Fresh Loaf

Our federal overlords are currently mulling climate change legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thus reducing the impact of global warming. (They’re doing it for the children, ya skeptics.) Some carbon belchers — as well as some Republicans — aren’t thrilled about the bill.

According to a study reported by E&E, a subscription-based energy industry and policy publication, Atlanta-based Southern Co. would be hardest hit if the legislation passes. The article’s only available to subscribers, but here’s a snippet:

Atlanta-based Southern Co. will suffer most from a federal carbon cap-and-trade system, facing $393 million in costs to comply with legislation to curb emissions of greenhouse gases, according to a new study by Point Carbon, a carbon market information firm. Two other energy producers, American Electric Power and Duke Energy, round out the top three firms in the nation facing the most risk, with those two companies expecting to incur costs of $252 million and $125 million, respectively, Point Carbon analysts said.

In an attempt to flesh out the “winners and losers” of federal cap and trade, analysts zeroed in on 18 companies that are expected to represent 40 percent of any future U.S. market in emissions allowances. Southern Co. is characterized as the worst off, while Chicago-based Exelon Corp. is seen as the best off. Point Carbon believes Exelon, the nation’s biggest nuclear power producer, could actually see net revenues of $1.7 billion from the sale of its surplus allowances.

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Much like its subsidiary Georgia Power did under the Gold Dome with its controversial Plant Vogtle bill earlier this year, Atlanta-based Southern Co. has cranked up production in its lobbyist factory and ordered more than 60 well-dressed foot soldiers to march through the halls of Congress.

Their mission: Twist lawmakers’ arms about the global warming bill that last week narrowly passed the House and is on its way to the Senate.

From the Center for Public Integrity:

Southern Company, the nation’s largest electric power generator, also had the largest force of lobbyists among the hundreds of businesses and interest groups that were seeking to influence the landmark climate change legislation that just passed the House.

With 63 lobbyists, the Atlanta-based energy giant had nearly twice as many climate lobbyists as any other company or organization, according to registration statements filed with the Senate Office of Public Records for the first quarter of 2009. (The second quarter filings won’t be available for a few weeks.) Eleven of Southern’s climate representatives were in-house, while the rest came from a dozen different lobbying shops.

It’s for good reason, too. The center reports that “more than 80 percent of the 200 million megawatt hours of electricity [Southern Co.'s] plants generate annually is fired by fossil fuel — the main source of greenhouse gases.” Should the bill pass, it could greatly impact Southern Co.’s — and in the process, your — bottom line.

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The U.S. House narrowly passed the cap-and-trade bill late Friday, and it didn’t take long for Georgia’s own Congressman Paul Broun, R-Flat Earth, to be singled out as the nuttiest of the naysayers.

Why, you ask? Because of statements like this, made from the well:

“The idea of human-induced global climate change is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated out of the scientific community.”

So, Nobel Prize-winning economist and NYT columnist Paul Krugman, what was your take on Broun’s remarks?

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The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Waxman-Markey bill, a piece of legislation aimed at curbing global warming through energy-efficiency standards, clean energy technologies and a cap-and-trade system.

And despite the bill’s good intentions, not everyone’s exactly thrilled with what it contains.

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The U.S. House of Representatives has begun debating one of the most monumental energy and environmental bills it’s ever considered.

The legislation, the so-called Waxman-Markey bill, is a measure to help curb global warming by pushing for more energy efficiency, renewable energy standards, and limiting carbon emissions from industries and utilities. Its most controversial provision includes placing a cap-and-trade policy in which carbon emissions could be bought and sold. The Associated Press has a concise rundown of the bill.

Environmentalists have heralded the bill as a necessity at a time when climate experts say action must be taken within years. The Sierra Club has its list of its advantages — as well as what could be improved — on its website. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy applauded lawmakers for its efforts, but said the cap-and-trade policy could essentially create a polluters’ market.

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Two more utilities have backed out of a coalition that wants to build a proposed coal-fired power plant in Washington County, Ga.

From the Macon Telegraph:

Electric cooperatives representing half the stake in a proposed coal-fired power plant in Middle Georgia have pulled out of the deal, electric membership corporations confirmed Tuesday.

The $2.1 billion Plant Washington project is being developed for a site eight miles north of Sandersville by Power4Georgians, which originally consisted of 10 partner EMCs. The two with the largest stakes, Jackson and GrayStone Power, have pulled out, as have the smaller Excelsior and Diverse Power.

All the cooperatives that have stepped away from the plant cited uncertainty about future federal regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired plants, which seems eminent.

…

The four EMCs that withdrew represented 50 percent to 55 percent of the total stake in the plant, said Chip Stewart with Cookerly Public Relations, which represents Power4Georgians.

The Telegraph has a thorough report as to why the EMCs are leaving the project. Check it out.

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Two Georgia utilities have backed out of a coalition that wants to build a  coal-fired power plant in Washington County, Ga.

GreyStone Power and Excelsior Electric Membership Corporation’s exit from the $2.2 billion project now leaves eight investors, all EMCs, to pay for the 850 MW plant.

From the AJC:

Led by Cobb EMC, the project was a departure for the state’s electric cooperatives. Co-ops distribute power in Georgia, but had not built a large-scale generating plant before.

GreyStone cited an uncertain regulatory environment in Washington for the decision.

…

Dean Alford, a spokesman for the coalition, said the remaining co-ops are committed to the project. In a statement, the coalition said Georgia’s future energy needs can’t be met without coal.

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For one hour on Saturday, more than 400 buildings in metro Atlanta — along with 1,500 cities in more than 80 countries — will shut off their lights to participate in Earth Hour, a worldwide event to raise awareness about the impact our energy usage has on global warming.

Many trademark buildings, including the Fox Theater and Midtown’s Bank of America building, will participate in the event. Organized by the World Wildlife Fund in cooperation with the City of Atlanta, tomorrow’s event marks the second year the city’s participated in Earth Hour. The lights will go dark from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.

For the best view of the darkened city skyline during Earth Hour, I recommend the Jackson Street bridge that stretches over Freedom Parkway. If you have some good suggestions, leave ‘em in the comments.

(Homepage photo courtesy Flickr user highsmith)

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The answer: 540,000 metric tonnes, equivalent to the household energy use of 150,000 Atlanta residents or 98,000 passenger vehicles. That’s according to Georgia Tech professors and students who helped the city analyze its annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Mayor Shirley Franklin announced the city’s carbon footprint in conjunction with the inaugural report by Sustainable Atlanta, the city’s partner project with a consulting firm. Franklin has set a goal to reduce the city’s carbon emissions seven percent by 2012. The next step involves creating an Atlanta Climate Action Plan.

Some goals — as well as some hopes for Obamabucks — are after the jump.

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And, apparently, a comedian.

Never mind that in the month of December, Atlanta’s high was well over 60 degrees on 14 different days — and that it broke into the 70s on three of them.

Not exactly snuggling weather.

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Dynegy, a Texas-based energy company that proposed what would’ve been Georgia’s first new coal power plant in 20 years, announced today that it has pulled out of the project.

From a company press release:

Dynegy Inc. (NYSE:DYN) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with LS Power Associates, L.P. to dissolve the two companies’ development joint venture. Under the terms of the dissolution, Dynegy will acquire exclusive rights, ownership and developmental control of all repowering or expansion opportunities related to its existing portfolio of operating assets. LS Power will acquire full ownership and developmental rights associated with various “greenfield” projects under consideration in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan and Nevada, as well as other power generation and transmission development projects not related to Dynegy’s existing operating portfolio of assets.

The reason?

“The development landscape has changed significantly since we agreed to enter into the development joint venture with LS Power in the fall of 2006,” said Bruce A. Williamson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dynegy Inc. “Today, the development of new generation is increasingly marked by barriers to entry including external credit and regulatory factors that make development much more uncertain. In light of these market circumstances, Dynegy has elected to focus development activities and investments around our own portfolio where we control the option to develop and can manage the costs being incurred more closely.”

Or, in English: These plants are damn hard to finance and risky at a time when federal carbon legislation seems increasingly likely.

The proposed Early County plant — called Plant Longleaf — generated national headlines this summer when a Fulton County Superior Court judge ruled that the state Environmental Protection Division needed to take carbon emissions into account during the permitting process. That ruling — the first of its kind in the United States — was appealed by Dynegy. A company spokesman told CL that LS Power, the energy company’s partner in the Early County project, is now in control of Plant Longleaf’s development. An LS Power spokesperson was not available for comment. We’ll update when we hear word.

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Students and faculty at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School may have the luxury of being mere footsteps from all the downtown salad bars and panhandlers one could hope for, but they have the misfortune of being located in one of the Georgia Building Authority’s properties.

The state agency, forced to scale back expenses in light of Georgia’s $1.6 billion shortfall, recently started setting thermostats in the school’s building to Hades highs. Come winter they’ll be set to Siberian lows. (ba-da-zing!)

From an e-mail addressed to what seems like 98,324 people, according to the recipient list, sent out by an employee who’s got a good sense of humor about something totally out of their control :

Good warmer afternoon all,

I have had many complains/questions/concerns today regarding the warm offices/work areas and the only answer I had for each caller was, “We are going green”.

I know I, as many of you, have become accustom to having much cooler office temperatures. However, as of yesterday, September 2, 2008, the luxury of cooler office temperature may now be referred to as ‘the good old days’….

Copied below is GBA’s reminder of the new regulations and recommend practices….

And now, the rest is up to you!

If you have any questions/concerns regarding this matter, please
contact me.

Ah, yes. When the state goes broke, we gotta ‘go green.’ Perhaps if the governor and his bean counters weren’t so optimistic in their revenue projections, we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with, eh? And just what temperature is the governor’s mansion these days, boss? How about retrofitting those windows down there with some insulated models? Fret not, students and faculty of GSU, for we feel your pain. Or at least I do. I sleep in my car, with the engine running, Japanese-engineered air conditioning blowing on my face. Gas bills are a pain but I wake up to the sunrise!

After the jump, the e-mail from the authority to its sweltering tenants.

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Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore has reversed a ruling that would’ve allowed the first coal power plant in the state in 20 years to be built in Early County, putting the brakes on the idea. The case now goes back to a lower court for a hearing.

Click here to read the judge’s ruling.

More details to come. A spokesperson for Dynegy, one of the companies building the plant, said he had not yet seen the ruling. GreenLaw, the environmental law firm who helped fight the plant, is expected to comment later today.

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It takes money to make money. And when you’re Atlanta-based carbon king Southern Co., it takes even more money to maintain the status quo.

The ever entertaining and informative Joe Romm at ClimateProgress passes on news of the hometown mom-and-pop business.

The nation’s energy bill is now about a trillion dollars. That means the super-rich fossil fuel companies have enormous profits they can spend on lobbying to ensure their continued dominance. How much? Jeff Goodell has the answer here:

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The 800-pound gorilla in coal politics has long been The Southern Company, the big Atlanta-based coal-burning electric utility.

Once again, Southern didn’t disappoint its friends, doling out $2.8 million in lobbying expenses in Q1 of 2008. That’s close to surpassing the All-Time Lobbying Champion of the Fossil Fuel Industry, ExxonMobil, which spent $3 million in the same period.

Last year, the company spent $14 million on handshakes and head nods in Washington, D.C.

UPDATE: Forgot to even mention this. Romm also points out that the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity — a King Coal front group  — spent $1.9 million in the first quarter. The Solar Energies Industries Association, in comparison, spent $75,000.

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It’s hard to miss the opponents of coal-fired power plants — they’re decked out in bright colors, holding signs warning of the hazards of the carbon-belching behemoths, and are large in number when the chance arises to trumpet their cause. Those who support the nation’s cheapest and most predominant power providers wear suits, travel in stealth mode, and have high-dollar lawyers do all the talking for them.

That was the case this morning in Fulton County Superior Court when Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore presided over a packed courtroom to hear arguments over Georgia’s first coal-fired power plant in 20 years.

Houston-based Dynegy and LS Power plan to build the plant in southwest Georgia near Albany. Lawyers from the environmental law firm GreenLaw representing the Sierra Club and Friends of the Chattahoochee argued that the 1,200-megawatt plant would not regulate the estimated 9 million tons of carbon dioxide — a greenhouse gas and chief culprit of global warming — and be in violation of state and federal law. Also of concern was the permitting process conducted by the state Environmental Protection Division.

The proposed plant has been called both a Godsend and a curse for impoverished Early County, one of the poorest in Georgia. Proponents for the $2-billion plant argue that it will create 750 construction jobs and 100 permanent positions and in years would become the county’s largest taxpayer. Critics point to the fact that its presence would result in a health hazard for its citizens and the rest of the state, ultimately stunting the county from making any real gains in the future. That’s not to mention the concerns about global warming.

Lawyers from Longleaf argued that while the issue of global warming and the impact of coal-fired power plants needs to be addressed, the discussion should not take place in the courtroom. They argued that critics were using the court to push that discussion and that it’s a policy decision best left to policymakers such as the Georgia General Assembly and the U.S. Congress.

The state is still in denial as to whether global warming even exists. The U.S. Senate, however, is beginning such a discussion this week, one which President Bush is expected to veto if it proves successful in bringing about change to the country’s current stance on global warming.

Moore is expected to deliver a ruling in 30 days.

“No one can be employed if they’re falling down dying,” she said, adding that she had 19 boxes of documents sitting in the clerk’s office that she needed to examine. “We need to look at both the economy and the environment. That’s what I will do.”

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There was some confusion last week about a recent Brookings Institution study that calculated the carbon footprints of 100 metropolitan areas in the United States. Mainly, it revolved around the news that metro Atlanta had shown improvement in 2000-2005 and actually lessened its impact on the environment whereas other metropolitan areas did not. This was surprising because the region hasn’t expanded its public transit system, made sweeping advances in energy-efficiency, or seen drastic changes in land-use planning.

After the jump, view the methodology with emphasis added.

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Like breathing clean air? Don’t want to inhale toxins? You might want to keep your eyes peeled on Fulton County Superior Court tomorrow.

Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore will hear arguments over whether coal power plants should regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant and harmful to humans. The argument stems from the state Environmental Protection Division’s decision to issue an air pollution permit to Dynegy, the nation’s largest plant builder, for its proposed plant in impoverished Early County. The 1,200-megawatt plant slated to be built on the banks of the Chattahoochee in southwest Georgia is estimated to emit 9 million tons of CO2 every year — the equivalent of 1.5 million cars driving 12,000 miles each year.

A group of environmental groups including the Sierra Club and the Friends of the Chattahoochee are fighting the plant. GreenLaw, an Atlanta-based environmental law firm, is arguing the case. The judge’s ruling — which is expected within 30 days of the hearing — could halt or suspend the plant’s construction.

The hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. at at the Fulton County Superior Court located at 185 Central Avenue, Atlanta, GA.

For more information about the case, click here.

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LEAVING ONLY FOOTPRINTS: Cityfolk have smaller carbon footprints than residents of more rural areas, according to a study released today by the Brookings Institution. But the lower carbon output is tied to density, meaning Atlanta is on the low end of the ecofriendliness.

UNCONVENTIONAL: Dems’ rules committee will meet Saturday to decide what to do with precocious Florida and Michigan and their convention-hungry delegates.

SUND RISES: The Hawks hire former SuperSonics GM Rick Sund, who faces an offseason with no draft picks, two players with expiring contracts and a head coach whose contract is up in a month. His hiring has flustered some fans, including this Bleacher Report writer who was driven to mix metaphors (”I don’t trust this guy with a ten foot pole”), not to mention write a headline I can’t bring myself to repeat here.

WALK IT OUT: Rookie cops begin foot patrols in two Atlanta police zones, per the recommendation of City Councilman Ceasar Mitchell.

UNION DON’TS: Not enough Delta flight attendants vote to unionize.

CHANGE WE CAN COMMUTE IN: DOT Director Gena Abraham promises innovation and change in metro Atlanta’s transportation quagmire while addressing the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Wednesday.

DRUG MULE: Sentenced to 25 years in prison for driving with a kilo of cocaine and a gun, which she says she didn’t know were in the car. Her lawyer says the sentence, which is the mandatory minimum, is too high even if she had known.

MONKEY THINK, MONKEY DO: A new study advances the teaching-animals-to-control-robotic-arms-with-just-their-brains research, as two macaques have apparently adopted a robotic arm as their own, improvising and reacting to stimuli in real time.

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“We must have zero-emission vehicles. Nothing else will prevent the world from exploding.”

— Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, speaking to The Economist about the importance of the electric cars his company plans to sell in the U.S. starting in 2010.

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Far be it from Gov. Sonny Perdue to decline an invitation to travel. A weekend in Connecticut might’ve even been a nice change of scenery for the state’s chief executive.

On Friday, Yale University will host the centennial Conference of Governors on Climate Change. The first event, organized by President Theodore Roosevelt, is largely credited for kicking off the conservation movement. Eight governors — ranging from nearby New Jersey to far-flung California — and R.K. Pachauri, chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will be in attendance. But not Perdue, even though he was invited.

Now, Perdue’s not alone. Judging by the number of governors scheduled to attend the event, 42 others declined the invitation. The event’s organizers say Perdue even sent a polite letter informing them he would not make it. Chief Rainmaker instead went to the annual Republican Governors Association conference in Texas to jawbone about energy policy. In June, he’ll moderate a forum in Atlanta for the association that’ll discuss “how pro-environmental policies are good for business.”

Plus, Perdue’s got a good reason. On Friday, the governor will host Aga Kahn. Who is Aga Khan? He’s the spiritual leader of more than 20 million Ismaili Muslims and, according to CNN, is considered by his followers to be the final authority on interpretation of the Quran.

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Yo! Satan called and wanted to let everyone know that Hell’s getting frigid.

According to the Washington Times, the venerable right-leaning publication owned by a verifiable God, the Bush administration may push the U.S. Congress to pass a bill this week calling for action on global warming. The article says it wouldn’t be toothless resolution either, but a specific proposal aimed at reducing the nation’s contribution to the phenomenon. Better late than never?

So sayeth the paper of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon:

Bush administration officials have told Republicans in Congress that they feel pressure to act now because they fear a coming regulatory nightmare. It would be the first time Mr. Bush has called for statutory authority on the subject.

“This is an attempt to move the administration and the party closer to the center on global warming. With these steps, it is hoped that the debate over this is over, and it is time to do something,” said an administration source close to the White House who is familiar with the planning and who said to expect an announcement this week…”

Still, Republican members of Congress who were briefed last week let top administration officials know that they think the White House is making a mistake, according to congressional sources and others familiar with the discussions. Opponents said Mr. Bush could be setting off runaway legislation, particularly with Democrats in control of Congress.

Rumors vary as to whether it’ll be sector specific — say, forcing utilities to adopt a cap-and-trade system similar to that used in Europe — or a broad sweeping plan. Critics quoted in the article claim that the United States is already at the front of reducing CO2 emissions — something I find hard to believe — and that because of Europe’s system, the nation has been plucking manufacturing jobs because its less-regulative milieu is less harmful to the economy.

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A group of scientists at Purdue University have finally made visuals from the numbers, depicting in real-time what the United States’ carbon dioxide emissions from the utility, transportation and industry sectors actually look like. What you will watch below is literally the heartbeat of America.

The video vividly illustrates the concentration of power plants and the massive CO2 output from dense population centers, particularly in the eastern half of the nation. No wonder Colorado, Montana and Idaho are so picturesque — watch and you’ll see what I mean.

Georgia’s contribution is substantial, which shouldn’t be surprising in light of the fact that we’ve got three of the biggest carbon-belching coal-fired power plants in the country. Scientists say the methods used to create the video could be employed to provide real-time monitoring of CO2 emissions, pinpointed to the source.

(Thanks to Andrew Revkin of the New York Times for spotting this.)

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By Philip Shone:

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Earth Hour, Saturday night’s voluntary power-down that covered cities around the world for 60 minutes of darkness, did reduce electricity usage. But only by a bit.

Georgia Power says:

ATLANTA – Georgia Power customers in Atlanta decreased their electricity usage by nearly 4 percent during Earth Hour on Saturday night, March 29. The average reduction during the hour was 7.05 megawatt-hours, or enough electricity to serve 1,750 homes.

The downtown Atlanta grid saw the 4 percent reduction at the midpoint of the 8-9 p.m. ET hour, when the majority of interior and external building lights were off.

The results were based on usage data from previous similar time frames.

That’s far less than the 10 percent reduction Sydney boasted during last year’s event. And this year, there’s an angry Aussie chap awesomely named “Andrew Bolt” who says the event was unsuccessful.

But hey, even if we didn’t have 60 minutes of energy-free bliss, the occasion gave many celebratory drinkers and people looking for a reason to party to turn off the lights and play beer pong by candlelight. And that, my friends, is what counts.

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The Night Atlanta Goes Dark is fast approaching. Throughout the city limits, Ryder and U-Haul trucks sit idling in driveways, tailgates open to reveal the bare necessities of families rushing to flee the coming shadow that will blanket the city. Manic street preachers shriek about the End of Days. Chaos is to come.

Whoa. Sorry, forgot this wasn’t my post-Apocalyptic blog. But really, on Friday at 11:30 a.m., Mayor Shirley Franklin will host an Earth Hour rally at City Hall. Joined by representatives from Creaxion, the firm organizing the worldwide shut-off of lights to raise awareness about global warming, as well as the city’s director of the Sustainable Atlanta initiative, Franklin will call for residents and businesses to participate this Saturday by powering down 8-9 p.m. Much of the city’s skyline will go dark. Georgia Power will monitor electricity usage during the event and word is that NASA will be snapping photos from way up high. We may not look like North Korea, but it’ll be interesting to see nonetheless.

If you plan to attend and don’t want to wait until Saturday to go easy on the environment, consider using MARTA to get downtown. To chart the best possible route from anywhere in the city, click here.

For more information about Earth Hour and to see the list of participating businesses and buildings, click here.

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