| New Jersey lawmaker pushing for windmills on piers |
| News - Financial News |
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--(www.FinancialNewsUSA.com)-- 11/28/2009 - Economy industry news provided by Financial News USA. One New Jersey lawmaker wants to add a new attraction to amusement parks along the Jersey shore: windmills. State Sen. Jeff Van Drew is pushing to change state regulations to allow the construction of power-generating windmills on amusement piers. The Cape May Democrat has introduced legislation that would change coastal regulations that now prohibit energy facilities within 500 feet of the high tide line. Van Drew says the restrictions are outdated, and that easing rules on environmentally friendly sources of power makes economic sense. "Every time we put a windmill in, or a solar panel field, we're relying on Mideast oil that much less," he said. Nearly three years after jobs started vanishing in Rhode Island at an alarming pace, House lawmakers will gather Tuesday for their first forum on one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. The meeting comes after unemployment in Rhode Island climbed to 12.9 percent in October, worse than all other states except Michigan and Nevada. Economists expect the jobless rate in Rhode Island to peak near 14 percent next year. Lawmakers in the General Assembly promised to focus foremost on the state's economic crisis when their session began in January. Besides overhauling the leadership of the state's Economic Development Corp. and passing legislation meant to spur the development of a wind farm, their track record has been weak. A wildlife advocacy group Friday asked President Barack Obama to end aerial gunning of coyotes and other predators, citing an Idaho incident where a shotgun-wielding parachutist illegally fired on a wolf. New Mexico-based WildEarth Guardians' 39-page petition also urges Obama to banish spring-loaded cyanide devices and other predator poisoning methods from public lands, calling them dangerous and indiscriminate. In June, an eastern Idaho sheep rancher fired on a wolf while piloting a powered parachute above a 160-acre sheep pen. It's unclear if the animal was hit. Wolves in Idaho are considered big game, not predators, so shooting them from the sky is illegal even with a state-issued airborne predator control permit that covers animals such as coyotes. No charges were filed, but WildEarth Guardians said the Idaho case shows federal agencies have lost control of aerial shooting. The group also contends airborne predator control programs run by the U.S. U.S. consumers turned out in strong numbers to hunt for holiday bargains on Black Friday, though many said they were spending selectively and industry executives questioned whether the momentum would last. The Friday after U.S. Thanksgiving is often the busiest shopping day of the holiday season, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the retail industry's annual sales. This year retailers and investors are paying close attention to signs of a consumer comeback that could propel the economy, after the 2008 holiday season saw the worst sales performance in nearly four decades. Retail analysts who hopped from mall to mall across the country on Friday saw larger crowds and said customers were toting more shopping bags than last year. About Financial News USA Financial News USA is a Next Generation Financial Communications firm focused on the distribution of market moving news. Financial News USA has developed leading edge e-publishing tools including programming proprietary RSS feeds and enabling open source press release publishing across its network. Financial News USA has been aggressively expanding its news distribution network by targeting direct feeds to financial news and data providers such as FinancialContent, Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO), among others. Financial News USA offers a free news feed available online (www.financialnewsusa.com) to websites and financial services looking for content and for individual investors looking to stay informed on the financial markets. Financial News USA and its affiliates charge each client cash for news distribution and may take an equity position in the companies mentioned herein, please visit the disclaimer at www.financialnewsusa.com. 
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