The College Voice
SGA Votes Down Purchase of RECs, Deemed
Merely Short-term Solution
By Claire S. Gould
When Amy Cabaniss, Campus
Environmental Coordinator, and Ian
Phillips, SGA Environmental
Representative, presented the
Environmental Model Committee’s
(EMC) yearly request to purchase
Green-e certified, renewable energy
certificates (RECs) to offset the
college’s energy purchase this past
Thursday at SGA, the Assembly’s
response was unprecedented.
It did not pass.
In 2001, students rallied around the idea
of adding $25 to the college’s
comprehensive fee to be allocated
towards renewable energy, a fund that
accrues approximately $40,000 each
year.
This budget has previously been used to
purchase RECs which support renewable
energy sources and help to displace non-
renewable energy sources from the
national electric grid.
RECs also compensate for Conn’s
electricity use, bringing down the
college’s net greenhouse gas emissions
through offsets.
This $40K budget, however, does not
need to be used solely for the purchase
of RECs.
According to the original Renewable
Energy Policy, the student body
authorizes the use of the funds to go
toward the purchase renewable energy
directly from the source of generation, to
purchase equipment to establish
renewable energy sources on campus or
at a nearby location, to purchase
renewable energy through a local
electric utility, to make a grant or loan
towards the construction of a new
renewable energy facility or purchase
independently certified Tradable
Renewable Certificates.
Yearly, the EMC meets to decide how
the fund should best be used, while SGA
maintains the right to approve or reject
their proposal.
Former recommendations from EMC
have included using the fund to purchase
wind energy RECs to offset the college’s
energy usage by up to 100 percent.
Their proposal has previously always
been passed by the Assembly.
The last three years, SGA and EMC
were proud to offset the college’s energy
usage by almost 100 percent by
purchasing certificates and after last
year’s RECs purchase, leftover funds
were allocated towards a campus wind
feasibility study.
Last Thursday, the SGA Assembly did
not pass EMC’s proposal to pay $39,900
to offset the college’s electricity
purchase by 100 percent for both this
and the next fiscal year.
This purchase from vendor 3Degrees
Energy would have offset the college’s
yearly electricity purchase of
approximately 15,000 MWh/year.
Although the proposal was passed, it did
not meet the 4/5 majority vote necessary
for approval.
Leland Stillman, Senator of River
Ridge/Winchester, is one Assembly
member who rejected the proposal.
“We are ultimately allowing companies
to buy credits that allow them to pollute.
I think it is more constructive to try to
get actual renewable energy on campus
rather than to purchase credits,” said
Stillman at last week’s SGA meeting.
Ian Phillips, the Environmental
Representative, reminded the Assembly
that any money leftover in the fund rolls
over from year to year.
“We could roll it over until we could
make a much larger purchase, like
buying solar panels for every rooftop on
campus, but we purchase RECs each
year because our college has the
reputation of being a ‘green college.’ We
do these things because it draws in like-
minded, environmentally-conscious
students.”
SGA President Peter Friedrichs agreed
with Stillman.
“Although I think this is an amazing
practice, I also think the trend is moving
away from renewable credits and now it
is more appropriate to have tangible
things on campus.”
EMC will either have to go back to the
drawing board on how to use the $40K
fund this year, present a revised version
of their initial plan or wait until next
year to offer an on-campus renewable
energy alternative for what will then be a
$80K fund. This augmented sum may be
used for LEED certification of the
Fitness Center and Silfen Auditorium
and an on-campus renewable energy
study.
Up For Vote:
1. To purchase 100% wind, Green-e
Certified Renewable Energy Certificates
to offset nearly 100% of the college’s
electricity purchase
2. For a REC purchase agreement for
two fiscal years (7/1/09 – 6/30/11).
3. To purchase the RECs from 3Degrees
at $1.33/MWh/year under a two year
contract for $19,950/year to be paid this
fiscal year for $39,900.
Recorded Votes:
16-10
22-6
5-16