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Mountain News: Jackson Hole reducing energy use

JACKSON, Wyo. — In ways large but mostly small, Jackson and Teton County keep chipping away at use of fossil-based energy, as Jackson had vowed to do when signing the Mayors' Agreement on Climate Change in 2006.
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JACKSON, Wyo. — In ways large but mostly small, Jackson and Teton County keep chipping away at use of fossil-based energy, as Jackson had vowed to do when signing the Mayors' Agreement on Climate Change in 2006.

The biggest single largest consumer of energy by the local governments is the wastewater treatment plant, and that's where the largest investments have been made. Aided by federal stimulus funds, the community installed 224 kilowatts in solar generating capacity. Since September 2010, it has produced 225-megawatt hours of production.

Now comes a trio of projects aimed to more efficiently use energy at the treatment plant. One project, which improves the efficiency of aeration, will reduce electricity costs by $64,000 per year, given current rates. The entire front-end costs were paid by a $457,000 grant from the local electrical cooperative, Lower Valley Energy, using money from wholesale provider Bonneville Power.

In 2008, the town and county rolled out a program called 10 X 10. As the name implied, the goal was to reduce energy 10 per cent by 2010. The program directed attention to reducing energy use and, in some cases, spurred innovation. For example, one large user of energy is the gasoline used by police, who commonly keep their cars idling constantly, arguing that they can't shut down their computers. An innovation achieved in the town's public works department helped them overcome that complaint.

Still, the town fell short in its goal for in-house operations — not achieving the full 10 per cent reduction until well into 2011. But it has done so with not just the big projects, but also the smaller projects in the town's building infrastructure. "Most of it was non-sexy and boring: windows, doors, weather stripping, caulking. But it all helps," says Larry Pardee, the town's public works director.

Pardee was among a delegation that went to Aspen in 2006 to attend a conference sponsored by that community's Canary Initiative. They returned to Wyoming, with fire in the belly, determined to shrink Jackson Hole's contribution to the world's accumulating greenhouse gas emissions. But the work has been harder than any had expected.

Finally, major gains are being realized. "I was telling the Jackson council, 'Maybe it's partial luck, but with the economy down and budgets being cut, we're saving money (because of less energy use). It will help us in the short term, and it will help us over the longer term.'"

More is coming as the town, after several years of preparation, begins expanding its energy saving efforts more broadly into the community. The town hopes to get funding of up to $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, to be used specifically for the residential sector — which, despite the high housing prices, is mostly not that striking and certainly not very energy efficient.

In robust discussions of late, town and county officials have been starting to talk about how they can leverage limited resource into maximum public gain. One possibility: local schools. They have large exposure to the community.

"I feel like we are done talking, and we're moving to action. But it's been a long couple of years," says Pardee.

"The key is you just have to get started. You have to get in the game. You can study it 'til the cows come home. You need to remain flexible and adaptable and change as you go. There needs to be a living, breathing process that can be refined in coming months and years," he adds.

"I think we have transitioned ourselves to a really good disciplined approach to engaging the community, to get this work done."

Food-stamp recipients double pre-recession

JACKSON, Wyo. — The number of families in Teton County getting food stamps has more than doubled since 2008, when the recession hit.

Officials tell the Jackson Hole News&Guide that food-stamp recipients typically rise during winter, when construction slackens. Not this year. The valley has shed 2,000 jobs in the last several years, mostly in the construction trades. Counsellors are steering the unemployed to Rock Springs, an energy hub, or to the giant oil boom in North Dakota.

REI opens stores

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — REI, which for many mountain people is the church of outdoor retailing, is rooted in cities. It was founded in Seattle, and now has a presence in Denver, Salt Lake City, and other places where people live. Now, it's has one in Manhattan, too.

The New York Times reports that REI is opening a store in the SoHo district of lower Manhattan. The Times wryly advises that picking up garbage on trails is fine — but do-gooder REI employees should be alerted it's not smart to pick up used needles and other garbage from parks in New York.

The outdoor clothing market has been booming, with upticks of 10.3 per cent in 2010 and 11 per cent so far this year, according to the Leisure Trends Group. And REI figures it can make money in Manhattan, which it expects to be one of its top income producers.

REI also has a longer-range mission. REI's chief executive, Sally Jewell, tells The Times that unless more people in cities take an interest in the outdoors, "as an industry we're really in trouble in a generation."

Tahoe ski area gets redevelopment pats

TAHOE CITY, Calif. — Revitalization of the Tahoe Basin ski areas is well underway. Two Colorado-based companies, Vail Resorts and KSL, have been expanding and upgrading their ski areas. And then there's Homewood Mountain Resort, by all accounts wonderfully funky — which is to say that much has changed in several decades.

JMA Ventures, the San Francisco-based company that bought Homewood several years ago, has been assembling plans that will make Homewood more comparable to the other buffed-and-shined ski areas of the West.

According to the Sierra Sun, most people at a recent meeting expressed support for the changes. "We are experiencing insipid decay," said one resident. "We need this development approved" for environmental, social and economic reasons. The upgrade will yield an estimated 180 new jobs, plus $6 million to $7 million annually in new tax revenues.

Not everybody, however, approves. A Sierra Club representative called the developer "well intentioned" but said the project doesn't have to be so large.

Art Chapman, president of JMA Ventures, said that yes, it does need to be that large. "A smaller project won't work because it will not generate sufficient skiers to sustain the ski operation," he said. "If this plan doesn't come together, Homewood will close. There is no alternative."

Allen Best publishes a newsmagazine about mountain towns. You can contact him at allen.best@comcast.net.