REBUILD THE UNITED STATES!

LA UNION STATION “CROWN JEWEL” DEVELOPMENT: MAYOR GARCETTI By Stas Margaronis, RBTUS Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told a Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) conference that he intends the revitalization and expansion of the downtown Union Station to be “the crown jewel” of an urban revival. Union Station revitalization is being managed by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority...

Far Niente Winery’s Floating Solar Experiment By Stas Margaronis In September, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors developed new land use requirements on Sonoma agricultural producers’ ability to build solar and other renewable energy projects. Robert Andersson, executive director of United Winegrowers, representing 200 wineries and vineyards in Sonoma County, called the new rules overly...

SONOMA SUPERVISORS RESTRICT RENEWABLE AG DEVELOPMENT BY STAS MARGARONIS As Sonoma County prepares to launch Sonoma Clean Power (SCP), the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted for   renewable agricultural land rules that were criticized by a leading vineyard association. Robert Andersson, executive director at United Winegrowers which represents 200 wineries and vineyards in Sonoma County...

  LA’S UNION STATION REVITALIZATION EMPHASIZES MASS TRANSIT BY STAS MARGARONIS, RBTUS On August 1st, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) released preliminary concepts for revitalizing Union Station in downtown Los Angeles with modest and sweeping proposals that could have a far-reaching impact on transit and development for Los Angeles and Southern California.[1] Overview...

SONOMA COUNTY,CA: FINANCING ENERGY RETROFITS FOR HOMES AND BUSINESSES BY STAS MARGARONIS, RBTUS The Sonoma County Energy Independence Program (SCEIP) provides a financing program for businesses and homeowners to install solar panels and other renewable applications that will reduce energy waste. “We provide money to finance energy efficiency, water conservation, and renewable...

Marin Clean Energy Generates Renewable Power Providers By Stas Margaronis, RBTUS Marin Clean Energy’s Feed-In Tariff program is supporting a new generation of renewable power providers in Marin County, California, explains Jamie Tuckey, MCE communications director: “The feed-in tariff is a fixed contract for 20 years in which we buy energy from renewable energy providers in Marin or the City of...

Korea: The Achievements Of Admiral Yi Sun sin By Benita Margaronis Elsie Allen High School, Santa Rosa Ca   Yi Sun-sin was one of the most successful admirals in history and was instrumental in defeating the Japanese invasion of Korea. He was born April 28th, 1545. He was a Korean naval commander who was famous because of all the battles he fought, he never lost one. He fought in at least...

Humboldt Bay: Sailing On The Madaket By Benita Margaronis, Elsie Allen High School, Santa Rosa Ca   Humboldt Bay includes the city of Eureka in Northern California. It’s very historic and old and has lost many of its wood and fishing industry jobs that made it so prosperous many years ago. The city got its name in 1850 when a man named Ryan rammed his ship into the mudflats there and...

INLAND WATERWAYS BILL WILL FAST-TRACK ESSENTIAL MODERNIZATION BY STAS MARGARONIS, RBTUS Waterways Council Inc. (WCI) reports that on May 15 the U.S. Senate passed by a vote of 83-14 the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to, among other water resources areas, modernize the nation’s inland waterways.  The House of Representatives will now take up its version of the bill. In a press release...

U OF MAINE LAUNCHES FIRST FLOATING WIND TURBINE BY STAS MARGARONIS, RBTUS A University of Maine (UOM) team launched the first American floating wind turbine, VolturnUS, on May 31st incorporating innovations that could fast-track wind farms on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as Hawaii. Regional wind farms can be anchored off the shores of major U.S. population centers and connected to the...