by plugging into a car’s on-board computer and uses a downloadable application and Bluetooth technology to pair to your phone, is an option to help keep drivers safe on the road and curb the habit of driving while using a cell phone.
“Cell phone use and driving is still a safety problem on our roadways and that’s why at cellcontrol our main objective is to help parents, friends, employers, etc., protect those they care about with technology that is easy and simple to use,” said Leigh Gilly, Director of Business Development of cellcontrol. “We are aimed at preventing driving while distracted to help reduce the over 500,000 injury-resulting accidents each year caused by mobile phones and other technologies used while driving.”
While cell phone use when driving spans across all age groups, teenagers draw the most attention to this national problem. If given the choice, the study shows 65 percent of parents would put their worries to rest with technology to prevent their children from driving while using their cell phones. More than 60 percent of parents would purchase a particular cell phone if they had the ability to control distracted driving as a feature option. In addition, more than 75 percent would use technology to restrict use of mobile devices while driving if they received a discount on their automobile insurance premium.
Survey questions/results included:
In the last 12 months, have you engaged in distracted driving caused by any of the following cell phone activities: texting, emailing, surfing the Web or talking on your phone?
Yes – 88.4%
No – 11.6%
If given the technology to block the use of cellular phones while operating a vehicle, on which of the following would you use the technology:
Yourself – 26.8%
Spouse or significant other – 23.2%
Children – 65.2%
Employees – 27.7%
None of the above – 17.0%
What do you consider to be more dangerous?
Driving while intoxicated – 17.0%
Driving while texting – 9.8%
They are equally dangerous – 73.2%
Has the passing of new laws prohibiting distracted driving changed the way you use your cellular phone while operating a vehicle?
Yes – 27.7%
No – 72.3%
Are you aware of any accidents in the last 12 months involving yourself, family or friends that was caused by distracted driving?
Yes – 27.7%
No – 72.3%
In purchasing cellular phones for your children or employees, would you consider the ability to control distracted driving on a specific phone type as an important feature in the buying decision?
Yes – 60.7%
No – 8%
Maybe – 31.3%
Besides cellular phones, which of the following mobile devices do you currently have or use in your personal or work vehicle?
Laptop – 28.8%
Handheld ordering device – 2.7%
MP3 player – 27.9%
GPS system – 45.9%
DVD player – 32.4%
None of the above – 27.9%
In regards to automobile insurance: Would you use technology to restrict your use of a mobile device while operating a vehicle if you received a discount on your premium for doing so?
Yes – 75.9%
No – 24.1%
In regard to automobile insurance: Would you be willing to change insurance carriers if a different carrier offered a discount that ultimately saved you money for the use of technology to stop distracted driving?
Yes — 53.6%
No – 46.4%
Source: cellcontrol
National study finds Americans are hopeful for 2010 Decade after learning from past ten years
OfficeMax Survey Uncovers How Consumers Really Feel About Past and Future Decades
With one decade concluding and another on the horizon, Americans are gearing up for 2010 by learning from the past and making plans for a better decade ahead. According to a nationwide survey from OfficeMax® Incorporated Americans have high hopes for the approaching decade with clear plans for their personal lives and heightened focus on family and personal wellbeing while embracing change and opportunity. When referring to the 2010 decade, nearly four in ten (38%) Americans prefer to use the phrase “the twenty-tens” over other popular terms that include “the oh-tens” (16%), “the tens” (14%) and “the teens” (11%).
Moving forward, Americans predict that family, personal development and self-discovery will define the next ten years. Many believe they will spend more time with family (64%) and reconnect with old friends (42%). Others plan to nurture themselves by grabbing the reins on their health (62%) and finally creating a work-life balance (38%). Over half (57%) of Americans believe the next decade will be about discovering what’s most important in life, while others think they’ll laugh more than ever before (47%).
As Americans consider the advancements and transformations they hope to achieve during the next decade, it’s fitting that nearly three in ten people think “Changes” by David Bowie (28%) is the song title that best represents their outlook on the approaching decade. Others selected “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash (13%) to demonstrate their optimism while some shared their apprehension choosing “Help!” by the Beatles (16%) and “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (12%) to illustrate their future outlook.
Gearing up for the next decade, Americans plan to learn from the past and incorporate these lessons into the future. Demonstrating the importance of action in 2010, a large number of Americans selected the expressions – “action speaks louder than words” (73%) and “talk is cheap” (67%) – to illustrate what they learned over the past decade. Nearly seven in ten people selected “knowledge is power” (69%) and “don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched” (67%) to describe their hopes for smarter, more calculated decisions in the future. With the touch economic times, personal finances were also top-of-mind for most Americans, which is perhaps why phrases like “a penny saved is a penny earned” (66%) and “money makes the world go round” (50%) are what many will use as a springboard for the new decade.
“Everyone has the chance to start fresh in 2010 with a new decade ahead of them, and we’re excited to learn through this national survey that consumers are ready to take the express train to a brighter, more prosperous future,” said Bob Thacker, SVP of Marketing & Advertising for OfficeMax. “At OfficeMax, we’re kicking off the year by celebrating positive achievements and helping people do their best work at home, the office, or on-the-go. It’s going to be a delightful decade as we focus more on what’s important and improve on the past ten years.”
The national survey of 1,000 consumers was conducted by Kelton Research in December 2009 using Random Digit Dialing of listed and unlisted phone numbers. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over.
Consumers Energy: Clean coal plant project reaches major milestone with air permit
Consumers Energy’s clean coal power plant reached a major milestone today with the issuance of an air permit for the $2 billion-plus project.
The 830-megawatt plant is expected to create 1,800 construction jobs, about 2,500 indirect jobs, and then more than 100 permanent jobs after it is operating in 2017. Overall, the plant is projected to provide a $1.2 billion economic boost to Michigan.
“The issuance of the air permit for our new clean coal plant is good news for Michigan. This permit moves our project a step closer to creating badly needed jobs and boosting the state’s economy,” said John Russell, Consumers Energy’s president and chief operating officer.
“It also provides best-in-class protection for the environment with an offset for carbon dioxide emissions from the new plant and a substantial net reduction in overall emissions from our coal-fired generating fleet. It also will allow us to fully implement our balanced energy plan and provide customers with reliable, competitively priced electricity in the future.”
The new plant is part of Consumers Energy’s Balanced Energy Initiative. That comprehensive plan calls for a portfolio of diverse energy resources to meet the power needs of the utility’s 1.8 million electric customers over the next 20 years.
A recent analysis of the plan details how two-thirds of the projected new energy resources needed to serve customers through 2018 will be provided by renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and demand side management (reducing customer usage during peak periods).
The utility launched its energy efficiency initiative in July with programs to help business and residential customers save energy and save money. In its first six months of operation this initiative has benefited more than 170,000 Michigan homes with energy-saving measures.
Consumers Energy plans to invest more than $1.2 billion to build 450 megawatts of wind generating capacity and has secured wind development easements for more than 57,000 acres in Mason, Tuscola and Huron counties. The utility already is the largest supplier of renewable energy in Michigan, with more than 4 percent of the power that it supplies to customers coming from renewable sources.
The air permit for the new clean coal plant includes a commitment from Consumers Energy to retire up to seven of its older, less efficient coal units after the new unit begins operating at the company’s Karn/Weadock Generating Complex, near Bay City. Five of these older units will be retired following operation of the new unit, with retirement of the additional two older units dependent on customer need. The utility has the oldest fleet of coal plants in the nation with an average age of 50 years.
Russell said the plant retirements are consistent with the company’s Balanced Energy Initiative and will substantially reduce overall emissions from the company’s coal-fired fleet. The Balanced Energy Initiative approach – the new plant plus the eventual retirements of some existing plants and expanded renewable energy and energy efficiency – is expected to provide emissions reductions by 2018 from the current levels from the company’s existing coal fleet. Emissions are expected to be down as much as 91 percent for sulfur dioxide; 83 percent for nitrogen oxides; and 81 percent for mercury.
“The new coal plant will use state-of-the-art technology and be one of the cleanest coal power plants in the world. We’ve said all along that building the new unit would have an environmental benefit because it would allow us to retire some of our older units and result in emissions reduction,” Russell said.
The new plant will be designed to utilize carbon capture and storage technology once it becomes commercially and economically viable. Consumers Energy has been working with Western Michigan University scientists to evaluate the suitability of the geology surrounding the plant site to store carbon dioxide. Preliminary analysis indicates that the geology surrounding the plant site looks promising for carbon sequestration.
The next major step for the project is filing a certificate of necessity application with the Michigan Public Service Commission. The company expects to file that application in 2010.
“The certificate of necessity process is new for Michigan and was established in the state’s new energy law, put in place last year. With that process, the Michigan Public Service Commission conducts a comprehensive evaluation of the new power plant and evaluates alternatives. It also gives all stakeholders the opportunity to analyze and comment on the project,” he said. “This forward-looking regulatory process is one of many public policy improvements made in the state’s new energy law.”
The Balanced Energy Initiative is a key part of Consumers Energy’s Growing Forward strategy, which calls for investing more than $6 billion in the utility over the next five years. That includes significant investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, environmental and customer service enhancements, and new power generation.
The substantial investments make Consumers Energy one of the largest – if not the largest – investor in the state of Michigan. Those investments will help the utility maintain and improve service to customers, create jobs, boost the state’s economy, and expand the state’s tax base.
Source: Consumers Energy
10,000 companies prepare to start low carbon diet plans on Jan. 1
President Obama and the EPA are gearing up to put the nation on a low-carbon diet and their strategy would do Weight Watchers proud: Count first, cut later.
The counting begins on Jan. 1, 2010 when some 10,000 companies and other entities, including municipalities and even some universities, must start measuring their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
And while it’s uncertain when mandatory cuts will be announced – and whether Congress or the EPA will act first – the law firm of Plunkett Cooney said today that polluters might want to start dieting sooner rather than later because their GHG emissions, down to the plant level, will become part of the public record after March 31, 2011.
“New regulations to reduce carbon emissions are coming but public scrutiny will come first,” said Plunkett Cooney Senior Attorney. “Companies need to understand that from the standpoint of government regulation and public opinion, the debate about global warming is over. That means it’s time for them to develop sustainability plans and carbon reduction strategies before regulators, environmental advocates, shareholders and other groups force them to act.”
According to Mikalonis, entities that annually generate or emit at least 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, which includes gases such as methane, nitrous oxide or several fluorinated gases, must measure and report their emissions to the EPA or face fines of up to $37,500 per day for each violation. The reporting threshold is equivalent to the annual GHG emissions from approximately 4,600 passenger vehicles.
Entities covered under the new rules include fossil fuel-fired power plants, landfills, fuel production facilities, chemical plants, steel and aluminum works, cement factories and large livestock operations. Data collection for motor vehicle and engine manufacturers begins in 2011.
“The reporting rules will drive a lot of transparency and allow company-to-company and plant-to-plant comparisons,” Mikalonis pointed out. “They will create public relations issues and potential legal problems for some companies, especially if they have been marketing themselves as ‘green’ when the emissions report says otherwise. But they also may speed up the adoption of energy-saving technologies, which can flow straight to the bottom line.”
In Michigan, carbon dioxide accounts for the vast majority of GHG emissions, which are due in large part to burning fossil fuels for transportation and electricity. Methane is the next largest contributor, mostly from the anaerobic decay of solid waste in landfills. Nitrous oxide, the third largest contributor, comes chiefly from agricultural soil management and mobile source combustion.
In 2002, a study conducted for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality estimated per capita GHG emissions in Michigan were 6.2 million metric tons of carbon equivalents (MMTCE), which is slightly below the national average.
In terms of mandatory GHG cuts, Mikalonis said new rules are a fait accompli now that the EPA has said that rising levels are a danger to present and future populations. Companies must therefore decide how they want to influence the regulatory process.
“The EPA is obligated to enact rules to drive down greenhouse gas emissions if Congress does not act,” Mikalonis said. “Congress must decide if it is willing to compromise on issues like carbon cap and trade and energy taxes, or accept the risk that EPA may implement ‘command and control’ solutions. Businesses may prefer a mix of voluntary and legislative solutions and that approach should inform their overall sustainability strategy.”
Source: Plunkett Cooney
Top-grossing films and publisher successes mark 2000-2009 as decade of the Pulps
Pulp fiction is back as entertainment, according to box office and publishing reports.
America’s fascination was evidenced with Hollywood’s top-grossing films for the first decade of the 21st century, of which 8 of the top 10 were either stories written during fiction’s golden age in the 1930s, 40s and 50s like Lord of the Rings or based on heroes from that time as in Batman: The Dark Knight, Spider Man 1 and 2 and Star Wars Episode 3, garnering well over $3,200,000,000 in the US alone. While in publishing, L. Ron Hubbard’s multi-genre pulp fiction series, “Stories from the Golden Age,” Walter Gibson’s “The Shadow” and Lester Dent’s “Doc Savage” all saw marked increases in distribution and sales in traditional and non-traditional outlets.
Pulp classics date back to the 1930s and 40s – the time known as the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction and the last period that America faced both an economic collapse and multiple wars.
Hollywood-based Galaxy Press alone reported a 500% sales increase spurred by a strong domestic demand from the library, education and transportation markets since the launch of its line of 80 pulp fiction print and audio books by pulp master L. Ron Hubbard.
“It’s clear that these audiences are looking for high-action entertainment with a broad appeal to readers of all ages – including readers who need to see the story take off right away,” said John Goodwin, president of Galaxy Press, publishers of the Stories from the Golden Age (www.goldenagestories.com) book series.
“During the 1930s and 40s, America was going through the Great Depression, war had just finished, and another was looming,” Goodwin said. “Americans needed an escape and the pulp writers – at least the very good ones like Hubbard, Gibson, Dent and Burroughs – provided that desperately needed outlet.”
Pulp fiction characters, like the stories, were bigger than life and that is what appealed to the 30,000,000-plus readers caught in harsh economic times. America needed and wanted heroes and the pulps provided them. Adventure House publisher, John Gunnison, a Maryland-based republisher and distributor of pulp fiction (www.adventurehouse.com), understands why Hollywood is so enamored with pulp fiction, stating, “There’s no better heroes than the pulp heroes.”
“For a few decades,” Goodwin added, “Americans didn’t need their heroes with America’s global expansion, housing, technology and Internet booms – who needs a hero to save you if you’re not in danger?”
Based on film success and publishing numbers, America’s love for heroes and desire to see them win has definitely returned.
For more information on L. Ron Hubbard and Stories from the Golden Age go to www.goldenagestories.com.
Source: Author Services, Inc.