Council hits back at claims they asked for too much

BUNDABERG Regional Council is formally seeking feedback from the Australian Government on its Round 2 submission for funding through the National Stronger Regions Fund after missing out on federal assistance for critical infrastructure to support the region’s economic development.

Bundaberg Regional Council said while it was appreciative of funding received through a range of federal programs, Mayor Mal Forman is dismayed that the region has not been able to secure any funding through the Stronger Regions program to assist with the $71 million Rubyanna Wastewater Treatment Plant construction, which she said would generate 640 jobs for the region.

“The objective of the National Stronger Regions Fund is to ‘support economic growth and sustainability of regions across Australia, especially disadvantaged regions, by supporting investment in priority infrastructure’,” he said. For the full article click here 

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ComEd Project Could Bring Hundreds of Jobs to Northern Illinois

ROCKFORD (WIFR) — More jobs are expected to come to the Stateline thanks to a multi-million dollar project that’s also expected to keep our lights on during storms.

ComEd is planning to develop six microgrids around the Rockford region, including at the Chicago Rockford International Airport. It’s a project that would employ 300-400 people over the next few years.

The microgrids strengthen the reliability of the main grid, meaning we’re more likely to have electricity during extreme weather or an emergency.

If you lose large portions of the big power grid, you still have critical infrastructure. In our mind, it’s hospitals, it’s water, transportation, emergency response, you still have those pockets of critical infrastructure that are up and running,” says ComEd President and CEO Pramaggiore. For the full article click here 

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Several Microgrids Could Pop up across Northern Illinois in Years to Come

More than one hundred gathered at the Chicago Rockford International Airport to hear ComEd announce its plan to construct six microgrids across Northern Illinois–something the company is calling a groundbreaking technology.

A microgrid is a small power grid that connects to the main grid. It can also operate independently. They strengthen the reliability and resiliency of the grid, making it more difficult for areas to lose power.

But where do you construct the grids?

ComEd is going to place them near what they consider to be vital infrastructure areas.

“In our mind, it’s hospitals, it’s water, it’s transportation, it’s emergency response. You still have those pockets of critical infrastructure that are up and running,” says Anne Pramaggiore, President & CEO, ComEd.

This includes the Chicago Rockford International Airport, which has local officials excited.

Larry Morrissey – Mayor, City of Rockford For the full article click here 

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Productivity Commission investigation critical

“The Productivity Commission’s Better Urban Planning issues paper zeroes in on some of the biggest issues that contribute to rising housing costs, congestion, infrastructure deficiencies and poor environmental outcomes,” says Stephen Selwood CEO of the New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development.

“The Commission is seeking feedback on changes to the principal laws which guide urban planning and development – the Resource Management Act, Local Government Act and Land Transport Management Act.

“District plans, council long term and annual plans, regional transport strategies and a range of other essential public documents which determine rates and transport spending, as well as what your community looks and feels like all fall under these three Acts.

“Currently decisions about land use planning and consenting for development, roads, water and other critical infrastructure are made under the RMA. But decisions about public investment for these same activities are made under the LTMA and the LGA. For the full article click here 

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​Hardware Trojan: Australia under threat?

In 2012, the Australian Federal Government placed significant pressure on relations with Beijing as it prevented the Chinese telecommunications giant, Huawei, from tendering for the National Broadband Network (NBN). Due to the apparent intimate relationship between Huawei and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), fears were raised over the potential for hardware backdoor capabilities in the NBN to facilitate China’s growing cyber espionage. Prime Minister Julia Gillard stated, “The National Broadband Network is a piece of critical infrastructure, it is the future of our nation’s telecommunications. You would expect that as a government we would make the appropriate decisions to protect that critical infrastructure, and we have.” While this decision was applauded by domestic and international security organisations, Australia has an unbalanced risk based approach to cyber resilience. The lack of security in the cyber supply chain places Australia under threat from state-sponsored malicious networks. For the full article click here 

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Devon Energy Corp. Unveils Bold Moves to Sharpen its Focus

Talk about a merger Monday for Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN). The North American-focused driller, and its affiliates EnLink Midstream Partners (NYSE:ENLK) and EnLink Midstream, LLC (NYSE:ENLC), announced not one, but three separate transactions all designed to bulk up the company’s core position in two emerging energy basins. In addition to that the company also announced that it will subsequently trim away some of its non-core positions so that it doesn’t diminish its solid financial position amid the worst downturn in the oil market in years. With these deals Devon has secured compelling positions to drive growth today and in the future.

Details on the deals
Reports surfaced last week that something was brewing at Devon Energy with Reuters reporting that Devon was in talks to buy privately held Felix Energy for around $2 billion in cash-and-stock. That deal was subsequently finalized and announced on Monday with Devon shelling out $1.9 billion for Felix, which would give it access to another 80,000 net acres in the STACK play within the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma. However, in addition to that deal, Devon Energy also announced that it was acquiring 253,000 net acres in the Powder River Basin for $600 million. In total, the company is issuing $1.35 billion in equity to the sellers and $1.15 billion in cash to seal these two deals. For the full article click here 

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Spokane Selected for National Smart City Program

SPOKANE, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Spokane has been selected to be among the first 10 cities in America to participate in a program sponsored by Envision America. As part of the selection, Spokane will join 9 other cities in an intensive workshop as well as a yearlong technical support program. Spokane is being recognized for its efforts in becoming a safer, stronger and smarter city. Formation of Envision America, a national nonprofit, was announced in September of this year during a White House event in which the Administration announced a new “Smart Cities” Initiative to help communities tackle local challenges and improve city services. Envision America, based on the success of Envision Charlotte, focuses on challenging America’s cities to become smarter by accelerating deployment of innovative technologies that tackle energy, water, waste, and air challenges.We are proud to be a founding partner in this effort that is helping Spokane drive innovation and create new opportunities for the community,” said Philip Mezey, President and CEO of Itron. “This selection highlights the resourcefulness being applied in Spokane while demonstrating the development potential of the University District.” For the full article click here 

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