The Communicators: FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn Video

The Communicators: FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn Video

Follow the link for a CSPAN interview with FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and NYT reporter Cecilia Kang.

But are they "commercial buildings"?

04/28/2010: Three Buildings in the Southeast Selected as Contestant in EPA National Building Competition:

"(ATLANTA – April 28, 2010) Three buildings in the southeast have been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's) first national competition among commercial buildings to save energy and fight climate change. In the spirit of popular weight-loss competitions, the buildings will compete against 11 other buildings across the country to “work off the waste” through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. The building that sheds the most energy waste on a percentage basis will be recognized as the winner of EPA’s National Building Competition in late October 2010.
The three National Building Competition contestants in the Southeast are:

· Memorial Arts Building at the Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, Ga.
· Morrison Residence Hall at UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.
· Tucker Residence Hall at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.

Progress Energy accepts $200 million federal grant - BusinessWeek:

"Progress Energy Inc. said Wednesday that it has accepted a $200 million federal grant that will be used to modernize the company's two utilities in the Carolinas and Florida.

The upgrades will give the utilities real-time information about the state of their electric grids, and give customers more information about and control over their energy use."

Report: Duke Energy out of E.On deal - Dayton Business Journal:: "

Duke Energy Corp. has lost out on a bid to purchase E.On U.S.’s assets, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing individuals familiar with the $6 billion to $7 billion deal."

Federal regulators to talk about SC nuclear plant - State & Regional - Wire - TheState.com:

Associated Press

"Staffers from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be at Wednesday's meeting, which begins at 5 p.m. at McCrorey-Liston Elementary School in Blair, about 30 miles northwest of Columbia. The public is invited to ask questions and get an update on the plant's operations."

Senate refuses to confirm Crist appointees to PSC -

BY BRENT KALLESTAD

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

Florida AP
- MiamiHerald.com:

"The Senate vote against confirming commissioners David Klement of Bradenton and Benjamin 'Steve' Stevens of Pensacola came after more than a half hour of animated floor debate. In separate votes, the Senate opposed Klement 21-17 and Stevens 23-14."

Senate should approve two PSC appointments
BRADENTON HERALD EDITORIAL | Keep utility commission free of special interests - Our Take - BradentonHerald.com: "The appointments of two Floridians to the state’s Public Service Commission are threatened by powerful special interests and the political warfare between Gov. Charlie Crist and fellow Republicans in the Senate. Chamber President Jeff Atwater should compel a vote by the Ethics and Elections Committee, which abruptly and rudely adjourned last Tuesday while one appointee answered questions at the podium."

Packed house pummels proposed SCE&G rate hike

Charleston Regional Business Journal | Charleston, SC:

By Daniel Brock
dbrock@scbiznews.com

"More than 170 people packed into the Summerville Town Council chamber in protest of the increase that would eventually cost customers about $140 annually on average. The spikes would come in three stages of about 3% each. The first would hit in July, followed by additional rate increases in January and July of next year."

Violet Skipper speaks at Summerville public hearing on proposed rate increase from Charleston Business Journal on Vimeo.

Voters Give Mixed Reviews to Global Warming Legislation, But 56% Don’t Want To Pay For It - Rasmussen Reports™:
"But a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that while 39% of likely voters favor a major energy bill aimed at reducing global warming, 40% oppose it. Twenty-one percent (21%) more are undecided.
Forty percent (40%) think a major energy bill aimed at reducing global warming will hurt the economy. Thirty-four percent (34%) say such a bill will help the economy, and 15% say it will have no impact."

Supreme Court Rejects Friends of the Earth's Challenge to Base Load Review Order

"Without addressing all of the considerations SCE&G advanced to establish its need for the Facility in the Application, the record is replete with evidence from which the Commission could come to the conclusion that SCE&G's need was satisfactorily established.. The crux of Appellant's argument is that SCE&G is too small of a utility to be the guinea pig for these types of nuclear facilities, and that given the cost of capital estimates associated with projects of this magnitude, coupled with the downturn in the economy, the costs for this risky facility would ultimately be passed on to the SCE&G customers.  While this is a valid and noteworthy point, the Commission addressed each and every concern Appellant presented, over and above the findings it was required to make under section 58-33-270.   At the end of the day, the Commission, in a very thorough and reasoned order, determined SCE&G has appropriately established a need for the Facility, and thereafter approved SCE&G's proposed rate increases as reasonable costs to be passed on to the customers for the construction of the Facility.  Without a doubt, these determinations are supported by substantial evidence in the record."

How Kentucky purchase would change Duke Energy - Charlotte Business Journal::

Charlotte Business Journal - by John Downey Senior Staff Writer
Read more: How Kentucky purchase would change Duke Energy - Charlotte Business Journal:

"The deal would put Duke in nearly 80 of Kentucky’s 120 counties, adding more than 900,000 electric power customers to the 134,000 Duke now has along the Ohio/Kentucky border as part of its Ohio franchise. That would put Kentucky ahead of the 780,000 electric customers Duke has in Indiana, the 685,000 it has in Ohio and the more than 600,000 it has in South Carolina. The Kentucky operations would trail only the more than 1.7 million electric customers the Charlotte-based utility (NYSE:DUK) has in its native state."

Columbia Regional Business Report | Columbia, SC:

"The S.C. Supreme Court upheld the S.C. Public Service Commission’s decision to approve the construction and operation of two nuclear facilities outside Jenkinsville by S.C. Electric & Gas and state-owned utility Santee Cooper, the court announced today."

PSC to Hold Four Public Hearings Scheduled in SCE&G Rate Case

The meetings will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the following locations:

- Monday, April 26 - Summerville

Summerville Town Hall

- Tuesday, April 27 - Charleston

ILA 1422 - International Longshoreman's Association

- Thursday, May 6 - Aiken

Aiken Technical College

- Monday, May 24 - Columbia

Commission Hearing Room"

For more information visit www.psc.sc.gov

The Post and Courier - Residents to get chance to speak out - Charleston SC - postandcourier.com:

BY WARREN WISE

"More than 500 letters from outraged SCE&G customers across the state have flooded the PSC office since the Columbia-based utility asked for the rate hike in January to pay for federally mandated environmental upgrades of coal-fired power plants and a dam near Columbia, as well as other system-wide improvements. Some of the letters represent several people, including one with 71 signatures."

Riled Graham says climate bill bumped - S.C. Politics - TheState.com: "South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham lashed out at President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Saturday for putting what he called 'phony' immigration law changes ahead of a major climate change bill that Graham and other senators were about to introduce.
Graham, Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut had scheduled a Capitol Hill news conference Monday to unveil energy legislation they've been developing for months."

Climate bill placed on hold over Senate dispute - Financial & Business - Wire - TheState.com:

By MATTHEW DALY - Associated Press Writer

"Voicing regrets, Sen. John Kerry said Saturday he is postponing the much anticipated unveiling of comprehensive energy and climate change legislation scheduled for Monday. The Massachusetts Democrat made his announcement after a key partner in drafting the bill, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, threatened to withhold support if Senate Democratic leaders push ahead first with an immigration bill."