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The Rural Missouri NEWS Service January
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September 2009 Fight for fair, affordable policy
During the spring and early summer, congressional energy policy debate focused on a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants — a system that could impact all levels of the economy. If enacted, Congress would be directly responsible for raising your electric bill. Your co-op and others across the country need your help to minimize these costs to you. Right now, your participation in the Our Energy, Our Future™ grassroots campaign is critical. Electric co-ops stepped up early in the debate to fight for fairness and affordability as this legislation was considered in the U.S. House of Representatives. Backed by more than 375,000 consumers taking part in the Our Energy, Our Future campaign, electric co-ops had a major impact, securing more than $3 billion in rate relief from initial U.S. House proposals. But that victory marks just the first inning in a long ballgame. The debate has now moved to the U.S. Senate, where another version of the bill is being drafted. Here we have another opportunity to make even more improvements – and you can impact the outcome. We must urge members of the Senate to keep climate change legislation:
It is time we all step up to the plate and make a stand for climate change legislation that protects the interests of consumers. Your senators as well as members of the U.S. House need to hear from you, their voting constituents, for direction. Getting your voice heard in Washington is easy through the Our Energy, Our Future campaign. Visit www.ourenergy.coop to send a message to your elected officials about the need for fair, affordable and achievable climate change legislation. We must ensure that when they vote on a bill, it’s done with America’s best interests in mind. Sen. Bond warns of dire climate change law costs for farmers
“Missouri farms will face tens of thousands of dollars each year in new, higher energy costs from the House cap and trade bill,” Bond said during a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the impact cap and trade legislation will have on farmers. The FAPRI Study, which examined farm production costs representative of Missouri farms across the state, found that under the cap and trade bill, farmers will face higher costs for seed, fertilizer, chemicals, custom hire and rental, machinery fuel, drying and irrigation energy, machinery repairs and operating interests. Specifically, FAPRI found that a farm representative of a 1,900 acre feedgrain-soybean farm in Lafayette County east of Kansas City would face an additional $11,649 in energy costs in 2020, rising to $30,152 in 2050. Higher energy costs associated with cap and trade legislation that will hurt farmers have long been expected. Just last year, then candidate-Obama said that under cap and trade “electricity prices will necessarily skyrocket.” Unfortunately for Missouri farmers, the president is right, Bond said. “We see that the cash cow climate supporters are trying to sell us is really a pig in a poke — an $11,000 rising to $30,000 per farm cat in the bag that this FAPRI study has just let out,” Bond said. “I can tell you that as a senator from the Midwest, where farmers and agriculture are the lifeblood of our state, I am not going to let climate legislation leave our farmers holding this bag.” Bond also took aim at the massive costs associated with carbon offset programs being supported by the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats. Many have suggested farmers begin planting trees to earn carbon sequestration revenues. According to a local Missouri nursery, to plant trees on a 1,900 acre farm would cost more than $2 million, a cost of $1,200 per acre. This investment would earn a farmer only $75 per acre in sequestration revenue rather than the $750 per acre that farmer would have made from a corn and soybean harvest. It’s an investment that will not “pencil out” for any Missouri farmer. Rather than massive taxes on Missouri farmers and families, Bond has long supported reducing carbon emissions through increased use of zero-carbon nuclear power, low-carbon biofuels, increased investment in clean coal technologies, low-carbon hybrid and plug-in vehicles, and solar and wind power where it makes economic sense. The FAPRI Study the senator cites can be found on line at www.fapri.missouri.edu/outreach/publications/2009/FAPRI_MU_Report_05_09.pdf. Do-it-yourself, but do it safely If nice weather is sprouting thoughts of renovation and remodeling projects, you are not alone. September’s cooling temperatures traditionally lead to more remodeling, repairs, maintenance, landscaping and construction projects both inside and outside the home. The number of do-it-yourselfers also is on the rise, and surveys indicate substantial growth in planned projects this fall. Your electric cooperative and the Safe Electricity program urges both seasoned and novice do-it-yourselfers to become familiar with and follow local and national building codes, and complete all necessary permit requirements before tackling home improvement projects. “Make sure your home is wired for safety,” says Molly Hall, executive director of Safe Electricity. “Adhering to fire and electric codes when constructing, renovating or adding on to houses can reduce electrical shock and fire hazards and avoid serious damage and injury.” Local building inspectors or fire departments can provide up-to-date information about current building codes and the safest methods of construction, operations and maintenance of buildings and building systems. Included in the National Electric Code (NEC) requirements to make homes safer, a GFCI, or ground-fault circuit interrupter, should be placed at outlets near sinks, in basements, laundry rooms, outdoors or near any type of water. GFCIs help reduce the risk of electric shock by shutting off power if appliances fall into water or if water reaches the outlets. An arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) is a relatively new technology to address electrical fire hazards, and the NEC now requires AFCIs for bedroom circuits in new residential construction. When renovating, make certain that your home electrical system and wiring is adequate to support increased electric demands of new electric appliances, home additions or remodeling projects. Older homes may be inadequately wired for today’s electrical consumption, putting your family at risk for fire and electric shock. Replace worn and outdated circuitry and add enough outlets for appliances and electronics. Safe Electricity strongly recommends this not be a do-it-yourself project. “Hire a licensed professional to perform an electrical inspection and do any recommended electrical work,” says Ashenfelter. “Never use extension cords as permanent wiring,” warns Hall, “and do not run cords through holes in ceilings or walls, behind baseboards or underneath furniture or carpeting.” Hall also cautions against stringing together or splicing cords or wires, “It may seem like a good idea to cut down on the number of cords, but doing so creates a dangerous fire hazard.” Everyone is urged to heed the safety tips presented in Safe Electricity public service announcements and to visit www.SafeElectricity.org to learn more about being safe around electricity and related equipment. For more information about Building Safety Week and building codes, visit the International Code Council Foundation Web site at www.icc-foundation.org. Safe Electricity is an electrical safety public awareness program created and supported by a coalition of several dozen organizations, including electric utilities and cooperatives, educators and other entities committed to promoting electrical safety. Introducing AFCIs An arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) is a recently developed electrical safety device for homes that provides enhanced protection from fires resulting from unsafe home wiring conditions. The 2002 edition of the National Electrical Code now requires AFCIs for bedroom circuits in new residential construction. AFCIs can be installed in any 15- or 20-amp branch circuit in a home and are currently available as circuit breakers with built-in AFCI features. In the near future, other types of devices with AFCI protection will be available. Many people are familiar with a “short circuit,” which is a type of fault that occurs when two conductors of an electric circuit touch each other. The current flow caused by a short circuit is usually high and rapid and is quickly detected and halted by conventional circuit protective devices, such as fuses or circuit breakers. An arc fault, however, is characterized by the low and erratic flow of electricity. Due to these types of characteristics, arc faults occurring in damaged electrical cords or cable can continue undetected by conventional circuit protective devices. This leads to hazardous situations such as igniting of nearby combustible materials. Some typical causes of dangerous arcing faults include:
The Consumer Products Safety Commission recently reported that more than 451,000 residential fires occur every year and over 1/3 of these are the result of electrical system problems. Many of these fires care related to an arc fault. More residential electric-related fires are started by the electrical circuitry than from the electric appliance itself. The exposed electric cables that run throughout a home, as well as the electric cords of appliances, are all subject to abuse and can cause arc faults. The National Electrical Code (NEC) recognized the potential for arc-fault occurrence. Section 210-12 of the NEC requires that arc-fault circuit interrupter protection be provided on branch circuits that supply outlets in bedrooms. This requirement is limited to 15- and 20- ampere 125-volt circuits. There is no prohibition against providing AFCI protection on other circuits or in other locations besides bedrooms AFCI protective devices are now available as part of the circuit breaker construction. While both AFCIs and GFCIs are important safety devices, they have different functions. AFCIs are intended to address fire hazards; GFCIs address shock hazards. Combination devices that include both AFCI and GFCI protection in one unit may soon be available.
Join Us at the Tour of Missouri Missouri's electric cooperatives will again be helping to bring the Tour of Missouri to the state as the third running of the professional cycling race gets underway Sept. 7. Join us at the start and finish cities along the route to:
Stage dates and locations are as follows:
More info at www.tourofmissouri.com.
Doug Rye Says...
Primarily, how can they continue to provide electricity to customers at an affordable rate. Although I do not claim to be an expert in this field, it appears to be an extremely difficult task. In one case, a state government has asked the electric industry to provide 25 percent renewable sources by the year 2025. That may not sound like such a difficult thing to do, but that particular state has almost no hydroelectric generation options and even less solar generation options. There are some possibilities for biomass generation, but it would be a very small percentage of the need. I have learned that many states are in the same situation. As nuclear and coal generation appear to not be an acceptable option for some, I ask, what is one going to do? Well, the electric companies have embraced the idea of energy efficiency as one of the ways to help reach their goals. Energy efficiency simply lowers the total amount of electricity needed. A percentage of a smaller number is more obtainable. For example, 25 percent of 100 equals 25, but 25 percent of 75 equals 18.75. Every week many of you tell me that I have helped you and you encourage me to keep up the good work. Sometimes when I pray, I say, “Lord, I know right from wrong and I know what I am supposed to do. Please help me to always do right.” I wish that each of us would make these improvements to our own house. Then we could say that we have done our part to reduce the total demand, which would help us reach the desired goals. You, my readers, are smart enough to understand why this is so important. See you next month. Doug Rye can be heard on KGOZ and KAAN locally. Every Saturday morning, Doug Rye hosts a live call-in show on several area radio stations. He can be heard from 9-10 a.m. on KGOZ, 101.7, Gallatin, and on KAAN, 95.5, Bethany. |
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Climate change legislation is moving forward in Congress, and your electric cooperative, along with all other electric cooperatives across the nation, finds itself in the national spotlight.
Citing a new study by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri, U.S. Sen. Kit Bond today warned of the disastrous effect the House’s cap and trade legislation will have on Missouri farmers. The FAPRI study found that proposed cap and trade legislation will cost the average Missouri farmer an additional $11,000 a year in 2020 and more than $30,000 a year by 2050.
In the past few weeks, I have made presentations from Wisconsin to Southern Mississippi. As most of you know, I conduct many seminars every year across this nation. All of them teach about energy efficiency. Everywhere I go, the electric companies have the same concerns.