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Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Discover what's possible, practical for homes on the Eco Solar Tour
Article content Energy efficiency. Net zero. Sustainability. If those terms interest you, leave you with questions in terms of your home or even possibly have you a bit perplexed, Edmonton's annual Eco Solar Tour could provide the answers you're looking for. 'Whether you are looking at a new home or planning on renovating your existing home, there are many ways to accomplish energy savings,' said Andrew Mills, Eco Solar Tour Society president. 'Homeowners and builders on our tour host private homes that you normally would not be able to see so that you can see the latest energy saving techniques. Our goal is to show everyone that net-zero energy (a home that generates as much energy as it consumes in a year) and energy-efficient homes are both possible and practical.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House moderates accept sledgehammer approach to green energy tax credits despite calls for scalpel
Despite insisting for months they wanted green energy tax credits to be handled with a scalpel in their sweeping reconciliation measure, moderate Republicans ultimately accepted a sledgehammer against the subsidies. Most of the 13 members who warned that the original text of President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' could 'provoke an energy crisis or cause higher energy bills for working families,' ultimately voted to support it after it got even stricter as part of a deal to win over conservative hardliners. The legislation cleared the House 215-214 early Friday morning and now heads to the Senate. 'Those are pragmatic individuals that know that they have to get something done,' said Andrew Mills, managing director at American Conservation Coalition Action, a right-of-center climate group. 'Just given the political realities of this bill and the situation, I don't think it's too surprising,' Mills said. For months, the House has been in a tug-of-war as to whether to take a 'scalpel' approach and make fine changes to energy tax credits passed in Democrats' massive 2022 climate, tax and health care bill, or whether to use a 'sledgehammer' and largely eliminate all the credits. Where they ultimately landed makes significant cuts: saying that tax credits for many low-carbon energy sources including wind and solar will only apply to projects that start construction within 60 days of the bill's passage and only to those that begin producing electricity by 2029. Lawmakers, however, added a carveout for nuclear energy, which will only need to begin construction rather than begin producing electricity by the end of 2028 to receive the tax credit. The bill also includes strict provisions excluding projects that use any Chinese components, minerals or subcomponents for projects that start construction after the end of this year. This is a massive obstacle, as China is a major minerals processing hub. Despite these provisions, which were largely a win for the party's right flank, their moderate counterparts still lined up to support the bill. Some GOP lawmakers said that a hard-fought increase on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction was likely a higher priority. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who was also among the lawmakers who raised concerns on the tax credit provisions, posted on X that SALT was his 'number one focus in Washington.' Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) similarly cited the SALT changes in a statement outlining her support for the legislation. Others simply expressed support for the bill overall, which extends tax cuts passed under Trump's first term in 2017 and increases funding for the border and deportations. Rep Don Bacon (R-Neb.) called the package 'not perfect' but touted his support for other provisions such as the tax cuts. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) whose district is home to a major wind project in progress, released a statement saying she supported the bill overall, though she had harsh words for its approach to the energy tax credits. 'This bill isn't perfect — but it's a serious, solutions-focused package that delivers for our health care system, our military, and the American taxpayer,' Kiggans said. However, she added that 'rather than responsibly phasing out clean electricity incentives, the bill abruptly ends support after 2028 and eliminates tax credits for leased systems often used by schools, local governments, and homeowners. These changes jeopardize local jobs, limit community access to affordable energy, and undercut innovation — especially in regions like ours, where energy resilience and national defense go hand in hand.' Ultimately, Kiggans said she hoped that changes would be made to the bill on the Senate side. Four Republican senators — enough to block the bill if they're willing to go to the mat on the issue — have called for 'a targeted, pragmatic approach' on the credits. It's not entirely clear, however, what specific policies these lawmakers would like to see or how hard they or other like-minded senators would be willing to fight for the issue. Back on the House side, another leading voice pushing for a more lenient approach, Rep. Anthony Garbarino (R-N.Y.) ultimately did not vote. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that Garbarino fell asleep during the late-night session. Earlier Wednesday evening, Garbarino raised concerns about the energy provisions and the country's ability to meet its growing energy demand. 'We can't meet that demand if we're pulling energy projects off the table here. And I think these, I think these things I'm hearing could end up killing a lot of projects,' he told reporters. —Aris Folley contributed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
House moderates accept sledgehammer approach to green energy tax credits despite calls for scalpel
Despite insisting for months they wanted green energy tax credits to be handled with a scalpel in their sweeping reconciliation measure, moderate Republicans ultimately accepted a sledgehammer against the subsidies. Most of the 13 members who warned that the original text of President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' could 'provoke an energy crisis or cause higher energy bills for working families,' ultimately voted to support it after it got even stricter as part of a deal to win over conservative hardliners. The legislation cleared the House 215-214 early Friday morning and now heads to the Senate. 'Those are pragmatic individuals that know that they have to get something done,' said Andrew Mills, managing director at American Conservation Coalition Action, a right-of-center climate group. 'Just given the political realities of this bill and the situation, I don't think it's too surprising,' Mills said. For months, the House has been in a tug-of-war as to whether to take a 'scalpel' approach and make fine changes to energy tax credits passed in Democrats' massive 2022 climate, tax and health care bill, or whether to use a 'sledgehammer' and largely eliminate all the credits. Where they ultimately landed makes significant cuts: saying that tax credits for many low-carbon energy sources including wind and solar will only apply to projects that start construction within 60 days of the bill's passage and only to those that begin producing electricity by 2029. Lawmakers, however, added a carveout for nuclear energy, which will only need to begin construction rather than begin producing electricity by the end of 2028 to receive the tax credit. The bill also includes strict provisions excluding projects that use any Chinese components, minerals or subcomponents for projects that start construction after the end of this year. This is a massive obstacle, as China is a major minerals processing hub. Despite these provisions, which were largely a win for the party's right flank, their moderate counterparts still lined up to support the bill. Some GOP lawmakers said that a hard-fought increase on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction was likely a higher priority. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who was also among the lawmakers who raised concerns on the tax credit provisions, posted on X that SALT was his 'number one focus in Washington.' Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) similarly cited the SALT changes in a statement outlining her support for the legislation. Others simply expressed support for the bill overall, which extends tax cuts passed under Trump's first term in 2017 and increases funding for the border and deportations. Rep Don Bacon (R-Neb.) called the package 'not perfect' but touted his support for other provisions such as the tax cuts. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) whose district is home to a major wind project in progress, released a statement saying she supported the bill overall, though she had harsh words for its approach to the energy tax credits. 'This bill isn't perfect — but it's a serious, solutions-focused package that delivers for our health care system, our military, and the American taxpayer,' Kiggans said. However, she added that 'rather than responsibly phasing out clean electricity incentives, the bill abruptly ends support after 2028 and eliminates tax credits for leased systems often used by schools, local governments, and homeowners. These changes jeopardize local jobs, limit community access to affordable energy, and undercut innovation — especially in regions like ours, where energy resilience and national defense go hand in hand.' Ultimately, Kiggans said she hoped that changes would be made to the bill on the Senate side. Four Republican senators — enough to block the bill if they're willing to go to the mat on the issue — have called for 'a targeted, pragmatic approach' on the credits. It's not entirely clear, however, what specific policies these lawmakers would like to see or how hard they or other like-minded senators would be willing to fight for the issue. Back on the House side, another leading voice pushing for a more lenient approach, Rep. Anthony Garbarino (R-N.Y.) ultimately did not vote. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that Garbarino fell asleep during the late-night session. Earlier Wednesday evening, Garbarino raised concerns about the energy provisions and the country's ability to meet its growing energy demand. 'We can't meet that demand if we're pulling energy projects off the table here. And I think these, I think these things I'm hearing could end up killing a lot of projects,' he told reporters. —Aris Folley contributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
As Palm Springs reels in wake of clinic bombing, authorities name suspect and say city is safe
Less than 24 hours after a bomb explosion laid waste to a Palm Springs fertility clinic, the resort town's police chief sought to restore calm while residents and visitors uneasily returned to their weekend routines. As of midday Sunday, several blocks in uptown Palm Springs remained closed, blocked off with barricades and police vehicles. Caution tape brightly punctuated the desert landscape, glowing neon yellow against the low-slung, dun-colored buildings and blue-gray San Jacinto mountains in the background. The area has vintage shops, restaurants and hip hotels, along with medical offices clustered around the local hospital, Desert Regional Medical Center — which sits across the street from American Reproductive Centers, a fertility clinic and in vitro fertilization lab. The bombing shattered the Saturday morning quiet here and caused destruction blocks away. In a section of Southern California just miles from the mighty San Andreas fault, many residents feared the "Big One" was nigh when the bomb detonated. But it was an intentional act of terrorism that caused extensive damage to American Reproductive Centers and the surrounding area. An office building two blocks from the blast had its windows blown out, as did a Denny's restaurant five blocks from the fertility center. The shaking radiated far and wide, with residents reportedly feeling it more than two miles away. "Yesterday, a man intent on harming others in our city failed. Palm Springs survived, and we are stronger and more resilient," Palm Springs Police Chief Andrew Mills said Sunday. Authorities named the suspect as Guy Edward Bartkus, a 25-year-old Twentynine Palms resident who is believed to have died in the blast. There were no other fatalities. Mills said there was "no continuing threat" to the community, underscoring that he was "absolutely confident" that the city was safe. Palm Springs is "a beacon and a safe haven for all," Mills said. He urged residents to upload photos to social media to "show the world" how "wonderful" and "special" the community still is. Read more: One dead after suspected bomb blast near reproductive health clinic in Palm Springs American Reproductive Centers is 'Coachella Valley's first and only full-service fertility center and IVF lab,' led by board-certified Dr. Maher A. Abdallah, according to its website. The explosion damaged the practice's office space, where it conducts consultations with patients, but left the IVF lab and the stored embryos there unharmed. The clinic has helped more than 2,000 families become parents and highlights its work with LGBTQ+ families, according to its website. Mills, the police chief, spoke directly to the "IVF community" during the Sunday news conference, saying "the city is in your court" and characterizing the embryos housed at the clinic as future community leaders. "This was a place of hope. This is a building people go to to start and expand families," Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Naomi Soto said of the clinic. "This is a building where hope lives." Vintage store Iconic Atomic is located just outside the police line along one of Palm Springs' main drags. 'Closed due to explosion,' read a sign affixed to the door, 'will reopen Sunday if safe.' Store manager Amanda Hall sat outside, soaking up the desert sun and light breeze. Hall said she was talking to customers and dressing a mannequin Saturday morning when it suddenly felt like a wave violently crashed into the shop. The impact knocked a shelf off the walls, and vintage Kentucky Derby glasses shattered onto the floor. 'The blast is like nothing I've ever heard in my life,' she said. 'I've never been so close to a terrorist attack.' The scene outside was chaotic, with alarms ringing and people running along Palm Canyon Drive, she said. But even in that moment, she was comforted by how the community responded in a city with a reputation for being warm, friendly and safe. 'The lovely thing was — if there can be a good thing in this — everybody was stopping to ask everybody if they were OK and they needed anything,' said Hall, who moved from North Hollywood to the Palm Springs area in 2021. 'That doesn't happen in Los Angeles.' Just on the other side of the police line, Palm Springs still felt like an idyllic weekend retreat. Below swaying palm trees, people walked small dogs and tooled around on cruiser bikes. A group of friends who had spent recent days in nearby Joshua Tree National Park stopped to get drinks at Ernest Coffee and were shocked to find themselves near the crime scene. 'Wild!' one of them said. To some Palm Springs residents, the fact that the attack targeted a fertility clinic was particularly offensive to the city's values. When he heard about the explosion, Christian Agnelli said his first thought about the suspect was, 'where were they from? Because they're not from Palm Springs.' He was on a walk with his neighbor Deanne Stalnaker, who added about their community: 'We're friendly, we're open, we respect everybody.' Adam Neal and Todd Danforth, two other Palm Springs residents, said they have many friends who have relied on fertility clinics to start families. They said it didn't feel as if the attack targeted LGBTQ+ people, but it certainly sent a message that rippled through the community in a town long known as a queer magnet. 'Lots of different families utilize these types of services, but LGBT families specifically have a higher need for it because we don't really have as many options as straight couples do,' Neal said. Times staff writers Jenny Jarvie, Nathan Solis, Richard Winton, Libor Jany and Paige St. John contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Washington Post
17-05-2025
- Washington Post
One dead in explosion at Palm Springs fertility clinic, police say
An explosion outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California on Saturday killed at least one person in what appears to be an intentional act of violence, Police Chief Andrew Mills said in a statement. Mills said the blast occurred near the address for American Reproductive Centers, but did not say whether the facility had been targeted. The clinic provides in vitro fertilization, egg freezing, surrogacy, LGBTQ+ family building and other services to the Coachella valley, according to the facility's website. It is across the street from the Desert Regional Medical Center.
