Northeast Assembly Thread

[Sbane]

I second that.

[Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey]

Vote is closed. Mr. Polnut is now Speaker Polnut. Congratulations sir!

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Vote is closed. Mr. Polnut is now Speaker Polnut. Congratulations sir!

Thank you Governor.

As I just said, while I will not reduce my desire for positive change, I believe I must serve all as fair an arbiter as I possibly can.

Unless anyone wishes this to be a formal vote, I move that the Assembly now rises until Monday 3 January 2011.

All in favour say I 'aye'... I think the 'ayes' have it

[Psychic Octopus]

I missed the vote? Sorry, I was busy. I feel like a certain West Virginian politician right now.

Congratulations, Speaker Polnut.

Aye

[redcommander]

Sorry for missing the vote. Congrats Polnut. Are we moving to suspending activity for Christmas?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Yeah

[Free Palestine]

Abstain

[tpfkaw]

Aye

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Firstly, I would like to echo the sentiments of the entire chamber and congratulate my friend, and Representative Polnut on his election as Speaker of the House. Once again, I shall adhere to the vast calls of those in this chamber to suspend legislative activity till 3 January.

Aye

[Sbane]

Aye

[Rowan]

Vakay it up!

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

OK - we have 5 AYES, so it passes.

The Assembly has now risen until Monday 3 January.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Back to work tomorrow gang.

[Sbane]

So...let's get this party started, yeah?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I shall officially open the session shortly

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I hereby open this session of the Assembly of the Northeast Region of Atlasia.

Rep Sbane has put forward the Wind Farm Bill


Wind Farm Bill

1) Immediately allow establishment of wind farms on the entire continental shelf of the Northeast region.
2) Only big, slow rotating windmills that don't kill birds will be allowed.
3) Any project can only be challenged on the basis of adverse impact to species covered under the endangered species act, and not for any other reason, including the opposition of coastal residents.
4) The state can take part ownership of projects up to 49% in order to help startups and companies wanting to share the risk. Profits realized from the endeavor will be shared with the state, with profit sharing being proportional to ownership.
5) The state will assist utilities in building transmission lines to transport this energy from the coast. Improvements to the existing grid shall be made to accomodate this increase in electricity production and to deliver it efficiently to population centers.
6) Funding for provisions 4 and 5 shall come from the repeal of the Freedom to Drive Act. The Regional Gas Tax rate goes back to the level before the imposition of the moratorium.


I move this be considered by the Assembly, all in favour say 'Aye'... I think the 'Ayes' have it.

Rep. Sbane can you please speak to your Bill?

 -- Debate will conclude at 9:29pm, 5 January 2011

[Free Palestine]

I generally support the measure, though I'm cautious about points 4, 5, and 6.

[tpfkaw]

Motion to strike all clauses and replace with the following (motion to amend):

1. a. The Northeast government grants free-of-charge perpetual leases of the submerged continental shelf to the individual municipalities along the coastline.  The leases shall be apportioned as if each municipality were an independent country under the Law of the Sea treaty.

b. Municipalities which consolidate or secede also consolidate or split the leases to the continental shelf.

2. a. Municipalities may auction or license construction (as of wind farms), fishing, mining or other rights to all or portions of their leases.

b. Municipalities may place any restrictions on these rights as they see fit, but may not abrogate contracts with the purchasers or licensees of the the rights ex post facto without full compensation.

3 a. Any sale or licensing of rights to the continental shelf in a municipality must be approved by a majority of the voters in that municipality in a prompt (within 2 months) referendum.

b. The proceeds from any sale or licensing of rights to the continental shelf in a municipality shall be wholly and equally distributed among the persons residing in the municipality at the time of voting on the referendum.

c. If a person can prove a substantial (greater than $4000 within a 3-year period) loss of livelihood due to the sale or licensing of continental shelf rights, he or she may file to receive additional compensation from the proceeds, equal to the loss of livelihood.

[Sbane]

My foremost goal with this legislation was to make better use of the vast natural resources of our region, help modernize our electricity grid to make it better suited for greater electricity supply and demand, as well as to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Today many wind projects are proposed, but most get caught up in endless redtape getting approval from the government. This process is further slowed by lawsuits by environmentalists and coastal residents. My bill helps cut the red tape by allowing wind projects everywhere within our jurisdiction, as long as they take the necessary steps to prevent bird kills (provision 2). If any other adverse impacts on protected species can be found, the project can be stopped. But the burden of proof is shifted to the environmentalists. I am also open to compensating individuals if they can prove a loss of livelihood due to the windfarms.

Another major part of this bill is to modernize the electricity grid as well as to build the transmission lines necessary to transport energy from the new wind farms to the existing grid. If we are not able to efficiently transport the energy from the source to where it is demand, we will lose most of it in transmission, making the wind farms less useful and profitable.

Lastly, I would like to lift the moratorium on our regional Gas taxes in order to pay for this bill. Incentivizing greater use of Gasoline is not the right thing to do for the Northeast or Atlasia in the long term. We need to develop sources of energy found right here in Atlasia, like wind power or coal, and wean ourselves of Gasoline.
 

[Sbane]

I generally support the measure, though I'm cautious about points 4, 5, and 6.

Provisions 5 and 6 are necessary, especially 5. I expect everyone to pitch in for grid modernization, but if we hold stakes in any of the wind farms, it's only fair that we also pitch in. Also grid modernization involves massive capital investments involving huge risk, and is a process that itself can get caught up in red tape. It is the right thing to do for the government to assist the utilities in getting the necessary infrastructure set up. Provision 6 is also necessary, imho, due to the reasons I have outlined in the previous post. Gasoline is a non-renewable resource we import from hostile nations; it's use should not be encouraged.

Provision 4 is currently necessary, imho, due to the risks involved in such projects. Of course a lot of the problems are created by the government itself, with various agencies creating a tangled beaureacratic web through which companies must navigate to get approval. This makes investors vary of getting involved in such projects. If we can reduce these regulations, and streamline the process, we might be able to encourage investment and eliminate the need of the government taking on a minority stake. Perhaps this can be a program that is phased out over a 5 year period?

[Sbane]

Wormyguy,

I must disagree with your plan to give control over the continental shelf to individual municipalities. This is a recipe for gridlock. Just imagine the sort of beaureacratic nightmare we would be creating, with companies needing to deal with up to 5 to 10 different sets of rules to create just one wind farm! Your bill would effectively kill windpower in the northeast, and so I cannot go along with it.

I do agree with provision 3c, as it seems to exclude the theoretical concerns of coastal homeowners with their property values. Hopefully we can add that to the final bill.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

I'm supportive of the bill, though I can't help but ask about the fourth point.

It states that the government will take part ownership of 49% in order to help start ups. My question to you, Representative Bane is will the government, inevitably sell off its share once the wind farms have been propped up; or will the government continue to maintain partial ownership?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I generally support this Bill and it's aims - however, I do have some serious concerns about section 3 - which places some quite unparalleled restrictions on the grounds for challenging the construction of a turbine to be based only on environmental grounds, and even more specifically, if the project affects endangered species.

I would highly doubt this section would not be easily challenged, and likely, in my view, successfully. 

[Free Palestine]

I support wormyguy's motion to amend.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Just sayin', you need to include that there's 48 hours of debate.