Northeast Assembly Thread

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aye

You can't vote wtf

I forgot I am not in the freedom loving pacific anymore.

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aye

You can't vote wtf

I forgot I am not in the freedom loving pacific anymore.

Pacific legislature doesn't do anything.

Freedom from doing anything.

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What are the reasons for opposing this bill? It seems like common sense to me. More transportation options leads to a greater quality of life.

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Because it would irritate you.

Excellent reasoning, as usual!

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I also support Polnut for Speaker.

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Official Ballot of the Northeast

Speaker of the Assembly:

• Polnut

[ ] wormyguy
[ ] Write-in: __________

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I second that.

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Aye

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

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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.
 

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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?

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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.

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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. 

I understand your concerns. I was trying to streamline the approval process but I may have overreached. Local input should be considered, but I don't think gifting off the continental shelf to municipalities is the answer.

Would you be able to support the bill without provision 3, or would you require further changes? Furthermore would you be willing to write an amendment that is more to your liking? Thanks.

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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?

I would approach the issue like a business would. If a wind farm is performing well and is quite profitable, it would be silly for the government to sell off it's stake. On the other hand, if projects are not profitable, it would be in everyone's best interests to sell of those assets.

I would like to reiterate that this is not some sort of government takeover of industry. This is why I restricted ownership up to 49%. I view us as minority stake holders acting as investors propping up a new industry. We would not be in control of operations of any of these facilities. We would not be involved in everyday business decisions.

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Ok, I will support that change. Hopefully common sense will prevail and locations where there truly isn't a lot of commercial or recreational traffic, will have wind farms installed.

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Nay

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Alright voting on the Rep Wormguy's has ended

Ayes: 2
Nays: 3

The amendment does not pass.

We will now move to vote on the Bill in its entirety.

Voting will conclude in 24 hours

Wait, don't we have to vote on the amendment you made to the bill?

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Alright voting on the Rep Wormguy's has ended

Ayes: 2
Nays: 3

The amendment does not pass.

We will now move to vote on the Bill in its entirety.

Voting will conclude in 24 hours

Wait, don't we have to vote on the amendment you made to the bill?

Didn't you accept it as friendly?

Yes. I suppose no vote is needed in that case? Sorry about the confusion.

I vote Aye on the bill.

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Aye

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Nay

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Abstain

This was certainly a hard vote for me. I agree with the goals of the bill, but I think it more or less legalizes discrimination by gun owners. If we had just empowered gun owners to not have to sell to those who seem mentally/emotionally unstable, the bill would have been more effective imho.

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Thank you Mr. Speaker.

This bill will make our Alcohol laws consistent with a good chunk of the developed world. There is no reason why one shouldn't be able to walk down the street and enjoy a beer, or enjoy alcoholic drinks when they visit the beach. The alcohol must still be enjoyed responsibly and harassing individuals or damaging property will not be tolerated. As long as you don't adversely impact others, you should have the right to drink at the place of your choosing (and there are a couple of common sense exceptions in the bill).

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I have no objections.

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I'll accept your amendment as friendly.

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Oh boy. Maybe we should just have a vote on Speaker Polnut's amendment? It is not ideal in my view, but it is acceptable and better than nothing. If the assembly is with me, I am ready to stand behind my original bill.