Private equity investors are riding to the rescue. A consortium led by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners has agreed to acquire to Washington State-based Puget Energy for $3.5 billion.

It's the latest case in which private investors have bid on publicly-held companies and specifically investor-owned utilities. Most businesses need access to the capital markets where they can obtain the funds to do research and development, buy equipment and hire workers. But the pressures associated with quarterly reporting, new accounting and corporate governance rules are often intense.

State should have mandate that 25% of power come from renewable resources such as wind, governor says.

DETROIT -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Thursday made the business case to increase the amount of energy in Michigan that's generated from renewable sources -- something she said will create much-needed jobs and protect the state's environment.

The governor called for Michigan to join 25 others states in adopting a so-called renewable energy portfolio standard -- which would require a certain amount of energy used in the state to come from renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass.

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.

October 26, 2007

Electricity is the invisible commodity. But it's now in the limelight. Energy infrastructure has been labeled inadequate and ill-prepared to enable American businesses to compete in a global economy. While it may be an eye-opening idea, the difficulties in pushing ahead remain formidable.

A new report by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) discusses at length why the bulk power system is stretched thin and why it is operating closer to its limits than ever before. Its message is that the nation is still short generation and transmission. Improvements, no doubt, have occurred in some regions, but in others the problems are real and will ripple through their local economies.