PUC's green dreams fade as budget sees red

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 9/16/8 | John King

[SmithL]

The murky fate of San Francisco's would-be greenest building shows that when it comes to issues like climate change, political leaders are willing to go only so far.

They happily announce new initiatives or tell people what to do. But when faced with large investments that might stimulate large-scale change, the rule of thumb is: Take a pass unless someone else picks up the tab.

At least that's the case with the headquarters the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission was all set to build in Civic Center - one short block from City Hall - a 12-story billboard of sustainable design with such innovative features as wind turbines on the roof and photovoltaic panels embedded in portions of the facade.

Despite a string of approvals last winter from the PUC and the Board of Supervisors, the proposal for 525 Golden Gate Ave. is in limbo. And if something does get built, don't look for the adventurous design features that attracted notice in the first place.

"Where we are right now is, we're reviewing whether this is an appropriate project to do with rate-payers' money," said Edward Harrington, who became general manager of the PUC in March after 17 years heading the city's chief accounting office.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Oh my goodness. This sounds like a case of a utopian dream that runs up against real world problems in trying to implement that dream of clean green power.

[American in Israel]

Serves as an example of Barry Obama’s idea of green. He is going to make many new jobs, by taxing many more out of existence all to make a Utopian green energy plan.

The only problem is reality. Only governments can build idealistically, the rest of us are forced to build realistically. And a lot smaller now that the idealists are running our congress.

Pelosi is going to show us that we don't need hydrocarbon fuel by forcing us to buy her natural gas. She wants to save the planet and get rich at the same time, even if it drives America into a depression.

[steelyourfaith]

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !