AUDIO of Pres Obama Commenting on Rising Gas Prices

US Chamber Says Stalled Energy Projects Cost Illinois $41.9 Billion, 67,000 Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As part of its Project No Project initiative, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a first-of-its-kind economic study today identifying 15 stalled energy projects in Illinois that in aggregate are costing the state’s economy $40.9 billion in GDP and 67,600 jobs a year that could be created during the construction phase of these projects alone.

“This study should serve as a wake-up call for legislative action to improve the permitting process,” said William Kovacs, U.S. Chamber senior vice president of Environment, Technology and Regulatory Affairs during today’s unveiling of Project Denied: The Potential Economic Impact of Permitting Challenges Facing Proposed Energy Projects. The study by TeleNomic Research was conducted by Steve Pociask, President of the American Consumer Institute, and Joseph Fuhr, Professor of Economics at Widener University and Senior Fellow at the American Consumer Institute. “These are projects that would create jobs in Illinois and give a much-needed boost to the state’s economy, but with every day that passes, the more expensive the projects become. In most cases, if the projects are substantially delayed they won’t be built.”

The study estimates the potential loss of investment and jobs in the 351 proposed renewable, coal, natural gas, nuclear, and transmission projects in 49 states—including 15 in Illinois—that have been delayed or cancelled due to “Not in My Back Yard” (NIMBY) activism, a broken permitting process, and a system that allows for limitless lawsuits by opponents. The study features a state-by-state analysis that details the economic output and jobs that could be created by acting on these stagnant projects. The study’s findings are detailed on the user-friendly site www.projectnoproject.com, which features an in-depth breakdown of every stalled project.



Among the Illinois projects highlighted in the study is the Navitas Energy Baileyville Wind Farm, an 80-turbine wind farm in Ogle County, first proposed in late 2004. Patricia Muscarello, an Arizona woman who took Ogle County and Navitas Energy to court over the proposed wind farm in January 2006, filed an identical lawsuit in January 2010 in Winnebago County. Ms. Muscarello owns property in both Ogle and Winnebago Counties that she claims would be adversely affected by turbines. She also opposed the mechanisms that allowed the wind farms to be built. As of November 7, 2010, the project remains stalled, and a settlement seems unlikely.

“In going through the study, the results were simply startling,” said Peter Morici, former chief economist at the International Trade Commission, and the study’s peer reviewer. “We anticipated the impact all the projects collectively would have on jobs and the economy. But the real surprise was how positively Illinois could be affected if it moved forward on just one or two projects. To my knowledge, there is no database like this anywhere in the world.”

Among the notable findings of the study is the fact that almost half of the projects identified in the study are renewable energy projects. Other highlights include:

Investment Phase – Planning and construction of the study’s projects would generate $577 billion in direct investment and would result in an approximately $1.1 trillion increase in U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). An estimated 1.9 million jobs would be required during each year of construction.

Operations Phase – Operation of the study’s projects would generate $99 billion in direct annual output and would yield $145 billion in increased GDP annually. An estimated average of 791,200 jobs would be created per year of operation.

Total Benefits – If constructed and operated for twenty years, the study estimates a total benefit of $3.4 trillion in GDP, including $1.4 trillion in employment earnings and an additional one million jobs per year.
The Chamber recognizes that moving forward on all the projects is highly unlikely. To address that, the study includes a sensitivity analysis, which examines the jobs and economic data if only some projects were approved.

“The numbers tell the story,” said Kovacs. “Moving forward on a significant number of these projects could mean millions of jobs and do wonders for our economy. With our study, Congress can now point to tangible data on the regulatory barriers to economic growth. Now is the time to act to remove unreasonable obstacles and restore balance to a broken process. It’s essential to American jobs and competitiveness.”

The full study is available here: http://www.uschamber.com/reports/progress-denied-study-potential-economic-impact-permitting-challenges-facing-proposed-energy

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

Durbin Announces $28 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Energy Efficiency Improvements

From the Office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $28,740,800 in funding to three Illinois communities through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help improve energy efficiency, reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions and create green jobs locally.

“Creating jobs and securing our environmental future are at the heart of the Recovery Act,” said Durbin. “This funding will make a significant investment in the effort to reduce the carbon footprint of residents and businesses in the Chicagoland area.”

Today’s funding will be used for activities such as energy audits, residential and commercial building retrofits, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements. The following communities will receive funding:

· City of Chicago: $27,648,800
· City of Des Plaines: $576,900
· Village of Hoffman Estates: $515,100

Durbin: Senate Approves More Than $111 Million for Illinois Projects

From the Office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that late last night the U.S. Senate has approved $111,037,000 for energy- and water-related projects in Illinois.

The Fiscal Year 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bill includes funding for the following projects:

Army Corps of Engineers:

• Carlyle Lake, Carlyle. $5,171,000 in funding for operations and maintenance at Carlyle Lake, the largest man-made lake in Illinois, with over 26,000 acres of water and 11,000 acres of public land. Funding is needed to provide flood control, water quality control, and water supply to nearby communities; recreation; fish and wildlife conservation; and is authorized to augment navigation flows downstream on the Kaskaskia River. This project is situated in Clinton, Fayette, Bond, and Marion Counties.
• Chain of Rocks, Madison County. $6,500,000 in funding for a deficiency correction includes the installation of relief wells, construction of levee berms, a pump station, relocations, and mitigation. The levee protects a major urban area and is located in Madison County.
• Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal Aquatic Nuisance Species Barrier System, Chicago. $5,000,000 in funding to continue operation of a system to eliminate potential bypasses of non-indigenous aquatic nuisance species such as the Asian Carp and continue construction of permanent barriers.
• Chicago Shoreline, Chicago. $3,500,000 in funding to complete the reconstruction of the crumbling Chicago Lake Michigan Shoreline consistent with a Project Cooperation Agreement.
• Des Plaines River Flood Damage Reduction Phase I, Statewide. $6,800,000 in funding to continue construction work on Levee 37 and complete construction of Palatine Road. Funding is also needed to address flooding issues in other affected municipalities, including Big Bend Lake.
• Des Plaines River Flood Damage Reduction Study Phase II, Statewide. $500,000 in funding for hydrology, hydraulic studies, and formulation for the remaining tributaries and the main stem Des Plaines River. The study is being conducted to determine how to further reduce main stem flooding, reduce tributary flooding, and restore degraded ecosystems within the Des Plaines River basin.
• East St. Louis, Statewide. $2,000,000 in funding for the replacement/rehabilitation a flood control project that provides flood protection to 200,000 residents and over $1 billion in economic value. The project is located in St. Clair and Madison Counties along the bank of the Mississippi River.
• East St. Louis and Vicinity, Statewide. $540,000 in funding to restore bottom land forest habitat; flood plain prairie habitat; marsh and shrub swamp habitat; lake habitat; and upland riparian forest. The project is located in Madison and St. Clair Counties.
• Emiquon Preserve, Fulton County. Special language directing the Army Corps of Engineers to give priority funding consideration to restore aquatic ecosystems in Fulton County’s Emiquon Preserve.
• Inter-Basin Control of Great Lakes-Mississippi River Aquatic Nuisance Species, Chicago. $300,000 in funding to continue a study, including consultations with appropriate Federal, State, local and non-governmental agencies on the range of options and technologies to prevent the inter-basin transfer of aquatic nuisance species, including Asian Carp.
• Lake County Wetlands Restoration Study, Lake County. $200,000 in funding to initiate a county-wide study of wetland preservation and restoration as a means to increase flood control. The loss of wetlands and the increase in population has the potential to exacerbate flooding issues, degrade water quality, and negatively impact wetland resources.
• Lake Shelbyville, Shelbyville. $5,454,000 in funding to provide flood control, water supply, recreation, conservation of fish and wildlife, and water quality control and augments navigation flows downstream on the Kaskaskia River.
• McCook and Thornton Reservoirs, Chicago. $25,000,000 in funding for continued construction of the McCook Reservoir in the Chicago Underflow Plan. This project benefits the City of Chicago and 36 suburban communities by reducing untreated sewage back flow into Lake Michigan and reducing basement flooding by protecting nearly 150,000 structures.
• Mississippi River Dredging, Western Illinois. $900,000 in funding to allow the Rock Island District of the Corps of Engineers to dredge the Mississippi River in various communities along the River.
• Nutwood Drainage and Levee District, Greene / Jersey Counties. $300,000 in funding for construction activities related to levee improvements and expansion.
• Peoria River Front Development, Peoria. $50,000 in funding to allow for the start of design efforts on lower islands.
• Prairie du Pont Sanitary District and Fish Lake Drainage and Levee District. $464,000 in funding to assess the potential for reconstruction of deteriorated features at a levee plagued with underseepage problems. The study area is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River in St. Clair and Monroe Counties.
• Rend Lake, Rend Lake. $5,386,000 in funding to provide flood control, water supply, recreation, conservation of fish and wildlife, and area redevelopment. This project is located near Benton, Illinois, in Franklin and Jefferson Counties.
• South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River (Bubbly Creek), Chicago. $100,000 in funding to continue a study that will determine how to restore natural flow conditions, reduce impacts of combined sewer overflows, reduce degradation caused by sediments, restore natural fish and related habitat function, restore diverse native aquatic and plant species and manage public access through the project area.
• Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Plan, Western Illinois. $640,000 in funding to expand an ongoing ecosystem study of the Upper Mississippi River to include the impact of tributaries on the River. The study will determine federal interest in greater flood risk management for transportation infrastructure, flood reconstruction, and system-wide flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, nutrient management, recreation, and watershed management.
• Upper Mississippi River Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program, Western Illinois. $9,000,000 in funding for continued preconstruction engineering and design work. This work is a necessary precursor for the construction of a new lock and dam system on the Upper Mississippi River.
• Upper Mississippi River Restoration, Western Illinois. $18,000,000 in funding for continued ecosystem restoration along the Upper Mississippi River, including construction work around Batchtown and Swan Lake, Illinois, and design work for Wilkinson Island and Rip Rap Landing, Illinois.
• Wood River Levee, Wood River. $1,170,000 in funding for the reconstruction and replacement of various components of 26 closure structures, 38 gravity drains, and 7 pump stations. These actions are required to maintain the system’s authorized level of protection. The project is located in the Mississippi River flood plain of Madison County, upstream of the city of East St. Louis.
• Operations and Maintenance, Statewide: The following projects were also included in the bill under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Operations and Maintenance: Calumet Harbor and River ($3,120,000); Chicago Harbor ($3,889,000); Chicago River ($493,000); Farm Creek Reservoirs ($352,000); Kaskaskia River Navigation ($2,148,000); Lake Michigan Diversion ($683,000); Surveillance of Northern Boundary Waters ($685,000); Waukegan Harbor ($492,000).
• General Investigations, Statewide: The following project was also included in the bill under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, General Investigations: Illinois River Basin Restoration ($400,000).
• Construction, Statewide: The following project was also included in the bill under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Construction, and General: Alton to Gale Levee District ($300,000).

Department of Energy:

• City of Monmouth, Illinois. $500,000 in funding for a renewable energy co-generation project that will use industrial waste to power homes and reduce the amount of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere.
• Illinois Environmental Council, Springfield. $500,000 in funding for research, evaluation and public education programs to support efforts to make large buildings, such as commercial buildings, energy-efficient and LEED-certified. A model building project will serve as a national demonstration of the process to move large buildings toward energy-efficiency.
• Loyola University, Chicago. $500,000 in funding to expand Loyola’s efforts to measure air and water quality with sensors in the Chicago area. The project will build on existing programs by increasing the number of key sites where measurements will be taken and analyze new threats including volatile organic compounds and particulate metals in the air, and hormones, pesticides and pharmaceuticals in water.
• Riverside Medical Center, Kankakee. $500,000 in funding to support the installation, operation and demonstration of wind turbines at Riverside Medical Center. These turbines will reduce energy costs, minimize the environmental impact of the hospital, and demonstrate cutting-edge technology with implications for the use of wind energy across the country.

Sen. Clayborne, Rep. Reitz, Illinois Chamber Unveil Illinois Energy to Jobs Initiative

From the Office of the Illinois Energy to Jobs Initiative

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Sen. James Clayborne (D-East St. Louis), Rep. Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville) and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce today unveiled the Illinois Energy to Jobs Initiative — a comprehensive strategy to create the business and regulatory environment necessary to encourage new energy projects and create jobs in Illinois.

“Just as President Obama and Congressional leaders made energy investment a key element in the nation’s economic recovery, so must we in Illinois,” said Sen. Clayborne. “Whether it’s clean coal plants, wind farms, nuclear plants, pipelines or biofuel facilities, key investments in our energy infrastructure will create thousands of jobs and pump millions of dollars into local communities across our state.”

“With an energy base that includes one of the largest coal reserves in the world, the most nuclear generating plants of any state, a convergence of natural gas and crude oil pipelines, five area oil refineries, farmland for biofuels, ample wind for electrical generation, a robust electricity transmission system and much more, Illinois has the foundation to become one of the nation’s key energy centers,” said Todd Maisch, acting director of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. “This legislation will help make sure we take full advantage of our natural and geographic resources. We look forward to working with legislators and hearing their ideas to help put thousands of people to work.”

The Illinois Energy to Jobs Initiative (Senate Bill 1823/House Bill 3854) will create a safer, more predictable and more attractive environment for energy infrastructure development. The legislation:
· Provides incentives including tax credits and exemptions to build, modernize and improve energy production and manufacturing facilities ranging from wind farms to biomass production to enhanced refining capacity for a more secure source of oil and gas
· Provides incentives including tax credits and exemptions to promote investment in transmission efficiency and other smart grid technologies
· Provides for predictability in the review process for energy facilities with state agencies by making the permitting process more timely and efficient
· Expands the state’s ability to bring carbon sequestration projects to Illinois by broadening the scope of the Illinois Power Authority to facilitate carbon dioxide transportation
· Creates a commission appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders to address the technical issues associated with carbon sequestration in Illinois
· Eliminates the moratorium on new nuclear generation, recognizing safe use of nuclear power is once again part of the national energy discussion

Growing Illinois’ energy infrastructure will result in economic and job growth. For example, the Prairie State Energy Campus under construction in Washington County is expected to create nearly 500 permanent jobs, employ more than 2,300 workers during peak construction and inject more than $2.8 billion into economy over the first three decades in operation. And, a more than $400 million wind farm proposed for portions of McDonough and Warren counties is expected to create more than 200 construction jobs and as many as 20 permanent jobs.

“Not only will this legislation create jobs and grow our economy, but developing energy solutions in Illinois and for the nation can lead to greater energy security and reliability,” said Rep. Reitz. “Facing dwindling energy supply and increasing global demand, the need for energy security is real and immediate. Our reliance on foreign energy supplies threatens our national and economic security and our ability to compete in the global marketplace.”

Illinois is uniquely positioned to become one of the nation’s premier energy centers.
· Illinois is among the top 10 states for biofuel production. As one of the nation’s top producers of corn and soybeans, Illinois is positioned to lead in the development of ethanol, biodiesel and cellulosic sources of fuel.
· Coal found underneath 37,000 square miles in Illinois contains more energy than the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait combined. Illinois is poised to lead in the development of cutting edge clean coal technologies that can help power the nation toward greater energy security.
· Illinois is ranked second in the nation for new wind farm development and 16th in the country for wind power potential.
· With 11 active units, Illinois is already the nation's leader in the production of nuclear power.
· Illinois is the key crossroads for an underground pipeline system that will bring oil from our number one importer – Canada. As one of the nation’s top natural gas consumers, Illinois produces only .02 percent of its consumption. However, Illinois is ranked second in the nation in natural gas storage capacity.
· Illinois is the crossroad for an extensive energy infrastructure network, including power transmission lines as well as underground pipeline systems that transport natural gas and crude oil from Canada to our state and beyond.

For more information on the Illinois Energy to Jobs Initiative and to read the legislation, visit www.ILenergytojobs.org.