MicroEmpowering Blog

Minnesota Plans to Implement World's First Carbon Tariff

Posted by Ana M on Friday, January 15, 2010

S. Neil Larsen, on January 7, 2010

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has authorized a measure that would add a fee of between $4 and $34 per ton of carbon dioxide to electricity generated from coal-fired power stations in North Dakota that is exported to Minnesota. By adding this fee to coal power, it is hoped that it will spur the further development of renewable energy sources.

Coal Creek Station, Underwood, ND. Source: Great River Energy

Coal Creek Station, Underwood, ND. (Actually owned by a Minnesota electric utility) Source: Great River E...

Great article: What in the World Is a Social Entrepreneur? By Loyd Sederer

Posted by Ana M on Saturday, December 5, 2009 In : Top 10

Equally entertaining article from Loyd Sederer. It's very easy for development practitioners to adopt buzzwords without focusing on the practicalities of its dictionary definition, linguistics, popular use, and so forth.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lloyd-i-sederer-md/what-in-the-world-is-a-so_b_355173.html

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60 Million US Residents are Without a Bank Accounts.

Posted by Ana M on Saturday, December 5, 2009 In : Must read

Did you know that 25% of the US population doesn't have a bank account to begin with? This is a rather surprising and sad story from Ylan Q. Mui to the Washington Post... One-quarter of American households -- about 60 million people -- have limited or no access to banks or other traditional financial services, with low-income and black families among the hardest hit, according to a government report released Wednesday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/02/AR20091202...
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