PORTLAND, Ore. — The city of Portland may burnish its green reputation with a carbon tax on new housing that merely meets the building code, and payments to builders of houses that are extra efficient with energy.

The plan would charge builders whose houses meet Oregon's requirements for energy efficiency. Builders whose houses are 30 percent more efficient than the code requires would escape the fee. Builders could get cash back if their houses are at least 45 percent more efficient.

The proposal would also require sellers of existing houses and commercial buildings to give buyers the results of energy audits.

November 7, 2007
Chicago, IL

President Clinton Announces Major Partnerships to Retrofit Public and Private Buildings Nationwide
Clinton Climate Initiative and the City of Chicago Partner to Retrofit Sears Tower and Merchandise Mart
GE Real Estate, US Green Building Council and Schools across America to Work with Clinton Foundation, Refit Buildings with Green Technologies

President Bill Clinton today announced several new partnerships to improve the energy efficiency of hundreds of millions of square feet of public and private real estate throughout the United States.

The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) will partner with the City of Chicago to enable a green overhaul of privately-owned housing around the city, as well as two major landmarks, the Sears Tower and the Merchandise Mart- the country's tallest and largest buildings, respectively. CCI will also partner with GE Real Estate to identify and implement building retrofit projects across GE Real Estate's global portfolio. In addition, along with the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), CCI will create a Green Schools Program to retrofit schools and universities across America.

Below are a few letters we received on topics that appeared in the past few weeks. They capture the essence of how many readers say they feel.

Empowering Consumers - October 17, 2007

One must be very careful not to confuse a true focus on efficiency with utility PR and green washing. A utility truly focused on energy efficiency would not tolerate the 5 decade (and counting) failure to drive up the generation efficiency of the US power grid. A utility truly focused on energy efficiency would have been encouraging energy efficiency long before the creation of DSM programs that made it profitable for them to do so. A utility truly focused on efficiency would not maintain rate classifications that provide price-breaks for customers who go on all electric service - or provide price disincentives to those who would install more efficient on-site generation in their plants. Most importantly, a utility truly focused on efficiency would use it's soapbox not to tout their modest DSM programs, but rather to ask loudly for a reframing of the regulatory compact so that the interests of their shareholders are no longer in direct conflict with the interests of their! consumers.

October 31, 2007

Despite the mortgage lending mess, many commercial and investment banks are exploring good clean, conservative investments in the renewable energy realm. By doing so, they are not just wrapping themselves in the green mantle but they are also serving shareholders and making profitable loans.

Overall, the national trend is one of supporting the policies necessary to clean the environment and to take steps to battle climate change. As a result, federal and state policies are integral to the effort with the former offering production tax credits and the latter - in the case of about 26 jurisdictions -- mandating renewable portfolio standards. The net effect of pro-environmental policies is that a properly structured deal can provide attractive long-term returns.

Officials from the U.S. Army's Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center and executives from Chevron Technology Ventures and Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center today dedicated a hydrogen energy station evaluation and demonstration program at the Selfridge Air National Guard base in Harrison Township.

This inter-agency project between the United States Departments of Defense and Energy will provide participants with a better understanding of hydrogen's potential because it tests the technology in a real-world setting.