Renewable Energy

Going green is a hot topic; everything from compact fluorescent light bulbs to wind turbines to solar panels. Everyone is encouraged to get on board, agriculture included. Agriculture does utilize a bit of electricity, and many farms throughout the county and valley have participated in energy audits. Several farmers have switched their light bulbs, installed more energy-efficient fans and a few are investigating solar panels. You might have also seen the solar panels on Hopewell Road and have read about the proposed project at the prison complex south of Hagerstown.

Wilson College will host the 5th annual “Energy and You” - a day-long workshop for home and business owners who want to learn how to reduce energy consumption and costs - on Saturday, Feb. 9. This year's theme is “Invest in the Future: Your Energy Options.” The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Brooks Science Complex, with walk-in registration starting at 8 a.m.  John Hanger, who served as Pennsylvania Secretary of...

Maryland Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot voted last week against a solar farm lease in Washington County, questioning why the state didn't seek a share of federal money the project could receive. Gov. Martin O'Malley and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp, the other two members of the state's all-Democrat Board of Public Works, voted in favor of the 20-year lease for Maryland Solar LLC. Franchot voted no. After the July 27 meeting, Raquel Guillory, a spokeswoman for O'Malley, wrote in an email that, under the terms of the federal energy project program, a state can't receive any of the money.

Hagerstown Community College announced that Zebulon Hull of Hancock is the first student in HCC's Alternative Energy Technology (AET) program to intern at a renewable- energy company. Although he previously took classes at the college, Hull, 27, decided to enroll full time in fall 2010 once he learned about HCC's AET program, which was launched the same year. According to Hull, he became interested in alternative-energy sources after high school as he learned more about the rising costs of energy and the negative effect that fossil fuels have on the environment.

Mikulski vote won't wean us from foreign oil To the editor: It's disappointing that Senator Mikulski voted to remove the only guaranteed oil-saving provision in the Senate energy bill when she voted for the do-nothing Levin-Bond amendment. How can she claim to be protecting the environment and vote to strip this important provision from the bill? Senator Mikulski claimed that she was protecting auto jobs in Maryland with her vote but really on protected our reliance on foreign oil. The Levin-Bond amendment eliminates oil savings by punting responsibility for raising automobile miles per gallon standards to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Editor's note: This is one in an occasional series of profiles about candidates running for election in the 6th Congressional District. State Sen. Robert J. Garagiola said he'll gladly compare his record to anyone else's in the 6th Congressional District race. The Montgomery County Democrat said he's particularly proud of working to expand Maryland's renewable energy, leading to an “explosion” of jobs in that industry. “I've done a number of bills, that I've authored, that I've done the heavy lifting on, I've rolled my sleeves up on, and moved the state forward on - on solar, on wind, on geothermal, on solar thermal ... on energy efficiency, on reducing energy consumption,” Garagiola said.

Today Former skinhead speaks on tolerance Isn't it time we all just got along? Former neo-Nazi skinhead activist and recruiter T.J. Leyden will present his program, "Turning Away from Hate" 7 p.m. Storer Ballroom in Shepherd University's Student Center, Shepherdstown, W.Va. Call 304-876-5453. Tuesday, March 10 Make your voice heard in Hagerstown It only takes one vote to make a change. City of Hagerstown will hold its primary election for mayor and City Council.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.VA. - More than 500 people attended the Mountain View Builders Solar House open house Saturday to learn about energy-saving techniques. "People are starting to pay attention, and that's why the great crowd is here today," said Mike Heatwole, a vendor with a plumbing supply company in Harrisonburg, Va. Mike and Pete McKechnie, owners of Mountain View Builders, who build energy-efficient homes and are known as the "green builders" in Morgan County, began Mountain View Solar as an extension of their company to educate the public, Mike McKechnie said.