Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities to Hold Alternative Fuel Event

Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities is taking part in Odyssey Day this year, a nationwide event to help educate people others about alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles.

Odyssey Day occurs every two years and is part of a West Virginia University program, National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium. Fleet managers, municipalities, corporations and others gather to learn about the new technologies that contribute to solving our nation’s growing energy security and environmental issues. More than 125 sites across the country will join together to further this cause.

President of Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities, Rick Price says they are part of the cause because the Western Pennsylvania area makes up a large part of vehicle fuel usage.

He says at the event, there will be a number of presentations talking about alternative transportation and technologies that would lower the use of oil-based fuels. There will be over 20 alternative fueled vehicles on display, with representatives there to answer questions. “We have natural gas, propane, flexible fuel, hybrids, electric and bio-diesel vehicles.”

Price says anyone involved or interested in alternative fuel projects should attend the event. “The idea of what Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities is about is we’re trying to reduce the amount of fuel we use here in the United States.”

The free event will be held at the West Hills Center of the Community College of Allegheny County on October 15 from 10 am to 1 pm. No prior registration is required.

Former Connelly Tech Gets New Life

A former school building in Pittsburgh's Hill District is going green. Plans have been unveiled to turn the old Connelly Tech building, which was erected in 1929 but vacant for the last 6 years, into a lab for future technology.
The group Pittsburgh Green Innovators is in the process of purchasing the building from the school district and will begin renovations this fall. Green Innovators Vice President Deno de Ciantis says the building's power infrastructure will be deeply retrofitted...
"We're looking at geothermal, solar, wind and micro-turbines using different kinds of fuel. The integration of all those different energy systems will allow for a tremendous educational opportunity....as well as dealing with higher performance glazing and high performance materials."
Green roofs and wastewater treatment projects will also be employed.
De Ciantis says much of the infrastructure will remain in the open and control panels will be installed to allow all of the building's energy production and consumption to be monitored. The plan is for the building to become a lab for teaching sustainable building and maintenance techniques. Funds are in place to build out 80,000 of the building's 188,000 square feet of space. As more money becomes available, the other floors will be refurbished and rented to tenants.
Pittsburgh Gateways will do the work on the building with most of the money coming from grants and Gateways financing some of it. Pittsburgh Gateways Vice President Bill Miller says they will use all of the greenest construction practices available and strive for the greatest women and minority participation possible.

Wind Energy Grants

Spanish wind turbine maker Gamesa has brought back 79 workers who were laid off from the Cambria County plant in November. That's due to a $7.8 million dollar federal stimulus grant with which Gamesa will install 19 two-megawatt wind turbines at the Chestnut Flats Wind Farm in Cambria and Blair Counties. The company will start up a second manufacturing line and hire an additional 50 workers.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell also announced grants for two other wind power projects: $10 million for Iberdrola Renewables' South Chestnut to install 23 two-megawatt turbines in Fayette County that will create 129 jobs; and $5 million for the Broad Mountain Wind Energy Center's installation of eight turbines in Schuylkill County which is expected to produce 43 jobs.
Since the federal Recovery Act was passed, Pennsylvania companies and communities have received more than $800 million for green energy projects. Rendell says according to the Pew Center, Pennsylvania ranks third for the growth of green jobs behind Texas and California...."it's clear that the stimulus is working; it's providing a lifeline to families, slowing job losses."

Fayette County Changes Windmill Ordinance

Fayette County Commissioners voted 2-1 yesterday to allow windmills as a regularly permitted structure in agriculture, light industrial and heavy industrial zones, rather than a project that needs special permission.

Commissioner Vincent Vicites says this will open the door for green energy in Fayette County. He says he supports this measure because it helps his county do its part to reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign oil.

Vicites says right now there are just two windmill sites in the county – the completed Mill Run Project on Laurel Ridge, and the pending Iberdrola Renewables project on Chestnut Ridge.

Energy Company plants Deeper Roots in Region

Direct Energy is an international business that established its North American corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh last year after acquiring the Pittsburgh-based company Strategic Energy. To further invest in the region where about 230 of its employees work, Direct Energy President Maura Clark says the company is committing $2.5 million in programs that help conserve energy, promote alternative energy and other green initiatives over the next five years. Governor Ed Rendell met with company officials this morning to support the program. Direct Energy sells gas and electricity for commercial, industrial, and governmental use.

Solar Rebate Program

Home and small business owners who go solar can recover 35% of their investment through a new Pennsylvania program. Governor Ed Rendell says he expects the $100 million approved for the Sunshine Rebate Program to be claimed quickly. Rendell says this will help small businesses and homeowners who may have found solar energy costs to be prohibitive in the past..."they'll be able to generate their own power in a cleaner and increasingly more cost-effective manner. And by using less power off the grid, especially during times of peak demand when the sun is shining and it's hot out, they'll help lower costs for all consumers."
Rendell says the state rebate plus federal tax credits for installing solar energy systems can give Pennsylvanians up to a 50% discount. The average 5-kilowatt residential system costs about $35,000 to $40,000. Energy savings are estimated at $620 annually.

Blue Green Alliance Offers Green Tour

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, President of the Allegheny County Central Labor Council Jack Shea, and PNC Director of Corporate Real Estate Gary Saulson says there are several ways the city of Pittsburgh and developers can protect the environment. Ravenstahl says the city has already done a lot to promote green buildings including enacting the the Climate Action Plan. Jack Shea says becoming more environmentally friendly requires people to think differently. Shea says that building green structures may cost more money up front, but will save money in the long run. The Blue Green Alliance consists of a partnership between the Sierra Club and United Steelworkers. The hope is that a focus on green building will ultimately result in more jobs.

Climate Action Plan Approved, Holdoff on Stadium Authority Development Action Requested

At a Pittsburgh City Council meeting today, city legislators approved the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan, designated the Salvation Army building (formerly the Malta Temple) a historic structure, and one council member shared his request that the Stadium Authority delay a final decision on several land parcel development deals until a public hearing is held.

The Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan, a measure sponsored by Councilman Bill Peduto, passed with a unanimous 9-0 vote. The Action Plan offers guidelines that the city can use to cut its carbon footprint by 20 percent. Peduto says the next step will be codification of the guidelines so that they are reflected in city code. He hopes this can be done by December.

The Salvation Army building was designated a historical structure. After being the center of an hours-long debate at last weeks legislative meeting. The measure passed without discussion with an 8-1 vote. Councilman Revered Ricky Burgess was the only dissenting member.

Finally, at the conclusion of the meeting during open forum, Doug Shields unveiled his plan to lobby the Stadium Authority to delay their decision on several North Shore land Development deals involving the firm Continental Development. Shields says that he would like to hold a public hearing on the deals prior to a final decision being made. He says that since the deal will greatly effect the public, their interests and concerns should be heard on the matter. Continental Development had an options agreement with the Stadium Authority but failed to act on it and it has since expired. The parties are currently negotiating a way to extend the expired contract to the dismay of several council members and the grassroots group Northside United.