Category: Massachusetts
Biden Tells State Insurance Commissioners Health Care System Needs to be Changed
BIDEN SPEECH
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 22, 2009
WASHINGTON—Vice President Joe Biden told state insurance commissioners Tuesday that the health insurance status quo needed to be changed immediately.
Biden spoke to members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners at the group’s annual conference in a nearby Maryland suburb, telling them the need to change the system is for everyone and “not only for those who don’t have health insurance.”
Health insurance premiums have gone up 90-150 percent over the past decade, he said, and “the status quo of rising premiums is simply unsustainable for families, for businesses, for state budgets and for our national economy.”
The vice president highlighted the possible economic boost that a health-care overhaul would give to insurers by increasing the number of healthy and young customers. Reform, he said, would not kill competition or diminish profits and would have a positive impact on the economy.
“As many as 45,000 people per year die owing to a lack of health insurance,” he said, referring to a recent Harvard University study.
Biden told of a woman who wanted the federal government to keep its hands out of Medicare, which the vice president noted is federally financed. “People don’t understand 46 cents out of every dollar for health care is paid for by the federal government now,” he said.
“If we do nothing, health care costs are going to swallow the entire budget,” Biden said. He expressed the need for “spending money to make money.”
Biden stated his pleasure with the consensus that has formed in the health-care debate. “There is a broad agreement,” he said, among doctors, nurses, drug companies, hospitals and labor unions.
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New Hampshire Students’ Art Works Honored in Capitol
ARTISTS
New Hampshire Union Leader
Haley Shoemaker
Boston University Washington News Service
September 22, 2009
WASHINGTON—A busy underground hallway tunnel that connects the Capitol with the House office buildings is also an art gallery for work by about 400 high school students from across the country, including two from New Hampshire.
Alyssa Pittera, a high school senior from Coe-Brown Northwood Academy in Northwood, said her work, Blooming Rockers, is a scene from her house.
“I wanted to do a still life because I have never used that medium before with paint,” Pittera said in a telephone interview. “The scene I set up is an antique chair, but I put my own spin on it because I made the plant coming out of the chair.”
Her art is part of the annual program, An Artistic Discovery, which began in 1982, in which House members from every state hold competitions to find student artists to represent their districts. The art chosen hangs in the tunnel gallery for a year.
Art work to represent New Hampshire’s congressional districts was chosen in a competition in the spring at Plymouth State University. School art teachers submitted student works and a panel of judges picked the art to display in Washington. Pittera’s painting was chosen to represent Rep. Carol Shea-Porter’s 1st Congressional District. Representing Rep. Paul Hodes’ 2nd Congressional District is Krista Ciacco’s drawing, Mail Bonding,
Ciacco, a 10th grader from Fitzwilliam who attends Monadnock Regional High School, said that she has taken many art courses throughout school and that her winning entry was “a still life project for my art class.”
At a ceremony at the Capitol in the summer for all of the student artists Ciacco said she met members of Congress and attended a lunch. Pittera also attended the ceremony and said she saw her art in the tunnel.
Shea-Porter said that at the ceremony she met with a number of students and their families and teachers.
“It was a celebration of the arts in the 1st District, and we talked about how art is good for the community and helps the local community because it promotes small businesses,” she said. “At the event we celebrated the students’ art and its impact on the community.”
Pittera’s close attention to detail in the fabric in her art work reflects her other career aspiration: to be a fashion designer.
“I have made clothes for myself since I was a freshman,” she said.
“I have made dresses for dances and shirts, and I am making a shirt for my friend right now. I also made a dress for a girl who was trying out for American Idol.”
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A Hero from Massachusetts is Honored in Ceremony at the Pentagon
HALL OF HEROS
New Bedford Standard-Times
Ayesha Aleem
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 18, 2009
WASHINGTON. – At a formal ceremony that celebrated his life, Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti of Raynham was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon on Friday. Described at the event as the Pentagon’s most sacred place, the Hall of Heroes honors recipients of the Medal of Honor.
Monti was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on Thursday by President Barack Obama in a ceremony at The White House. The soldier’s parents, Paul and Janet Monti, and his brother, Timothy, and sister, Nicole, attended the ceremony. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates were also present at the White House. This is the first Medal of Honor presented by President Obama.
The Pentagon ceremony, attended by approximately 200 family members, friends and soldiers who served with Monti, began with the national anthem and a prayer. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, vice chief of staff of the Army, speaking of Monti, said, “Thank you for being of service to the Army and this nation.”
Secretary of the Army Pete Geren quoted Calvin Coolidge: “No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.”
Based on information provided by family members, Geren narrated how Monti had sat at the kitchen table at his Aunt Patricia’s house in Plymouth, Mass., while on leave. That was their last conversation where aunt and nephew spoke about Monti’s future – the possibility of college, starting a family.
“But for now, the priority was the military,” said Geren.
William J. Lynn, deputy secretary of defense, addressing Monti’s parents, said, “We salute your son. We honor him, we salute him and we will always remember him.”
Against a blue-curtained backdrop, Monti’s parents, with members of the military, unveiled the Hall of Heroes plaque honoring their son. Paul Monti received a standing ovation before reminiscing about his son’s life. “I accept this award in his name and thank each one of you men and women in the Army who protect our freedom and our way of life.”
A gallery at the entrance of the auditorium displayed childhood and other photographs of Monti.
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the Unites States to a member of the armed forces for demonstrating gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty and at the risk of life. Only 3,448 Medals of Honor have been given since the award was established in 1862.
Thirty-year-old Monti was a team leader in Afghanistan heading a 16-man patrol which had been on the road for three days when it encountered as many as 50 enemy fighters on June 21, 2006. He was killed in a grenade blast, during a third attempt to rescue a wounded comrade.
He is the sixth service member to be awarded the Medal of Honor since the launch of the Global War on Terror in 2001 and the first Massachusetts resident to receive this honor since 1970, when Navy Capt. Thomas G. Kelley was honored for actions in the Vietnam War. Kelley is currently the secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Services of Massachusetts.
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House Representatives Passes Bill to Reform Student Loans
STUDENTS
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
9/17/09
WASHINGTON—A bill that would overhaul the student loan market and effectively put the federal government in charge of student lending passed in the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act would convert all new federal student lending to the government-run Direct Loan program. In addition, the bill would increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship, expand the Perkins Loan program, simplify the application process for federal student aid and boost support for community colleges, historically minority universities and low-income kindergartens.
U.S. Reps. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, and John W. Olver, D-Amherst, all voted in favor of the bill, which passed 253-171.
“It’s a down payment on our future,” Mr. McGovern said in an interview in his office. “We’re starting to lose our competitive edge, and that should scare everyone. One way we can regain it is to provide more access to education.”
“This legislation saves the government nearly $90 billion by cutting out the middleman,” Mr. Olver said in a statement. “The bottom line is: do we want this money going to private lending companies, or to make college more affordable and accessible? To me, it’s a no-brainer.”
Mr. Neal said in a statement, “In western and central Massachusetts alone, tens of millions of dollars will be invested in higher education.”
Most colleges in the Worcester area said they heartily support the measure.
“I’m 100 percent in support of the bill,” said Lynne M. Myers, director of financial aid at the College of the Holy Cross, in an interview.
Ms. Meyers said the university already made the switch to the Direct Loan program two years ago.
“We went to that to make sure our students had a secure loan market,” she said. “Students are relying on private loans to help them meet higher education costs, and that is not sound financing. The federal government looking at this makes good sense.”
She also said she approves the push to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
“As an aid administrator, any time we can move in the direction of simplicity is great,” she said. She called the application process “a hurdle” that is “more complicated than it needs to be.”
Mary Ellen Severance, director of the Office of financial assistance at Clark University, agreed. “Those of us in financial aid are always in favor of legislation that would help prevent some of the barriers that our students are presented with for private higher education,” Ms. Severance said.
She said Clark also has already made the switch to direct lending.
Quinsigamond Community College’s assistant vice president of enrollment management, Iris Godes, said she supported the bill, but was concerned about rumors that new Pell Grant regulations might cut loans to part-time students.
Ms. Godes said her institution was also already part of the Direct Loan program.
“We actually like it a lot,” she said. “It works well for our students.”
Ms. Godes added that she strongly supports simplification of the application process. “Especially for students that are first-generation college applicants, they get confused and frustrated,” she said. “If they can’t complete the process, they can’t get their financial aid.”
Linda Mularczyk, director of financial aid at Assumption College, showed less enthusiasm for the proposed changes.
She said there are questions on theapplication form “that our institution needs,” adding that Assumption College administrators might need to develop a supplemental form to replace the old questions.
“As far as direct lending, my only concern is that most students and families have received such excellent customer service from our current lenders,” Ms. Mularczyk added. “I hope that direct lending is able to provide the same support.”
Jack Carrozzo, a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, said he was happy to see some changes to financial aid.
Mr. Carrozzo called the current system “quite a mess” and added that “dealing with it every year is quite a task.”
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A Traveler’s Guide to Visiting the Capitol
CAPITOL HILL
New Hampshire Union Leader
Haley Shoemaker
Boston University Washington News Service
September 16, 2009
WASHINGTON – People from all over the world are drawn to Capitol Hill to learn about America’s history, to see great art, to launch or advance their careers or to catch a glimpse of some of the nation’s most influential people. The range and abundance of activities for people of all ages, interests and tastes makes the Hill a must-see place for many visitors to the capital city.
To Tom Fontana, director of communications at the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the center is “the highlight of the Capitol.”
The underground facility has a restaurant, gift shops and exhibits that tell the story and history of Congress and the legislative processes.
According to Fontana, 40 to 50 historic documents are on display, as well as 24 statues relocated from the National Statuary Hall Collections. The statues are a diverse group, ranging from John Swigert Jr., the late Apollo 13 astronaut, to Sacagawea, the Native American who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their journey of exploration.
In the Capitol itself, visitors can watch Congress in session. For the architecturally minded, the building is clearly influenced by ancient Greek architecture, and yet it has a modern feeling because the statues, relief sculptures and frescos throughout that reflect American history.
For those interested in history and museums, Capitol Hill is the place to be. In the area are the Library of Congress; the Supreme Court; the National Postal Museum; the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, which explores the changing role of women through history; the Folger Shakespeare Library, featuring the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s First Folio editions; and the historic Union Station, along with many more museums within walking distance.
To escape and unwind from the busyness of the Capitol, the U.S. Botanic Garden may be a perfect place to go with friends and family, or to just escape for a few minutes.
There are three main gardens, a conservatory and 15 plant galleries, as well as temporary outdoor exhibits, “There is so much diversity in the plants, said Sally Bourrie, the public relations coordinator for the garden, that “regardless of your mood you can find something that fits.” She pointed out that there is also a children’s garden with a well, a potting bench and a bamboo arbor.
The newly renovated conservatory features plants from all over the world, and there are also streams, benches and a ladies’ garden patterned after quilt designs. The gardens, Bourrie said, “are also organic and sustainable; they use less water and fewer chemicals.”
One of the gardens, Bartholdi Park, was designed by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, the designer of the Statue of Liberty. Its plantings, Bourrie said, change to reflect modern trends in home gardening.
Capitol Hill is also known for its wide range of restaurants.
Art and Soul, a southern and soul food restaurant, is owned by Art Smith, the former personal chef for Oprah Winfrey and a regular on the Food Network.
Chef Bart Vandaele’s Belga Café, the first Belgian restaurant on the Hill, is renowned for its wide variety of Belgian beers.
If you are looking to see politicians and other Washington influentials, a seven-minute walk from the Capitol takes you to Charlie Palmer Steak, part of a nationwide chain.
If shopping’s your game, Union Station is not only a railroad and public transit terminal but also a shopping mall with many shops as well as a variety of restaurants. And there’s more shopping throughout the Capitol Hill area, including local shops and many well-known chains.
GETTING THERE: For those who want to travel by air, Washington is only a one hour and 19 minute flight from Logan International Airport. By car Washington is xxx miles from New Bedford.
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Worcester-Area Protesters Join Taxpayers March on Washington
TEA PARTY
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
9/12/09
WASHINGTON—Pat Leroux, 67, of Barre, Mass., left home at 4:30 a.m. Friday to catch the bus to Washington from Worcester for Saturday’s taxpayers march on the Capitol.
Bright-eyed and chipper as she rode the subway to the march the next morning, Leroux said the journey was worth it.
“We’re here because we’re frustrated,” she said. “No one is listening to us.”
Ms. Leroux, and her brothers Jack Haley, 65, of Leominster, Mass., and Mike Haley, 68, of Lunenburg, Mass., were among three busloads of New England protesters who participated in the march, joining tens of thousands of Americans in a rally against big government and what the group’s Web site calls “massive government spending.”
Carrying the Massachusetts state flag and sporting red t-shirts that read “Silence No More,” the Worcester Tea Party delegation made its presence known at the march, chanting “Massachusetts, believe it or not!” and “Dump Barney Frank!”
“We are trying to encourage smaller government and more transparent government,” said Ken Mandile, 50, of Webster, Mass., one of the main organizers of the Worcester Tea Party group. “We do this through recruiting, training, informing and activating people. That’s what these rallies are about.”
Mandile added that the group is nonpartisan, and tries not to align with any one party’s agenda.
“We have lots of people who are independents and libertarians, and we have a lot of Republicans and some Democrats too,” he said.
“It’s not just Obama,” said Erica Damico, 38, of Oxford, Mass. “It’s all of them. I’m pretty fed up.”
Ms. Damico said she hoped the strong turnout at the rally would send a powerful message to Congress and the media.
“I hope everyone will look and see that enough is enough,” she said. “People in this country are not going to stand for this. Just because we don’t have an eight-year doctorate degree doesn’t mean we’re stupid. I’m hoping people see this is not a Republican convention; it’s Americans united as one group for one cause.”
Ms. Leroux echoed Ms. Damico’s sentiments, and said she was tired of the government acting like “they’re the good parent and we’re the stupid children…. We got this far on our own.”
Coming three days after President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress on proposed health care reforms, the event held extra meaning for those like Ms. Leroux and her brothers who oppose the public option.
“Health care is gonna be a horror show,” said Jack Haley. “I don’t want government to have anything to do with it.”
“I’d like to see Medicare and Social Security stop being given to illegal immigrants,” said Ms. Leroux. “That’s why they’ve gone broke.”
“If Obamacare passes, our country is bankrupt,” added Bill King, of West Brookfield, Mass. “Someone has got to say no, and that’s why we’re here.”
In addition to the buses from Worcester, other Massachusetts residents came to Washington on their own. Matt Runkle, 20, and Jason Codding, 21, both computer science majors at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, flew in to the capital Friday night.
“We recently started the College Republicans group at WPI,” Mr. Runkle said.
“We went to the Tea Party protest in Worcester last spring, and had a blast,” Mr. Runkle added. “We’re here because of out-of-control spending. We’re the ones that will have to pay for it in a few years.”
The event was sponsored by the FreedomWorks Foundation, a conservative action group led by former House majority leader Dick Armey, along with the National Taxpayers Union and Grassfire.org.
Other sponsors included organizations ranging from the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, which promotes a laissez-faire capitalist government, to the National Association of Rural Landowners – whose Web site says, “Unless we come together in a cohesive, fighting unit, our freedoms and liberties shall fade into the dark chasm of socialism and radical environmentalism” – and encourages members to act on their right to bear arms.
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Massachusetts Protesters Join Taxpayers March in Capital
PROTEST
New Bedford Standard-Times
Ayesha Aleem and Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 12, 2009
WASHINGTON –Protesting a host of issues from health care reform to the stimulus packages, tens of thousands of people gathered in downtown Washington Saturday to demonstrate for lower taxes and less government.
Among the protesters was Bill King of Massachusetts who had arrived with others from the Bay State on Friday evening. “There’s too much government spending, too much chaos in the government,” said King. “It is time for positive change. There is too much corruption and no accountability.”
Groups of people came from across the country, marching under banners that announced the name of their state. Others marched on their own in a parade that extended 14 blocks between Freedom Plaza and the Capitol.
A boat-shaped float, symbolic of the Boston Tea Party, was part of the march. People aboard the float cheered protesters alongside. Families, young people, the elderly and disabled shouted slogans and carried signs. Even children joined in holding placards that read, “Stop spending my future.”
The march, originally scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m., started earlier at 10:45 a.m. A predominantly white crowd carried bold signs with messages such as “Joe Wilson for President” or “My Hero: Joe Wilson,” in reference to the outcry made my Rep. Joe Wilson at the president’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night.
“Sarah Gets It” and “Sarah in 2012” were some of the other signs, in reference to Sarah Palin. They also chanted “USA!” and “You lie!,” creating an energized presence. Emotions were running high and conflicting views resulted in verbal skirmishes. Graphic images of aborted fetuses lined a short distance of the path.
King, criticizing the stimulus bill, said, “It did not create employment. We need employment, we don’t need handouts.”
The Massachusetts group that traveled by bus from Worcester and Chicopee met the San Francisco Tea Party Rally in Hartford, Conn., that is touring the country protesting similar issues, said King. “We have to take our country back in 2010 or our country, as we know it, will cease to exist.
A Massachusetts couple, each wearing a red t-shirt with the slogan “Silent No More,” said they were concerned about health care reform.
“We need health reform, but not a government plan,” said 61-year-old Garry Treadway. He said the march showed the patriotism of the American people.
His wife, Connae Treadway, 55, agreed with him and said she wanted to make her voice heard. “We want them listen to us.” They said they believe Obama’s plan will pave the way for socialism. “We are here to stop the socialism.”
The march ended at the Capitol, where the marchers gathered around the reflecting pool to listen to a series of speakers during the afternoon.
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Local Representatives Applaud Obama Health-care Speech
OBAMA
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
9/10/09
WASHINGTON— Local health care administrators said they liked President Obama’s address on health care reform to a joint session of Congress Wednesday night but wanted to hear more details.
Toni McGuire, president and CEO of Worcester’s Great Brook Valley Health Center, said she would have liked to hear Obama say more about community health centers.
“But while he didn’t say the actual words, he has before,” she said in an interview. “And the message was there. Taking care of primary care before you get to the emergency room is what this is all about. Often we don't see people until they are too sick to treat.”
Jean C. Sullivan, director of the Center for Health Law and Economics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, said the speech was lacking in specifics.
“I would have liked to see more detail about the specific way the changes would work,” she said in an interview.
She said the comment Obama made that 1/10 of 1 percent of a reduction in health expenditures in the next four years could save $4 trillion “was a very dramatic piece of data. I’m not sure whether that was based on actual costs now or expected projection.”
U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, said he thought the speech made “a compelling argument” for health-care reform.
“I think he made a very convincing speech,” Mr. McGovern said in an interview. “Now we have to get to the process of legislating. We have to work out the details.”
In response to an outburst by U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who called out, “You lie”, during the speech when the president said proposed reforms would not grant insurance to illegal immigrants, Mr. McGovern said, “I thought it was rude, and I thought Congressman Wilson dishonored the institution that he was representing.”
McGovern added that the comment was unfounded. “There are no loopholes. Illegal immigrants aren’t covered, period. It’s written specifically in the legislation,” Mr. McGovern said. “It’s crystal clear.”
U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Mass., also applauded the President’s address, and said the Republican opposition’s role right now is “to deny our President a victory.”
“Who gains politically from this pales in comparison to what happens if we do not do it,” he said in a statement.
John G. O’Brien, president and CEO of University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Care, praised Obama’s efforts to reach out to the opposition.
“Despite misbehavior by members of Congress, [Obama] extended an olive branch to not only the Republicans but also to the Blue Dogs,” Mr. O’Brien said in an interview, referring to moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives. “He was very conciliatory. I was surprised when he spoke about medical malpractice reform, which typically has been a polarizing issue, and clearly that resonated.”
Mr. O’Brien said he thought Obama was “particularly critical” of the insurance industry.
“I was wincing a little bit because while some of the huge national plans can behave horrendously, there are states like Massachusetts where we are extremely fortunate as a population to have some terrific health insurers,” he said. “There are variations across the country.”
As a Massachusetts resident, Mr. O’Brien said he was especially moved by Mr. Obama’s reflections about the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
“His personal reflections about Kennedy were very moving, and really identified that this is not just a cost issue and a deficit issue, but a moral issue, and an issue of social justice,” Mr. O’Brien said.
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Offshore Wind Farms Closer to Becoming a Reality
OFFSHOREWIND
New Bedford Standard Times
Cristian Hernandez
Boston University Washington News Service
April 22, 2009
WASHINGTON—Change is blowing in the wind as hundreds of thousands of people living on the coast of Massachusetts transform the way they power their homes and businesses.
Offshore wind farms are no longer breezy talk in Massachusetts. Developers and experts agree that offshore wind will become a reality in the next five years. There are two major projects at different stages of development, and one of them, Cape Wind, could begin spreading 130 turbines across Nantucket Sound as early as next year – making it the first offshore wind farm in the United States. Eventually, the project could produce 420 megawatts of energy.
Meanwhile, energy developer Patriot Renewables has been working on the South Coast Wind Project since 2006. The project would install 90-120 turbines in Buzzards Bay and produce 300 megawatts of energy.
“There is huge potential for New Bedford and the SouthCoast,” said John Miller, director of the Marine Renewable Energy Center at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. “The region has the opportunity to become the center of development for marine renewable energy.”
Patriot Renewables is working on environmental studies to determine a location that will have minimal environmental impacts. Researchers are working on a study to determine the impact of the project on Buzzard Bay’s birds.
“We probably have a couple of more years of studies remaining,” said Todd Presson, director of wind energy development for Patriot Renewables. “We are always optimistic, cautiously optimistic. We don’t yet have a good handle on the ultimate size, site and other details of the project.”
Cape Wind has been inching its way to construction for eight years and is now waiting for final federal approval. Cape Wind’s spokesman, Mark Rodgers, said the developer expects a final decision in less than a month.
If approved, Cape Wind will begin construction next year and start producing energy by 2012, Rodgers said. It could provide 75 percent of the Cape’s energy needs, according to its developers. The project was started by wind developers Energy Management Inc., a company specializing in conservation and energy development.
“We are moderately confident that we will get final approval,” Rodgers said.
Despite this expressed confidence by developers and investors, Cape Wind’s eight years of federal and state review highlight the industry’s challenges. The review process includes environmental studies, decisions on sites and awards of local and federal permits.
President Barack Obama has made it a priority to have 25 percent of the nation’s electricity come from renewable energy by 2025. An Interior Department report says that offshore wind farms could provide 20 percent of electricity for coastal states, which would amount to 16 percent of the country’s electricity by that time.
Right now less than one percent of electricity used by Americans comes from wind, solar and geothermal energy. Offshore wind has the advantage of being close to populated coasts without the need to build elaborate transmission lines.
Nevertheless, offshore wind farms have encountered significant resistance at the local level. Local residents often worry about drops in property values, aesthetic problems and the impact turbines could have on animal habitats. Opposition is difficult to overcome because projects require approval from both local and state governments.
Cape Cod Wind has been navigating these hurdles, including lawsuits by local residents and opposition from politicians like Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and 10th District Rep. Bill Delahunt. But Rodgers said support for the project in the community is growing.
Glenn Wattley, is the president and CEO of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, a group created to oppose Cape Wind.
He said wind turbines would pose a risk to airplanes, be in the way of commercial fishermen, raise electric bills and hurt the scenery. He cautioned that Cape Wind was far from being a “done deal.”
Patriot Renewables, the South Coast Wind developer, said feedback from the community and environmental groups has been positive.
Rodgers said similar concerns were raised in Europe, which already has operating offshore wind farms. Wind farms off the coasts of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom produce 1,471 megawatts of energy, according to the European Wind Energy Association.
“While concerns are understandable, track records in Europe show wind farms are good neighbors to coastal communities and represent the ability for coastal states to become much more energy independent,” Rodgers said.
Mark Forest, Rep. Delahunt's chief of staff, said the congressman does not oppose offshore wind but thinks projects like Cape Wind should be subjected to federal guidelines. “We want to have rules in place to help guide the review,” he said.
Lack of federal standards is another hurdle for offshore wind. In 2005, the authority to regulate offshore renewable energy projects in ocean waters under federal jurisdiction moved from the Energy Department’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service, which, among other duties, manages land in the Outer Continental Shelf, where some offshore wind sites are being proposed.
Cape Wind is in federal waters (13.8 miles off Nantucket) and the South Coast Wind Project is in state waters (1-3 miles from shore) and not subject to federal regulations.
The Minerals Management Service is working on guidelines or “memorandums of understanding” that will provide a roadmap for energy development.
“It's now a matter of weeks for the new rules to come out,” said Walter Cruickshank, MMS deputy director, speaking at recent conference on marine renewable energy in Washington.
The decision on Cape Wind will not be subject to the new guidelines because the project is too far advanced in development. Cape Wind is the first project of its kind, and the rules have developed parallel to the project.
Laurie Jodziewicz, a policy specialist for the American Wind Energy Association, the trade association for the industry, said that developers will benefit from having the “rules of the road” available when thinking about future projects.
“The rule will provide standards on how to lead projects and provide environmental standards,” she said. “There will be lessons learned along the way, but broadly we’ll see offshore wind projects moving ahead.”
Cost is another problem for offshore wind. Presson said that Patriot Renewables has already spent well over $1 million on environmental studies alone. Cape Wind has already spent $40 million on environmental studies, permitting and fighting off opposition.
According to the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the cost of projects offshore is significantly higher because of higher maintenance costs and the expense of building undersea transmission lines.
Despite challenges, federal and state lawmakers are pushing hard to expand renewables. Gov. Deval Patrick has spoken in favor of offshore wind and has begun several initiatives to push ahead on renewable energy.
The governor has said he wants the state to produce 2,000 megawatts of wind energy by 2020, 70 percent of which would come from offshore wind farms. The goal has the potential to power 800,000 homes.
“With the growing interest in wind turbines we see in communities across the Commonwealth and the abundant wind resource we have off our coast, wind power is going to be a centerpiece of the clean energy economy we are creating for Massachusetts,” Patrick said in a press release in January.
Lisa Capone, press secretary for the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environment, said the agency is working on a comprehensive oceans management plan that will determine the best locations for renewable energy projects in state waters. The management plan will have an impact on South Coast Wind because that project is being planned for state waters.
“Preliminary studies indicate that with sufficient research and development commercial offers can be realized,” said Tom Welch, an Energy Department spokesman. “Offshore wind’s electric generation capacity could grow significantly.”
President Obama’s economic stimulus package includes $3.2 billion for grants to encourage renewable energy, $42.2 million of which has been allocated to Massachusetts.
Rep. Delahunt, with support from Reps. James McGovern, D-3, and Barney Frank, D-4, introduced a bill that would provide money for states to designate state waters for renewable energy projects. Forest said Delahunt expects the bill to make it to the House floor this spring.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., recently introduced legislation that promotes investments in transmission to facilitate access to renewable energy.
Industry developers and wind advocates are encouraged by these efforts, and many see Cape Wind as a significant first step for the future of the industry.
“They are the first ones out of the gate, and almost every review has been very positive,” Jodziewicz said.
Both Cape Wind and Patriot Renewables are cautiously confident and say they see at least one offshore wind project coming to fruition in Massachusetts within five years.
Cape Wind’s Rodgers advised those looking to invest in offshore wind to have “persistence and patience.”
And Patriot Renewables’ Presson said people need to keep all of the benefits of the project in mind and to have a “high tolerance for uncertainty.”
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Worcestor Makes The Leap to Green
GREEN
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Sarah Gantz
Boston University Washington News Service
04/21/09
WASHINGTON—Worcester was once a bustling mill town, a star of the industrial revolution. Then the biotech boom hit and the city, along with the rest of central Massachusetts, clamored to cater to the surge of university research and new business. After that came a lull, as the biotech hype settled and the science students left for bigger things.
Now, Worcester officials say, it is the time for a new revolution: time to change the city’s centuries-old infrastructure, roads and reputation, and turn Worcester green.
It is a catchphrase tossed around by idealists and political candidates—“going green.” And it is an idea with a sparkling emerald appeal that often masks a cloudy definition. Going green can mean a lot of things—energy-efficient buildings constructed with environment-friendly materials, better recycling, less waste, more trees, broader public transit.
In Worcester, the vision is ambitious. City officials want to transform it into a model city of energy efficiency, a hub of green businesses, a magnet for cutting-edge research of conservation technology.
“Do you remember the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz? That’s what we’re looking for,” said John Odell, Worcester’s energy efficiency and conservation manager, who was appointed in February to lead the way down the yellow brick road.
This will take years, a decade, even, but it is doable, officials say. The city has already begun to take small steps. Two years ago, officials designed the Climate Action Plan, which outlines 17 strategies for reducing energy use and the emission of greenhouse gases in Worcester. But only recently has the budding plan begun to take shape. Now that its roots are firmly planted, the Energy Task Force, which was disbanded after writing the climate plan but reestablished this spring, is ready to promote its work among the people of Worcester, the conservation-minded in New England and forward-looking businesses and researchers across the nation.
“We’ve started the ball bouncing,” Mr. Odell said. “We’re starting to pick up a little speed, a little momentum. And I hope we’re going to be an example—this is what you can do in a city like ours.”
City leaders have set three green goals to work toward over the next two years—the amount of time $482 million will be available in Massachusetts from the federal stimulus legislation for clean energy and environment initiatives. They hope to make the city’s energy plan more efficient, to create jobs in green industries (anything from home weatherization to biofuel research) and to develop a science plan that keeps Worcester-based researchers ahead of the curve of newfangled green technology.
The Energy Task Force began as a partnership between Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clark University to create green jobs in the area. Mayor Konstantina B. Lukes and Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, soon joined the effort to make it a city-wide initiative with a much broader mission than job creation and with a chance at picking up some federal funds.
The initiative follows Worcester's entry three years ago into Local Governments for Sustainability, an international green city organization with a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to Missy Stults, a senior program officer with the organization, which helps cities make the leap from industrial brown and gray to green.
The city has already invested in LED stoplights and more-efficient lighting in municipal buildings. And a contract signed earlier this year with Honeywell International will allow the company to conduct energy audits in Worcester’s public schools and municipal buildings next month to evaluate where the delivery of energy can be further streamlined.
What is important, Ms. Stults said, is to make sure each city tailors its energy plan to make the most difference. West Coast cities, like Portland and Seattle, have emphasized green construction.
In Seattle (coincidentally nicknamed the Emerald City for its evergreen trees), 90 percent of electricity comes from hydropower, a renewable energy that depends on water flow.
But Worcester—which was about 200 years old when Seattle was born—is better off focusing on installing better heating, lighting and recycling systems in existing buildings, according to David Angel, a Clark University professor who is part of the city’s green task force.
The question, he says, is this: “How do you improve energy efficiency in a place that is already built up?” His answer: “retrofitting residential space rather than focusing on new construction.”
Which means taking a stab at the outdated apartment buildings and older homes that are without a doubt wasting energy, in addition to revamping the city’s energy patterns, he said. That means weatherization.
Massachusetts received $122 million from the economic stimulus legislation to be put toward weatherizing homes. A properly weatherized home can save homeowners as much as $350 a year, according to the U.S. Energy Department.
Last year Worcester spent $16.1 million on energy for schools and municipal buildings. Once Honeywell completes its audits of energy use in all municipal buildings and schools, the city could save a significant amount of money, Mr. Odell said, though he could not give an estimate of savings, he noted, until the audits are completed.
The idea is to not only save taxpayers money and reduce energy consumption, but also to create jobs in the process. Someone has to lay down the insulation. Someone needs to provide the insulation (made without harm to the environment). And someone else has to develop and manufacture the environmentally friendly insulation.
“We’re doing all this as a municipality,” assistant city manager Julie Jacobson said. But practicing green attracts green, she said. “Not only are they a green company,” she said of the businesses Worcester hopes to attract, “but they’re located in a green city.”
Another hoped-for effect of going green: retaining some of the university brainpower that tends to leave town after graduation. If Worcester can be the center of innovative green research, maybe it can convince the fresh science minds from places like WPI to stick around and help develop the next biofuel or energy source.
A hydrogen-fueled car, for example, is an idea that has been talked about before. But creating affordable hydrogen fuel—that’s where Worcester can get ahead of the game, Mr. Angel said.
All the plans in the world are useless without the money to implement them. Last year, the energy initiatives were tacked on to planning director Joel J. Fontane Jr.’s list of responsibilities. The task force did not exist at the time and therefore was not allotted a portion of the budget. The 2010 city budget has not been completed, but Ms. Jacobson said she thinks the task force will have more to work with this year. Worcester will receive a portion of the $219 million carved out of the Department of Energy’s stimulus funds for Massachusetts, plus whatever grant money from that law that the city can secure on its own.
But Mr. Fontane sees the increased spending on green projects, along with a new media campaign set for this summer, as signs that the task force is truly back in business.
He said he hoped that, with time, “this becomes more of a standard way of business, as opposed to a special project.” The talent, the drive and the resources are all there, he said. “I think we can get there.”
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