ACRE Issues

Carbon is Forever: Calculating the Cost to Control C02

It's abundant throughout the universe and essential to all known life. In its pure form, the commonest stuff on Earth is also the stuff diamonds are made of. And when we tally the cost of capturing its gaseous form (mixed with oxygen) and its permanent removal from circulation, the price differential between carbon and diamonds is sure to narrow down a bit.

Vision for Life: Dairyland Wind Purchases Sustain School for Blind

For 159 such students at the Asian Aid School for the Blind in Bobbili, India, prospects for healthy, productive futures are higher than they have ever been in their young lives, thanks in part to proceeds from a Midwestern wind-energy project. Dairyland Power Cooperative of La Crosse collaborated with developer Garwin McNeilus on the construction of nine 1.5-megawatt windmills, agreeing to buy the electricity generated by five of those units. McNeilus, in turn, earmarked the revenue from one of the turbines to support the school in India.

Railroaded: A Fact Sheet on Captive Shipping

Since Congress passed the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, more than 40 mergers and consolidations have decreased the number of Class 1 railroads from over 40 to only seven. Four of these major railroads control more than 94 percent of the country's track miles. The lack of rail-to-rail competition has led to an increase in the number of captive shippers, rising rail rates, and deterioration in service quality. For many products including coal, chemicals, and agricultural products, it is not feasible to ship by any means other than rail, leaving some of the shippers of these products "captive" to the single railroad that serves them. The following are just a few examples of the industries and companies forced to pay exorbitant rates for poor services because of their captive shipper status.

Additional Resources

NRECA Issues Spotlight on Rail Service

Reliable Sources: Wisconsin Boosts Homegrown Electricity

In government, the creation of a committee to study an issue is often as not its first step toward oblivion. Six or 12 months later, the committee report is accepted with flashbulbs popping and handshakes all around-and ceremoniously placed on a shelf to gather dust.