Jul 20 12

The Green Jobs Source for Friday, June 20

BLUEGREEN ALLIANCE TAGS: The Source

This is The Source for July 20, 2012, green jobs news every day from the BlueGreen Alliance. Don’t forget to “tell your friends” about this great resource. You can sign up here.

TOP THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW FOR JULY 20

2° Celsius, 565 Gigatons, 2,795 Gigatons. A Rolling Stone article looks at “three simple numbers that add up to global catastrophe.”

Changing Ways of Life. Several Native American leaders told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee climate change is a “serious and growing issue” that is already affecting their way of life. Mike Williams, chief of the Yupit Nation in Akiak, Alaska stated, “We've always lived off the land and off the waters and continue to do that. But we're bearing the burden of living with these conditions today.”

Added Value. Green-certified homes sell for nine percent more than regular homes in California. Learn more about green home improvements in our new report Pulling the Trigger: Increasing Home Energy Savings.

National and International Blue-Green

The National Weather Service has predicted a worsening of this summer’s drought. The New York Times has more on the announcement.

Bloomberg reports a new study from the American Council on Renewable Energy determined a thirty percent U.S. solar tax credit would pay for itself in ten years.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, American Chemistry Council and several smaller trade groups yesterday announced they are forming the American High-Performance Buildings Coalition. E&E News says the move is an attempt to give “shared voice to chemical companies and other manufacturers that are working to thwart an update to the popular Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating system.”

According to an article in the Guardian, the London 2012 Olympics is going to “fall short of [the] ‘greenest ever’ target.”

The White House is working to expedite the expansion of five ports in Florida, Goergia, South Carolina, New York and New Jersey, The Hillreports.

To the States

According to the Associated Press, a 110-foot barge sank in Lake Huron Thursday evening, “spilling an unknown amount of diesel fuel” into the water.

Minnesota and Wisconsin received low marks from the Vote Solar Initiative’s “Freeing the Grid” scorecard. Midwest Energy News has more on the report that looked at state “rules on plugging small-scale renewables into the electric grid.”

Maine’s Board of Environmental Protection is going to discuss banning the use of BPA in food packaging intended for toddlers and infants, according to the Bangor Daily News.

Blue-Green Links

Miami Herald: Loan guarantees for clean energy: a success story, not a scandal

Grist: Why do ‘experts’ always lowball clean-energy projections?

ABC News: Senate Kills Anti-Outsourcing Bill; Democrats Point to Romney

Reuters: Manufacturers leery of losing breaks for tax rate cut

Politico: GOP leaders hope they have quashed Solyndra rebellion

Politico: Solar firm got initial DOE money under Bush

Hill: China threatens US solar exports

Hill: Transportation union: Romney needs to be educated in ‘Economics 101’

Hill’s Congress Blog: Congress has unfinished business on the transportation front

Huffington Post: The Climate Post: US Makes Strides on Climate Change

TIME: It’s Not Just Spills—the Climate Risks of Arctic Drilling