Jackson Calls For Stimulus Part II at Wall Street Summit

Jesse Jackson Sr. called for a "Stimulus Part II" at a news conference outlining the goals of the 13th Annual Wall Street Project Economic Summit, which was held in New York City from January 12-15. According to Jackson, the impact of foreclosures, Depression-level unemployment in the black community, and rising healthcare costs show that the stimulus act approved by President Barack Obama left conditions rough for many on Main Street while Wall Street was heavily subsidized. The theme for the 2010 summit, “Targeted Stimulus: A Call to Equity & Parity,” focused on strategies to invest in job creation, minority businesses, and underserved communities.

President Obama has launched his version of Stimulus Part II via his proposed Clean Energy Manufacturing Jobs Initiative, which provides a 30 percent tax credit ($2.3 billion worth) for investments in 183 manufacturing facilities for clean energy products across 43 states. Congress is considering a jobs-creation bill (Jobs For Main Street Act--H.R.2847), which includes investments and incentives backed by President Obama via his aforementioned Clean Energy Manufacturing Jobs Initiative to spur clean energy manufacturing jobs. H.R. 2847 has already passed in the House on December 16 by a vote of Passed, 217-212. The Senate will take it up when Congress returns later this month.

The Obama Administration has awarded $2 billion in “neighborhood stabilization” funding to states, cities, and communities hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. The funds, part of 2009’s $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The foreclosure crisis is far from over. A report released by real estate data firm RealtyTrac showed a record 2.8 million properties received a foreclosure notice in 2009, a 21% jump from 2008 and 120% higher than 2007. High foreclosure activity is expected to continue in 2010. (Black Enterprise, 1/14/10, Black Enterprise, 1/16/10)

Harry Reid Redux: "Light-Skinned & No Negro Dialect"

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

I am dark-skinned and have a southern accent (Negro dialect equivalent). So is that why I can't get serious consideration for my legislative proposals in the U.S. Senate? And here I always thought it was just because I support Yucca Mountain as the national repository for our nuclear waste. Now admittedly I have not been up in Harry's face with my support for the nuclear suppository, but now he has me wondering if he would take me seriously if I did.

Oh well, Harry was generalizing anyway. So how pervasive is his statement? Now I am going to have to check those Congressiaonl Black Caucus pictures to see the ratio of light-skinned to dark-skinnned members. And how did James Clyburn (D-SC) get the number three spot in the House of Representatives? He's dark skinned and has a hint of southern accent. What about The White House? Hmmmmm. So maybe it was more than his hyper conservativeness that hampered Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearing. Let us not forget the 4th Estate. How many dark-skinnned folk do you see on those news shows? Just saying. Maybe Harry was on to something there.

Booker Rising Covers Conservative Blacks On Glenn Beck

AAEA Wonders Why Conservative Blacks Align With Liberal Blacks Against Cap & Trade

We love Booker Rising and nobody covers moderate to conservative Black thought as well or as comprehensively as its publisher, Shay Riley (who is shy). As such, Booker Rising provided good coverage of the recent "Glenn Beck Meeting With Black Conservatives, Part 2."

Our interest in Beck's two shows with Black conservatives is related to their general opposition to cap and trade as a tool to fight climate change. AAEA supports cap and trade. It is interesting to us that the Black conservatives align with the liberal Black environmental justice activists in opposing cap and trade legislation. These EJ groups do not make too much noise in their opposition to cap and trade though because they are on the wrong side of the liberal left mainstream environmental movement establishment on this issue.

Mainstream environmental groups support cap and trade. So AAEA finds itself in the unusual position of aligning with traditional environmental groups against the views of conservative Black and environmental justice groups. How odd. Yet, AAEA has an environmental justice solution to complaints about possible disproportionate environmental impacts of cap and trade legislation - - Environmental Justice Allowance Reserve (EJAR), which provides carbon dioxide allowances to address this potential problem.

The EJAR is market-based so it should satisfy the interests of the conservative Blacks. It also directly addresses environmental justice, which should satisfy the interests of environmental justice activists and climate justice activists.

US Department of Labor ‘Pathways Out of Poverty’ Grants

$150 Million In Training Grants For Green Jobs

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, right, today (1/13/10) announced $150 million in green jobs training grants, as authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The "Pathways Out of Poverty" grants will support programs that help disadvantaged populations find ways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency through employment in energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.

Through the 38 grants awards, targeted populations will receive recruitment and referral services; basic skills, work-readiness and occupational skills training; supportive services to help overcome barriers to employment; and other services at times and locations that are easily accessible. Through these programs, participants will receive certifications and on-the-job training that will lead to employment.

In order to serve the specific populations targeted by these grants effectively, the Department of Labor encouraged applicants to focus project efforts in communities located within one or more contiguous Public Micro Data Areas (PUMAs) where poverty rates were 15 percent or higher. PUMAs are geographic areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau. All applicants were required to have experience serving economically disadvantaged populations. Programs funded today will serve unemployed individuals, high school dropouts, and other disadvantaged individuals within areas of high poverty.

There are two types of award recipients for these grants: 1) national nonprofit entities with networks of local affiliates, coalition members or other established partners; and 2) local entities including nonprofit organizations, such as community and faith-based organizations, the public workforce investment system, the education and training community, labor organizations, and employer and industry-related organizations.

Today's grants are part of a larger Recovery Act initiative — totaling $500 million — to fund workforce development projects that promote economic growth by preparing workers for careers in the energy efficiency industries.

Full listing of the grants and project descriptions

Video by Secretary Solis

(U.S. Department of Labor)

Pre-Earthquake: Electricity Production and Use In Haiti

Earthquake Recovery Must Include Electricity Delivery

In Haiti, 12.5% of the 9 million population have access to electricity, which is delivered at 110 volts alternating current at 60 cycles per second. This matches the USA standard. In 2006, total installed capacity was 270 MW, of which about 70% was diesel oil-fired thermal and 30% hydroelectric. That is enough electricity for about 270,000 homes.

There are currently three large thermal plants and one hydroelectric plant serving the metropolitan area and some smaller thermal and hydroelectric plants in the provinces. The most important plants are:

Péligre, an hydroelectric plant with 54 MW of installed capacity. However, its actual power varies between 30 MW in the rainy season and 10 MW in the dry one.
Carrefour, a 50 MW thermal plant with just 12 MW of actually available capacity.
Varreux 1 and 2, two thermal plants with installed capacities of 33 MW and 21 MW respectively, which can just provide 12.5 MW

Demand: In 2003, total electricity consumption in Haiti was 510 GWh, Average per capita consumption in 2004 was 75 kWh. The share for each sector is as follows:

Residential: 60%
Industrial : 20%
Transport : 15%
Services : 5%

About a third of the electricity is stolen by unauthorized users.

Demand vs supply: The Haitian electricity sector has a national installed capacity that is largely insufficient to meet a demand of 157 MW in Port au Prince and of 550 MW at the national level.

Electricité d’Haïti (EdH) holds the monopoly for electricity generation, transmission and distribution in Haiti. EdH is unable to meet the electricity demand so other private sector companies sell their electricity to EdH at an agreed price.

APR Energy LLC, a Jacksonville–based power company, a 1-megawatt power plant it operates in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that stopped operating during the January 12th earthquake. APR operates about 12 other plants around the country. APR has about 40 employees in Haiti. The company’s plants in Haiti are widely scattered with many serve in remote areas. Sensor systems on those plants showed that all but the Port-au-Prince site were working normally, suggesting the others had little or no damage.

Other

About 80% of Haiti's energy needs are met by using domestic biomass fuel (wood and charcoal), which is used in the household sector mainly for cooking.

(Wiki, JacksonvilleNews, 1/14/10, Haiti Bureau of Mines and Energy)

Black Enterprise Energy Forum A Big Success

Black Enterprise magazine hosted an energy forum today, with cosponsor Shell Oil, that was very successful. The speakers were excellent and there were excellent exchages during the question and answer portion of the forum. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson was scheduled to deliver the keynote but had to cancel to attend the funeral of Vice President Joe Biden's mother in Delaware. Stephanie Owens, Director Of EPA's Office of Public Outreach, delivered a great keynote for the adminstrator. She also answered questions during the first panel.

AAEA President Norris McDonald and AAEA Vice President Derry Bigby attended the forum. McDonald asked about ownership potential in traditional energy sectors and whether mentor/minority protege partnerships could help in overcoming regulatory barriers to needed energy infrastructure.

Black Enterprise is the premier business magazine for the African American community. The magazine's BE 100's is enthusiastically anticipated by people worldwide each year. That particular issue is of great use to AAEA in determining entrepreneurship opportunities. In fact, our two favorite business publications are Black Enterprise and The Wall Street Journal.

Clean Skies Video

Clean Skies: Roderick West

Advertisement: Purchase Norris McDonald Autobiography

"Diary Of An Environmentalist"