118 votes
I disagreeI suggest you...Eliminate the $5 million annual subsidy of the TransAlta coal plant. It is highly polluting and its subsidy is in violation of state energy policy, which favors clean energy sources.
11 votes
I disagreeThe future of our economy will depend on a planned transition from cheap fossil fuel (gasoline) to other modes of transportation or living closer to where one works. Our state can be a leader in this regard by encouraging the development of light rail systems that connect some of the larger cities. We need to stop building parking garages and widening lanes -- these are foolish investments in an unsustainable and unaffordable ...more »
The future of our economy will depend on a planned transition from cheap fossil fuel (gasoline) to other modes of transportation or living closer to where one works. Our state can be a leader in this regard by encouraging the development of light rail systems that connect some of the larger cities. We need to stop building parking garages and widening lanes -- these are foolish investments in an unsustainable and unaffordable future.
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10 votes
I disagreeRequire honesty and full disclosure -- especially in court -- by the AG office and all state employees when they are opposing the citizens. Start with parenting/CPS proceedings. This would shorten the proceedings immensely by not having to fight off the lies and misrepresentations and omissions of the AG and DSHS. Ask the Colville prosecutors about this. Give the police all police powers. End CPS which doesn't know ...more »
Require honesty and full disclosure -- especially in court -- by the AG office and all state employees when they are opposing the citizens. Start with parenting/CPS proceedings. This would shorten the proceedings immensely by not having to fight
off the lies and misrepresentations and omissions of the AG and DSHS. Ask the Colville prosecutors about this.
Give the police all police powers. End CPS which doesn't know how to handle the power. Law enforcement needs the funds not the AG civil office.
Require L&I to reply to claimant questions and to READ THEIR OWN FORM RESPONSES -- Require L&I to require employers to COMPLETE all their forms and require L&I to use the information available to them instead of playing a waiting game through a year or more of services and proceedings because the information is missing.
Stop paying forensic evaluators etc. in medical and social services cases. Just pay client choice of a Dr. for a less costly visit and get the records. Use half the saved funds for real help not biased forensic "services" which are actually only services to the AG building the case.
Stop DSHS from scheduling and mailing out (or not) all
their frequent forms of medical renewal, etc. to clients. Just have DSHS require that a Dr. who is paid by their programs sends in records on a set schedule. Let
the Dr. know the requirements for the program (e.g. check this person or that disease every 3 months).
REQUIRE the state to provide or at least consider
learning ability/disability evaluations or evidence (client can provide) in all proceedings where any form of competence is an issue or a citizen must defend
against government action. Not limited to CPS /L&I / medical denials, but certainly a good start.
Turn off LIGHTS and lower the heat in government buildings. Especially at night - do we really need the Capitol lit so long?
Stop paying private out-of-state outsourced education online services. On the other hand, use the College Board tests instead of reinventing the wheel for assessment. Assessment should be nationally standardized; teaching should be local and personal.
Stop education from competing with homeschoolers. For heaven's sake, home education is free to the state. Stop legislating more and more schooling for younger ages. It's not scientifically backed and what you have is not consistently served anyway.
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9 votes
I disagreeShut off lights after hours. Computers, too (it's our IT people who tell us to keep them on, by the way).
4 votes
I disagreeSet up program to allow every state citizen to buy ~$1,000 for 1Kw worth of solar PV system + 1 iPod Touch. The Touch can be charged with the panel, of course. A power monitor could be the alternative tech package. The money is spent up front, and the panels come in 6-8 weeks. Big bulk discount ensues when massive buys are scheduled. Immediate financial boost for that fiscal qtr, saving some budget items slated for ...more »
Set up program to allow every state citizen to buy ~$1,000 for 1Kw worth of solar PV system + 1 iPod Touch.
The Touch can be charged with the panel, of course. A power monitor could be the alternative tech package. The money is spent up front, and the panels come in 6-8 weeks. Big bulk discount ensues when massive buys are scheduled. Immediate financial boost for that fiscal qtr, saving some budget items slated for shutoff.
State carbon footprint plummets, allowing state to sell Renewable Energy Credits. Jobs created immediately in manufacturing, installation, consulting, energy efficiency audits and retrofits.
The touch or energy monitor dashboard app (cheap to develop, maybe $10k total) which connects to Seattle City Light via CarbonContest, Google Power Meter or Microsoft Hohm to monitor your current household power load, compare to past bills, see how much energy you use vs neighbors. SCALLOPS groups compete for "most energy productive community".
Since the panels create consistent clean power for between 15-30 years, State can take out a loan against the production value. State doesn't even have to buy the panels (avoiding law about public-private gain), just arrange for the sale and gather the buyers. Some money goes to the State, but only to pay for program costs.
With many households just needing a small nudge to go big into solar, this kick-starts bigger projects. Current 6658 solar community law is enhanced by group buy. Manageable, Smart, Grid-Aware Private and District scale power grids can now be tested and optimized across the state.
Eastern WA farmers get theirs first, using them to power irrigation pumps and sprinklers. Scheduled buys are known to buying group and solar mfr, staggered to allow adequate training programs to come online.
Big state buildings, festivals, and parks get discounts powering lights, pumps, power instead of noisy, polluting diesel generators.
$1,000/kw is extremely discounted on the face, but the rest of the cost is defrayed over time with power production instead of money. System pays literally for itself, then continues over its 20 yr average lifespan, paying against utility costs or paying back.
Solar installers from California might be needed to install the first round, but state can facilitate training programs through Community Colleges, Universities, Vocational-Tech, and military reserve connections.
You can take the panels home, or you can buy them for use a public space with your name or custom message on them. Like Pike Place floor tiles. You still get all current incentives either way, with a bit higher incentive if you install as groups on municipal property (maximizing the 6658 incentive payback).
When paid off in 10-15 years, you can donate power production to favorite cause, take panel home, or renegotiate terms.
Chunk of the up-front sales proceeds used to bolster low-income/disadvantaged fund for energy efficiency programs.
Group discounts when buying 1,000 kw or more, of course. Use the discount to give to the general service fund, causes, or to buy more power.
$1,000 per 1000 watts is a simple calculation number to use, making a lot of the math much more clear to average folks just trying to do the right thing by the planet.
Of course, you can buy more than $1,000, that's just the break-even minimum. The more power you buy, the cheaper the up front per-watt cost, and the bigger hedge against inexorable future energy hikes.
No tax on the exchange to the customer, State takes the tax against income for itself perhaps. Dollar amount must be in $1,000 increments.
Alternately, use the ARRA stimulus money slated for renewable energy to buy the first panels pledged, or use as matching funds, or use as a loan for people to get FREE $1,000 worth of solar power that they pay back with their long-term lease to own program.
Many more implications result from "letting" people buy their own solar power in smaller increments as a platform for bigger systems.
The program will very quickly create the opportunity for the State to also become Carbon Neutral or Carbon Negative in short order without govt overhead or long red-tape delays.
The program would be simple to oversee, since the state is just facilitating the buy rather than doing the installations. Money goes directly to pay for panels rather than set up expensive program. Politically Neutral idea, leans Independent-Libertarian if at all. Capitalism pays directly for Public and Private Good.
Aaron Campbell Energy,
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-6 votes
I disagreeEliminate the green energy jobs program. 'Green' jobs displace traditional jobs and increase the cost of government, while increasing the cost of energy. When energy costs increases, jobs are lost as businesses lose money and have to relocate elsewhere. Most green technology requires the use of rare earth elements (REE), which are monopolized by China. According to the Chinese government, they will cease export semi-finished ...more »
Eliminate the green energy jobs program. 'Green' jobs displace traditional jobs and increase the cost of government, while increasing the cost of energy. When energy costs increases, jobs are lost as businesses lose money and have to relocate elsewhere. Most green technology requires the use of rare earth elements (REE), which are monopolized by China. According to the Chinese government, they will cease export semi-finished goods containing REEs by 2012, rather the finished goods must be made in China.
REEs are components in Wind turbines, PV cells, electric cars, advanced batteries, fiber optics, lasers, many military weapons. Putting artificial demand on REEs when the Chinese will reduce supply is going to severely disrupt the Washington and US economies by forcing jobs to China, where the resources are. To understand why ‘green’ technology is held hostage by China, read: China’s Rare Earth Elements Industry: What Can the West Learn, a report by the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS) www.iags.org/rareeartIAGSh0310hurst.pdf.
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