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Legislation Currently Being Debated in the 2017 Virginia Assembly Seeks to Correct Federal Injustice and Save Virginia Jobs

Richmond, Virginia, 2017-Jan-19 — /EPR ENERGY NEWS/ — Two Bills introduced into the Virginia General assembly last week raise the hopes of many. Hundreds of Virginians will lose their jobs over the coming months due to inaction on the federal level.

Virginia HB 1891 and SB 1392 seek to remedy the situation.

For years geothermal heat pumps, solar panels and wind turbines were treated as a triad and equally endorsed and supported by the government’s 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. When the Tax Credit was extended in late 2015 for solar and wind it left out Geothermal. Nancy Pelosi and other leaders immediately stated it was a drafting error that would be corrected ASAP. That never happened and we are left wondering, why?

“The government shouldn’t be in the business of picking winners and losers” Virginia Geothermal Heat Pump Association Director Richard Lay said recently. “We compete for the same consumers dollars. When the long standing Federal tax credit was extended last year for solar and wind and geothermal was omitted, we were left with an unfair playing field. Geothermal works better for Virginia than solar or wind. The return on investment is not even close. Side by side we beat them every time, but now our product is $1.00 and theirs is 70¢ and hundreds of people in the VA geothermal industry will lose their jobs because of it.”

Candidates for VA governor in 2017 Republican Senator Frank Wagner (7th district) and Republican Delegate Timothy Hugo (40th district) introduced bills last week to remedy this situation. Whether current state budget deficits keep them from being successful remains to be seen.

Contact-Details:

Virginia Geothermal Heat Pump Association,
12210 Fairfax Town Center Suite 500, Fairfax VA 22033
877-GET-GEO1 (438-4361)
Richard.L@virginiageothermalHPA.org
VirginiaGeothermalHPA.org

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Russ Allen, author of the new book Electrocution of America: Is Your Utility Company Out to Kill You?

With just a few months before President-elect Barack Obama takes over the White House, one expert is questioning whether his plan for infrastructure reform is complete. 

Months ago, Obama called for the creation of a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to help rebuild America’s roads and bridges.

Russ Allen, author of the new book Electrocution of America: Is Your Utility Company Out to Kill You?, says the plan ought to include provisions for dealing with a little-known but serious form of electrical pollution called “stray current.”

“The way that utility companies in this country have built their distribution systems allows stray current to run through American homes and infrastructure on its way back to substations,” says Allen. “That stray current has killed people as well as livestock, and could be taxing the healthcare system by causing illness.”

More and more lawsuits across the nation are being won by plaintiffs who are suing utility companies over this dangerous issue. 

Mr. Allen says that Obama’s plan should include legislation that mandates utility companies return stray current to their substations on a third wire, just as the builders of homes are required to install outlets with a third wire. “If stray current isn’t stopped, Americans will continue to suffer its effects,” says Mr. Allen.

Some states, including Wisconsin, Michigan and New York, have already tried to pass legislation requiring that utility companies monitor stray current but many of those attempts have fallen short. The attempted legislation followed studies that confirmed the dangers of stray current.

Electrocution of America is Mr. Allen’s attempt to combat stray voltage and the utilities that allow it. In his book, he points out that stray current, or stray voltage as it is sometimes called, can have devastating effects on people, including:
• An increase in the blood sugar levels of diabetics
• An increase in the severity of the symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis
• An increase in the incidents of ADD in children
• An increase in the numbers of fibromyalgia sufferers

There is even evidence of a reduction in the milk production of livestock.

Russ Allen is one of the heirs to the Allen Dairy Farm outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and a leader in the movement against the electrical pollution of animals. He won a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Wisconsin Public Service for the damage they caused to his dairy herd with the design of their distribution system.

Electrocution of America: Is Your Utility Company Out to Kill You? can be found on:

For more information, contact the author directly at allen4568@sbcglobal.net.

GLENMORE BOOKS and author Russ Allen chose Arbor Books (www.ArborBooks.com) to design and promote Electrocution of America: Is Your Utility Company Out to Kill You? Arbor Books is an internationally renowned, full-service book design, ghostwriting and marketing firm. 

(Electrocution of America: Is Your Utility Company Out to Kill You? by Russ Allen; ISBN: 0-9779685-0-2; $22.95; softcover; 5½” x 8½”; 406 pages; GLENMORE BOOKS)

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