A Senate measure that would clear the way for a landmark offshore wind project gathered wide support Tuesday, setting the stage for feverish action during the final days of the General Assembly.
Senate Majority Leader Anthony J. DeLuca, D-Newark East, said he would attempt to have the Senate legislation filed and assigned a number late Tuesday or early today, putting the bill in position for action in both chambers by Monday, the end of the regular legislative session.
"If you're adding up votes in the Senate, we have everybody in the Senate signed on as a sponsor of the bill. That's a pretty good sign it's coming out of the Senate," DeLuca said.
Really? He's got Copeland and McDowell? Nice. Goes to show you what a 90% approval rating will do.
Still, call your Reps and Senators today to demand they vote for this bill.
Buried in the story that state tax auditor Dave Graham (R) was ending his all too brief pursuit of the right to lose to Jack Markell or John Carney, was this little interesting nugget:
Reached in Tennessee, where he is visiting family, Lee said he was surprised to hear of Graham's decision.
"I'm not exactly sure what that means. I guess we'll see. But I'm sure he'll do what's best for himself and the party," Lee said.
First, Lee is not sure what Graham's leaving the race means? It means he is leaving the race. It means that Bill only has to face pilot Mike Protack in the primary in September.
Second, Lee was reached for this confused comment in Tennessee.
So when he was drafted by the GOP he was at Disney World with family. And a month later, at another seminal moment in his campaign for the governorship, he is once again out of the state with family.
I know Mr. Lee is retired. I know he is enjoying his golden years with his children and grandchildren, as evidenced by his two vacations in two months. And he should be enjoying his family and his retirement.
But he is also running for Governor. And I assume that by running for Governor, he actually wants to be Governor.
At some point Delawareans are going to need to ask themselves, do we want a governor that is enjoying his retirement, while still in office?
So I was pursuing John Carney's campaign website today, as I am going to write a story complimenting his web team on improving the site from its earlier sad state, when I clicked on the website's photo gallery.
Looks nice.
But I notice two pictures in the middle of the page. Pictures of Carney and Markell introducing Obama at the Rodney Square Rally on February 3. They look a lot like pictures I took at that rally. They look a lot like the pictures I posted here at Daily Delaware and on Daily Kos. Here are the original links to those stories: http://www.dailykos.com/story/... http://www.daily-delaware.com/...
Here are the side by side comparisons:
What appears on Carney's site:
My picture:
What appears on Carney's site:
My picture:
Now, I don't really care about copyright law or John Carney using my pictures on his website. I just care about asking my permission, which I do not recall his campaign doing. I do recall an organization called Songs for Charlie Music contacting me for permission to use some of the photos I took that day in a slideshow music video about Obama. But I don't recall the Carney campaign contacting me. I think I would have remembered that. If they did, I will take this post down and call myself an idiot for not remembering.
I just find it funny, that's all. I guess it can now be said that I truly helped and supported both campaigns this year. To help John Carney, I gave him (unwittingly or not) some pictures to post on his website. To help Jack Markell, I will be giving him my vote.
Obama needs to make Delaware's deal an example in his campaign. Thus, it is helpful that news of the deal just went national.
A contract to build what is being called the nation's first offshore field of wind turbines was announced Monday between a Delaware utility company and a firm that is to build the generators off the Atlantic coast.
....
Bluewater spokesman Jim Lanard said the power company will get about 16 percent of its electricity from a field of 150 wind turbines, anchored in the seafloor about a dozen miles off Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
The contract with Delmarva would use less than half the projected generating capacity the energy park is expected to have when completed. The rest would be sold to other customers.
...
The offshore site is expected to be operational within four years, but the timing depends on how quickly regulatory agencies can review and approve the construction project.
Using electricity generated by the wind, "Delmarva Power will be able to light about 50,000 homes a year, every year" for the duration of the 25-year contract, Lanard said, with first power expected by 2012.
....
Each turbine in the Delaware project is to sit on a pole about 250 feet above the waterline, where the ocean is about 75 feet deep. The poles are to extend 90 feet into the seafloor, and the units are to be constructed to withstand hurricane-force winds.
From the shore, the park will be visible only on clear winter days, and the turbines will be nearly invisible during summer months when Rehoboth Beach fills with vacationers, Lanard said.
...
"If they can see them at all, the turbine blades would cover about the size of your thumbnail, and the poles would be about the width of a toothpick," he said.
Our illustratious representatives in Congress did the following for us last week:
$162.5 BILLION WAR FUNDING: The House approved an amendment to the previous war funding bill, HR 2642, that would spend $162.5 billion to pay Iraq-Afghanistan war costs well into 2009. The vote was 268-155. This bill prohibits the construction of permanent U.S. bases in Iraq and requires the Iraqi government to match U.S.-taxpayer funding of Iraq reconstruction projects. The cost of the bill would be added to the national debt. The bill is now under consideration in the Senate.
Castle voted for the war funding.
NEW GI BILL, JOBLESS CHECKS: The House voted 416-12 to approve an amendment to HR 2642 to establish a new GI Bill for veterans with at least three years' duty who enlisted after 9/11, which would pay four years' college tuition at a level up to the top public tuition in their state. The bill also would fund 13 more weeks of jobless checks for the long-term unemployed along with programs such as flood relief in the Midwest, levee reconstruction in New Orleans and global food aid. The bill's $95 billion cost, including $62 billion over 10 years for the GI benefit and $8.2 billion for jobless checks, would be added to the national debt. The bill is now before the Senate.
Castle voted yes, approving the bill.
FISA RENEWAL AND TELECOM IMMUNITY The House voted 293 to 129 to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through 2012 and grant conditional immunity to certain telecommunications firms that illegally and unconstitutionally helped the government spy on Americans after 9/11 outside the limits of FISA. The bill would permit surveillance without specific warrants on totally foreign communications passing through U.S. switching points; authorize the secret FISA court to issue blanket warrants for surveillance of communications between U.S. and foreign locations and continue the existing requirement that strictly domestic spying targeting Americans be authorized by the FISA court on a case-by-case basis.
The good thing about this bill is that it establishes FISA as the exclusive basis for intelligence spying, debunking the Bush administration doctrine that presidents have inherent executive authority to conduct surveillance. And it reestablishes FISA warrants for purely domestic communications. The bad thing about this bill is it grants immunity to those corporations that broke the law.
Castle voted yes to pass the bill.
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES' FAMILY LEAVE: The House voted 278-146 to pass HR 5781, establishing a new benefit for federal civil servants and congressional employees under the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act. The benefit would consist of four weeks' leave with pay following the birth, adoption or fostering of a child. These workers now can take such leave, but without pay unless they tap into unused annual-leave or sick-pay allotments. The new leave is projected to benefit about 1 percent of the federal work force at a cost of $190 million annually.
Castle voted no! I suppose after spending billions on war he thought $190 million for families was just too much.
FARM BILL VETO: The House overwhelmingly voted to override President Bush's dastardly veto of the Farm Bill, 317-109. The $289 billion, five-year farm bill (HR 6124) that renews subsidies for growers of major crops while also funding conservation and nutrition programs and taxpayer support for fruit and vegetable growers, among hundreds of other programs. The bill also requires country-of-origin labeling of food on grocery shelves.
Castle voted to support Bush's veto!. I guess after voting to fund the war he could not be bothered to feed his constitutents.
PRIMATES TRAFFICKING BAN: The House voted 302-96 to make it a federal crime to import, export, buy, sell or otherwise deal in interstate commerce with nonhuman primates such as monkeys and chimpanzees.
Castle voted yes to ban the trafficking of monkeys.
SUBPRIME MORTGAGE FORECLOSURES: The Senate affirmed a new program, by a vote of 69-21, in which mortgage holders would refinance hundreds of thousands of at-risk home loans in return for Federal Housing Administration backing of the reworked loans.
Carper and Biden voted to keep the program.
FARM BILL VETO: Voting 80-14, the Senate joined the House (above) in overriding President Bush's veto of a $289 billion, five-year farm bill (HR 6124).
Carper and Biden voted to override the veto.
ENERGY AND BUSINESS TAX BREAKS: The Senate failed to invoke cloture (stoping debate so as to vote on a bill) on a bill that would provided $55.5 billion over 10 years in business, education, personal and energy tax breaks. The bill's largest category is $17 billion in credits to promote renewable fuels, energy efficiency and clean-coal technology. The Republicans, ever the stewards of the environment, have been blocking the bill, and they were successful yet again.
The vote was 52-44, and 60 votes are needed to invoke cloture. Carper and Biden voted to invoke cloture.
The mad scramble is on. With windpower being approved of by 90% of the state, you better believe all those who stymied the deal for years, all those who placed obstacle after obstacle in our path, are seeking to share the limelight with the real heros.
I am pleased that the offshore wind power project is one step closer to becoming a reality in Delaware. I am cautiously optimistic that this agreement will be the first step toward making the First State a leader in cutting-edge energy alternatives." -- Gov. Ruth Ann Minner
"The importance of this agreement by Delmarva and Bluewater Wind cannot be understated -- however, we must as a state and as citizens continue to press the existing polluters to be held accountable." -- Bill Lee, Republican candidate for governor
"Those of us who were willing to ask questions in this process, I think, have been somewhat vindicated. This deal is about $2 billion better for the consumer." -- Sen. Harris McDowell, D-Wilmington North
That last quote by Sen. McDowell is the kicker. He is trying to make his obstruction seem noble.
Liberalgeek over at Delaware Liberal says that Carney is one of the many winners emerging out of the deal:
John Carney is a huge winner. I think that Bluewater mentioned him 5+ times during the meeting and they credit him with putting the pressure on the opposition using real levers of power, jobs and money. John's stock went way up yesterday, sorry Jack backers.
From a News Journal article this morning we read about a survey of 949 Delawareans performed by the University of Delaware. The survey found that 90% of the respondents strongly supported offshore wind.
If Carney is seen as instrumental in making this deal happen, he may get street cred from many progressive and environmental activists engaged in this long battle to bring wind power to Delaware. He most definitely will receive favorable press. He most definitely will list this as an accomplishment.
But let's flash back to what Jason at Delaware Liberal said back after one of the Markell-Carney debates in April:
Jack Markell killed two birds with one stone at the environmental debate on Tuesday. He put John Carney in a very tough spot and advanced the cause of off shore wind power for Delaware by making a simple observation.
Here is the deal, when wind power came up Markell explained the special influence the Lt. Gov. has over the state senate (as it's part of the job, presiding over it) and Carney accepted the challenge to get the senators on board. That is great news.
The NJ's Beth Miller gave the exchange short shrift, but think about it, Markell totally owned Carney.
If Carney does get the three votes in the Senate that we need to pass HCR 38 then big deal he is only doing his job AND he might not have done it unless Markell forced his hand. Conversely, if Carney fails to get the Senate to pass HCR 38 this session, then Carney's whole rationale for being Governor (that he can work with people to get things done) dissipates into a mist.
So, is Carney only doing his job here? Is this a "big deal?"
Or does Carney deserve credit?
We need consistent and regular polling of this race for an answer, and that is something we don't get in Delaware.
UPDATE via Matt at Down with Absolutes, here is video of the news conference wherein Bluewater Wind's Jim Lanard praised Carney for his efforts:
1. Delmarva Power will buy 200 megawatts (MWs), not 300 as specified in the previous PPA. This will require anywhere from 55 to 80 turbines. (The Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation has separately agreed to buy another 20 MWs.)
2. The price remains unchanged: 9.893 cents/kWh.
3. Delmarva Power will buy renewable energy credits (RECs) valued at 350 percent of standard RECs, allowing Delmarva to meet its requirements under the renewable portfolio standards, with enough left over for Bluewater to sell on the market. This will allow Bluewater to recoup some of the revenue taken off the table when the size of Delmarva's purchase was reduced.
4. All of Delmarva Power's customers, including large industrial buyers, will buy electricity from Bluewater. This doesn't look like a as much of a problem as it might have been six months ago, given the relentless rise in energy prices since then.
5. Bluewater will be able to market the wind farm to other potential buyers in New Jersey and Maryland. In turn, Bluewater agrees to give Delmarva the best deal it offers any customer.
6. Delmarva Power will drop its lawsuit and waives the right to contest the PPA and the entire procurement process in court.
But we still have to get Senator DeLuca's bill passed. It will be voted on in the Senate either tomorrow or Wednesday. The House will then have until midnight on June 30 to pass the bill.
This bill should enjoy strong support on both sides of the aisle of both chambers, notwithstanding Charlie Copeland's opposition to all these good and decent in our world. But still call your Senator and Representative.
Delaware is known as the First State mostly because it was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution. But soon it will be known as the First State for another reason: it will be the first state in the United States to build offshore wind power.
And the juxtaposition of this news against last week's news that President Bush and his protege, John McCain, want to build offshore oil platforms could not be starker.
Delmarva Power and Bluewater Wind said today they have reached an agreement on a long-term power purchase contract needed for Bluewater to build a wind farm off of the Delaware coast.
The deal, in negotiation for months, calls for Delmarva to purchase up to 200 megawatts of electricity from the wind farm.
...
Construction would begin in two to three years and Bluewater would begin delivering wind-power energy around 2012 or 2013. Bluewater has been seeking the state's permission to build a 150-turbine wind farm 11.7 miles east of Rehoboth Beach.
Bluewater Wind, Delmarva Power and Senator DeLuca will hold a press conference today at 1:00 at Delmarva Power's headquarters. Bluewater's Jim Lanard says he's "very excited to be attending."
Bluewater will hold public briefings at 3:00 PM at the Ramada Inn, 260 Chapman Road in Newark, and at 7:00 PM at the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel at Olive Avenue and the Boardwalk.
I will be talking with Allan Loudell of WDEL at 4:35 and 5:25 this evening.
No doubt we will have more information after the conclusion of all of these press conferences, and I will update this diary accordingly once we have more informaiton.
But this is a victory for the netroots and the grassroots. It is a shining example of how you personally get involved with your goverment and affect real progressive change. This deal died at least four times by my count, yet the local Delaware community of activists, bloggers and concerned citizens, on both sides of the aisle, kept pressure up on both the State government and Delmarva to get the deal down.
Perhaps it helped that the pressure from coming from both liberal and conservative corners of the netroots and grassroots. A prominent supporter for wind power was Dave Burris, who is the son of a former Republican gubernatorial candidate and the former Sussex County Republican Party chairman in his own right. Mr. Burris, a blogger himself, praised the actions of the aforementioned Tommywonk, a liberal blogger that primarily focuses on financial and economic news and in real life is known as Tom Noyes, for playing a key role in analyzing and diseminating reams of complicated data and information on both his blog, and to the local newspapers. Indeed, Mr. Noyes was a frequent quest on the local political newsradio station in the state explaining the latest twist and turns in the long negotiating process between the State, Bluewater Wind and Delmarva.
Indeed, Delmarva engaged in a pretty deceptive radio ad campaign that attempted to scare its Delaware customers into rejecting wind power. But it did not work, not with the Delaware netroots acting as a truth filter. And Mr. Noyes, Mr. Burris, and other local Delaware blogs kept the pressure up for months, flooding the inboxes of their state senators, state representatives, Governor Minner, Lt. Governor Carney and State Treasure Markell.
This pressure was key in bringing wind power to Delaware:
The News Journal identifies one important factor as to why Delmarva Power accepted Senator Tony DeLuca's invitation to sit down and work out an agreement:
But after an outpouring of public sentiment for a wind deal, and after DeLuca and Lt. Gov. John Carney got involved, Delmarva started negotiating.
So congratulations Delaware for being the first in offshore wind power. And thank you Mr. Noyes and all those in Delaware who pushed aside their cynicism, their frustration and their anger, and actually got involved in their government again.
This proves that progressive change is possible, if we keep at it.
