Author Archives: Guadalupe Williams

Immigration Reform Took a Hit Today

by Guadalupe Williams Posted on April 19, 2013

Mother Jones

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The anti-immigration right has jumped on this morning’s news to argue that this is not the time to loosen our immigration laws. After all, the two guys who set off bombs at the Boston Marathon have turned out to be a pair of immigrants. As radio host Bryan Fischer says, “Time to tighten, not loosen, immigration policy.” Greg Sargent comments:

It’s unclear thus far how widespread the effort among conservatives will be to connect the Boston bombing suspects to the immigration reform debate. But it’s certainly something that bears watching. If this argument picks up steam, it will be another indication of how ferocious the resistance on the right to immigration reform is going to get.

I think it’s safe to say that this argument will pick up steam. Why wouldn’t it, after all? It’s a gut punch to the idea that immigrants are no more dangerous than natives, and it doesn’t matter which side logic is on. It’s a strong appeal to emotions, and it’s probably an effective one.

A few days ago, someone asked: Who are you secretly hoping the bombers turn out to be? My answer was, whatever kind of person is least likely to have any effect whatsoever on public policy. Chechnyans with a grudge of some kind actually fit this bill fairly well, and since the immigration debate is focused mostly on Mexico it might not even have too much impact there. Still, it will have some effect. I don’t know if today’s news will kill immigration reform, but a bill that was on a knife edge already doesn’t need any further setbacks. This is going to hurt its chances.

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Immigration Reform Took a Hit Today

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Texas cities roping in more wind energy

by Guadalupe Williams Posted on April 3, 2013

Texas cities roping in more wind energy

By John Upton

Shutterstock / Brandon SeidelThe electricity that powers Dallas is about to get a whole lot windier.

Something refreshing is about to blow into Dallas, Houston, and other oil-soaked Texan cities: wind energy. Lots of wind energy.

A wind-farm boom has been brewing in the blustery Texas panhandle, where wind turbines now provide 9.2 percent of the state’s electricity. That figure is growing quickly, with more than $3 billion expected to be spent on new wind generation during the next two years alone. Meanwhile, Sustainable Business reports that the world’s most powerful battery system is helping to store wind energy produced during off-peak times so that it can be sold when demand for electricity is highest.

But the state’s biggest cities are in the east, far away from the graceful wind turbines and snazzy batteries of the west, making it difficult to deliver the renewable energy into most of the state’s homes and offices.

That bottleneck will ease by the end of the year, when the state completes a scheduled $6.8 billion effort to double the capacity of power lines from western wind farms to its eastern municipalities. That will provide an even bigger market and new incentives for potential wind power developers eying opportunities in the Panhandle.

Again from Sustainable Business:

Texas leads the nation in installed wind capacity and grew 18% last year, adding over 1800 MW for a total of 12.2 gigawatts across more than 40 projects. Wind supplies 9.2% of all electricity generated in the state.

Texas is #3 in the country for the green jobs, with 227,532 in 2012.

Until now, utility Excel Energy has bought most of Texas’ wind energy, but the new transmission lines will finally be able to carry power from wind plants in the western part of the state to all metropolitan areas, including Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

So forget black gold, Texans! Your future is paved with … invisible gold. Or something.

John Upton is a science aficionado and green news junkie who

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Wage Rules for Foreign Workers — A Followup

by Guadalupe Williams Posted on March 24, 2013

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Yesterday I wrote about a dispute over wage rules for foreign workers that’s delaying the Gang of 8 from producing a draft immigration bill. I’ve now learned a bit more about this, thanks to Daniel Costa of EPI, and wanted to pass along a few further details.

This wasn’t clear to me from the original LA Times article I read, but apparently this dispute is over an expansion of the current H-2B visa program for seasonal guest workers. These workers are already required to be paid the local prevailing wage, and one option for calculating this is a four-tier wage structure tied to skill levels. For example, here are the rates for landscapers in Baltimore:

Level 1 Wage: $9.01 hour
Level 2 Wage: $10.60 hour
Level 3 Wage: $12.20 hour
Level 4 Wage: $13.79 hour

The AFL-CIO has long wanted to ditch the four-tier structure and move to a single wage based on the local average. Employers have opposed this for just as long. A couple of years ago, in response to a court order, the Department of Labor issued a new rule that eliminated the four-tier structure and instead relied on a single mean wage (usually equivalent to the Level 3 wage), but Congress has blocked it from being implemented.

So the current dispute is really nothing new. Employers are eager for the H2-B program to be expanded to include nonseasonal jobs. However, there’s little evidence of a labor shortage in the occupations likely to be most affected, which means an influx of new workers would probably drive down wages. As its price for going along with this, the AFL-CIO wants to set the prevailing wage at the mean level once and for all. The Chamber of Commerce is opposed because most guest workers are currently certified at the Level 1 wage, so the new rule would mean they’d have to start paying higher wages.

When I wrote about this yesterday, I suggested that the AFL-CIO proposal represented a “complicated new set of wage rules for the private sector,” and obviously that’s not the case. It would actually be simpler than the current rule.

I also suggested that the politics of this was difficult because it requires all guest workers be paid the average prevailing wage. Since some American workers are obviously paid less than average, this would, in effect, mean mandating higher wages for foreign workers than for (some) U.S. citizens. This is still arguably the case, though the political dynamics are obviously a little complicated.

So that’s that. This isn’t a topic I’m likely to spend a ton of time on, but since I wrote about it yesterday I wanted to follow up today now that I know more about it.

Mother Jones
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Wage Rules for Foreign Workers — A Followup

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Green Energy Tips That Are Easy To Try Out

by Guadalupe Williams Posted on March 22, 2013

People have computers, ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines … the list goes on and on! Power is hugely important in everyday life, and without it many would be lost. Green energy is the best way to power someone’s life without hurting the environment, and this article contains some simple strategies here for you to leverage in your own home.

If you are trying to save on your electricity bill, try to use your ceiling fan more in the summer. A ceiling fan can help to make any room feel about 10 degrees cooler, and it costs much less to run than an air conditioner does. You will be saving money and also using less electricity, meaning you’re doing something great for the environment.

To make your home more energy efficient on a tight budget, write up a green improvement plan. Knowing what you want to upgrade or change will give you a check-list and help you to break your efforts down into more attainable short-term goals. Every week, check the flyers for home improvement stores to see if any of the necessary supplies are going on sale.

Use light bulbs that are energy-efficient. Conventional light bulbs use entirely too much energy and create a lot of heat. Energy-efficient bulbs last much longer and don’t give off that much heat. They can sometimes give off dimmer light, so make sure to use as many as you need in your rooms so you have comparable amounts of light.

To help you increase your clean-energy consumption, try using wind energy. Wind is a very clean type of alternative energy, and it can help you cut your electricity bill a ton. If this solution interests you, check with your local authority to ensure you have proper zoning and also ensure you have sufficient space.

Consider getting a “freezer on bottom” refrigerator as a way to help save energy. Everyone knows that hot air rises, so it makes perfect sense to keep your coolest appliance as close to the ground as possible. This will help save energy as well as reduce the cost of your electric bill.

A good energy saving tip for those looking to go green is to wash your clothes in the washing machine only when you have a full load. Washing a few articles of clothing is just wasting energy.

Avoid putting hot foods in their fridge or freezer for people looking to save energy. When you put hot foods in the fridge, it warms the total internal temperature causing your appliance to run longer to get it back down to the desired temperature. Rather, let your food cool before you refrigerate it.

Green energy is very important in the conservation of resources, a cleaner environment, and can help you save money. These suggestions should be helpful with incorporating a green energy philosophy into your daily lifestyle. As you can see, it’s easier than you might think. Get your friends talking about these tips and help spread the word about green energy.

Right after reading this particular article you can also have clear suggestion of Tata comflor that is useful to build your surroundings.

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