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Philadelphia Briefs
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: News
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Rendell Proposes Energy Plan, Links it to Iraq
Governor Ed Rendell proposed his energy plan to the Harrisburg State Legislature on September 24 and urged the members by connecting Pennsylvania's current plan to the war in Iraq. Rendell's plan calls for $850 million to be put into an Energy Independence Fund. $500 million of this fund will be invested into clean-energy products, such as bio-fuel plants, solar power, and advanced fuel technologies. Another $100 million dollars will be used to expand clean-energy production and attract private firms. The plan would also contain grants to reimburse homeowners and small businesses up to half the cost for installing solar panels and rebates for buying energy-efficient appliances.
Rendell linked the need for this plan to Iraq. "The decisions we make about energy affect almost every aspect of our lives. But more and more, energy issues affect our basic economic health and our national security - the issues that are at the core of every nation's well being," Rendell said in a Philadelphia Inquirer article on September 25. He also held a moment of silence for the 189 Pennsylvanian's who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
PHEAA Leader will leave in December
Dick Willey, the 61-year-old president and chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) since 2002, has announced his plan to retire on December 31. Willey cited his retirement had to do with reaching goals that he set out when he started five years ago, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer article on September 26. However, Willey's retirement announcement comes at a time when the student loan agency has been criticized by Governor Ed Rendell and others over its spending practices. Willey's base salary is $289,000, but he also was awarded an $181,000 bonus just last month.
The board hopes to name a replacement by the end of the year. Board members have been criticized for their spending on travel and executive bonuses. Board members, staffers, and guests spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on trips to exclusive resorts between 2000 and 2005, according to the article. The board apparently created a stricter travel policy after this had been discovered, but are being scrutinized again in 2007 for awarding bonuses like the one given to Willey.
Governor Ed Rendell proposed his energy plan to the Harrisburg State Legislature on September 24 and urged the members by connecting Pennsylvania's current plan to the war in Iraq. Rendell's plan calls for $850 million to be put into an Energy Independence Fund. $500 million of this fund will be invested into clean-energy products, such as bio-fuel plants, solar power, and advanced fuel technologies. Another $100 million dollars will be used to expand clean-energy production and attract private firms. The plan would also contain grants to reimburse homeowners and small businesses up to half the cost for installing solar panels and rebates for buying energy-efficient appliances.
Rendell linked the need for this plan to Iraq. "The decisions we make about energy affect almost every aspect of our lives. But more and more, energy issues affect our basic economic health and our national security - the issues that are at the core of every nation's well being," Rendell said in a Philadelphia Inquirer article on September 25. He also held a moment of silence for the 189 Pennsylvanian's who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
PHEAA Leader will leave in December
Dick Willey, the 61-year-old president and chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) since 2002, has announced his plan to retire on December 31. Willey cited his retirement had to do with reaching goals that he set out when he started five years ago, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer article on September 26. However, Willey's retirement announcement comes at a time when the student loan agency has been criticized by Governor Ed Rendell and others over its spending practices. Willey's base salary is $289,000, but he also was awarded an $181,000 bonus just last month.
The board hopes to name a replacement by the end of the year. Board members have been criticized for their spending on travel and executive bonuses. Board members, staffers, and guests spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on trips to exclusive resorts between 2000 and 2005, according to the article. The board apparently created a stricter travel policy after this had been discovered, but are being scrutinized again in 2007 for awarding bonuses like the one given to Willey.
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