Latest news with #SB2
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Powering up Delaware: Nautilus Solar Energy and TurningPoint Energy Launch One of the First Solar Farms in Major Renewable Energy Portfolio
DOVER, Del., June 11, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC ("Nautilus") and TurningPoint Energy ("TPE") celebrated their collaboration on a new 4.7-megawatt direct current (MWdc) solar farm in Georgetown, Delaware on June 10, 2025, with a ribbon cutting event at the project site. The array is made up of nearly 9,000 solar modules and is part of a six-project, 30MWdc portfolio that has been developed by TPE and being built and operated by Nautilus. Distinguished guests, as well as executives from Nautilus and TPE, joined community members to mark the completion of the project. Construction was completed in early 2025 and is expected to begin delivering clean, renewable energy to customers within the Delmarva Power service territory in the next few months. This project is part of Delaware's Community Energy Facility Program that officially launched in April 2022 and signed into law via Senate Bill 2 (SB 2). This bill increased project size limits to 4 MWac and requires at least 15% of each project's capacity to serve low-income customers. "The opening of this community solar farm represents Nautilus's entrance in Delaware and our continued expansion of community solar across the United States," said Eric LaMora, Vice President of Community Solar at Nautilus. "TPE is a valued partner with Nautilus in our mission to make clean, affordable energy available to everyone, including low-income households and small businesses." "Today, we celebrate a milestone in our clean energy journey in Delaware — with the inaugural project that is part of Delaware's Community Energy Facility Program. This will be the first project to reach commercial operation as part of our $100M commitment to invest in the First State," said Salar Naini, President of TPE. This solar project will provide electric bill savings to residents, and other organizations that subscribe as part of the Community Energy Facility Program. Over its lifetime, this project is expected to generate approximately eight million kilowatt-hours annually, contributing to Delaware's goal of sourcing 40% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2035. "The use of solar and other renewable forms of energy is essential to protecting our life-sustaining natural world and its resources," said Sen. Stephanie Hansen. "We know that rising energy costs have been a major financial burden for countless Delaware families. Investing in additional, diverse, clean energy sources are not only a win for the environment, but a win in our ongoing effort to lower costs for our constituents and provide energy reliability." One of the local groups benefiting from the solar project is Springboard Delaware, a non-profit founded in 2020 to create innovative, affordable housing solutions that address the root causes of homelessness and promote long-term stability, health equity and upward mobility. Judson Malone, Co-Founder and Executive Director, said, "At Springboard Delaware, we believe housing stability and environmental sustainability go hand-in-hand. Being a beneficiary of this community solar project means we can lower our energy costs while advancing our mission to create safe, dignified housing for our most vulnerable neighbors. We're proud to be part of a project that reflects both economic and environmental justice." TPE and its partners are committed to making meaningful charitable community investments in every community where their solar projects are developed, including contributions to organizations like Springboard Delaware. These investments are designed to create lasting social value by supporting local nonprofits, educational initiatives and essential services. As part of this commitment, TPE has already contributed $100,000 toward its pledged $120,000 in community donations for this portfolio. With Nautilus matching the pledge, the total planned community investment will reach $240,000 upon completion of the portfolio's construction. About Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC Nautilus Solar Energy®, LLC is a leading community solar company, providing clean energy to residential and commercial customers in local communities. Nautilus operates and manages solar farms in 12 states and is responsible for financing, development, maintenance, and customer service for the lifetime of the project. Founded in 2006, Nautilus has helped shape the future of solar to provide an equitable and affordable renewable energy choice for all. Nautilus is owned by Power Sustainable, a wholly owned subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada. Power Sustainable is a multi-platform alternative asset manager with a long-term investment approach focused on sustainable strategies. For more information on Nautilus Solar Energy, visit About TurningPoint Energy TurningPoint Energy is a clean energy development, advisory and investment company with solar development projects underway throughout the United States. Its principals have experience developing solar projects for utility and community solar clients totaling more than $3 billion in value over 2 GW of operating solar power plants throughout the United States within the last decade. TurningPoint Energy is a lean, privately held firm that adapts to its clients' needs and finds ways to invest in its clients and their communities… at every turning point. For more information, please visit View source version on Contacts Media Inquiries:For Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC:Eric LaMoraVice President, Community SolarELaMora@ For TurningPoint Energy:Ildi SynhorstDirector of Marketing & Communicationsisynhorst@
Business Wire
11-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Powering up Delaware: Nautilus Solar Energy and TurningPoint Energy Launch One of the First Solar Farms in Major Renewable Energy Portfolio
DOVER, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC ('Nautilus') and TurningPoint Energy ('TPE') celebrated their collaboration on a new 4.7-megawatt direct current (MWdc) solar farm in Georgetown, Delaware on June 10, 2025, with a ribbon cutting event at the project site. The array is made up of nearly 9,000 solar modules and is part of a six-project, 30MWdc portfolio that has been developed by TPE and being built and operated by Nautilus. Distinguished guests, as well as executives from Nautilus and TPE, joined community members to mark the completion of the project. Construction was completed in early 2025 and is expected to begin delivering clean, renewable energy to customers within the Delmarva Power service territory in the next few months. This project is part of Delaware's Community Energy Facility Program that officially launched in April 2022 and signed into law via Senate Bill 2 (SB 2). This bill increased project size limits to 4 MWac and requires at least 15% of each project's capacity to serve low-income customers. 'The opening of this community solar farm represents Nautilus's entrance in Delaware and our continued expansion of community solar across the United States,' said Eric LaMora, Vice President of Community Solar at Nautilus. 'TPE is a valued partner with Nautilus in our mission to make clean, affordable energy available to everyone, including low-income households and small businesses.' 'Today, we celebrate a milestone in our clean energy journey in Delaware — with the inaugural project that is part of Delaware's Community Energy Facility Program. This will be the first project to reach commercial operation as part of our $100M commitment to invest in the First State,' said Salar Naini, President of TPE. This solar project will provide electric bill savings to residents, and other organizations that subscribe as part of the Community Energy Facility Program. Over its lifetime, this project is expected to generate approximately eight million kilowatt-hours annually, contributing to Delaware's goal of sourcing 40% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2035. "The use of solar and other renewable forms of energy is essential to protecting our life-sustaining natural world and its resources," said Sen. Stephanie Hansen. "We know that rising energy costs have been a major financial burden for countless Delaware families. Investing in additional, diverse, clean energy sources are not only a win for the environment, but a win in our ongoing effort to lower costs for our constituents and provide energy reliability." One of the local groups benefiting from the solar project is Springboard Delaware, a non-profit founded in 2020 to create innovative, affordable housing solutions that address the root causes of homelessness and promote long-term stability, health equity and upward mobility. Judson Malone, Co-Founder and Executive Director, said, 'At Springboard Delaware, we believe housing stability and environmental sustainability go hand-in-hand. Being a beneficiary of this community solar project means we can lower our energy costs while advancing our mission to create safe, dignified housing for our most vulnerable neighbors. We're proud to be part of a project that reflects both economic and environmental justice.' TPE and its partners are committed to making meaningful charitable community investments in every community where their solar projects are developed, including contributions to organizations like Springboard Delaware. These investments are designed to create lasting social value by supporting local nonprofits, educational initiatives and essential services. As part of this commitment, TPE has already contributed $100,000 toward its pledged $120,000 in community donations for this portfolio. With Nautilus matching the pledge, the total planned community investment will reach $240,000 upon completion of the portfolio's construction. About Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC Nautilus Solar Energy®, LLC is a leading community solar company, providing clean energy to residential and commercial customers in local communities. Nautilus operates and manages solar farms in 12 states and is responsible for financing, development, maintenance, and customer service for the lifetime of the project. Founded in 2006, Nautilus has helped shape the future of solar to provide an equitable and affordable renewable energy choice for all. Nautilus is owned by Power Sustainable, a wholly owned subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada. Power Sustainable is a multi-platform alternative asset manager with a long-term investment approach focused on sustainable strategies. For more information on Nautilus Solar Energy, visit About TurningPoint Energy TurningPoint Energy is a clean energy development, advisory and investment company with solar development projects underway throughout the United States. Its principals have experience developing solar projects for utility and community solar clients totaling more than $3 billion in value over 2 GW of operating solar power plants throughout the United States within the last decade. TurningPoint Energy is a lean, privately held firm that adapts to its clients' needs and finds ways to invest in its clients and their communities… at every turning point. For more information, please visit
Newsweek
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Public Schools Are Under Attack, and Texas Is Just the Beginning
Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed Senate Bill 2 into law, turning Texas into the latest testing ground for a dangerous experiment that has already failed elsewhere and now threatens the future of public education, not just here, but across the nation. Senate Bill (SB) 2 creates a statewide school voucher program in Texas that uses taxpayer dollars to help cover tuition at private and religious schools. Scheduled to launch in the 2026–27 school year, the program allocates varying amounts of money per student in public funds. But these dollars can be used at institutions that are not required to follow the same academic standards, financial transparency, or nondiscrimination protections that public schools are held to. Governor Greg Abbott speaks to reporters outside of the West Wing after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on February 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Governor Greg Abbott speaks to reporters outside of the West Wing after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on February 5, 2025, in Washington, 2's voucher scheme is an assault on our public education system. It siphons money away from neighborhood schools and hands it to private institutions that are unaccountable to the public and often unqualified to serve students equitably. In effect, the state is subsidizing schools that can reject students based on religion, disability, gender identity, and more, all while draining critical resources from public classrooms. These schools operate in the shadows, free to discriminate, free from oversight, and free to shape their admissions and curricula around exclusion, not inclusion. For over 30 years, Texans have opposed vouchers. Parents, teachers, students—and even local conservative leaders—have joined in vocal, bipartisan opposition to these schemes. But Texas Governor Abbott ignored them and instead sided with billionaires to replace state leadership that wouldn't vote his way on school vouchers, choosing instead to appease wealthy donors and fringe political ideologues. In their crusade for power and profit, they made Texas kids the collateral damage. We've seen how this ends. In Arizona, the nation's largest voucher expansion has blown past budget projections and left public schools reeling, while families face long waitlists and additional costs in the fine print, leaving them to foot the bill. In Wisconsin, a decades-old voucher system has deepened racial and economic segregation and siphoned hundreds of millions from public education, all while failing to deliver tangible results for kids and families. And in Florida, a chaotic and bloated voucher expansion has led to unregulated private schools, some without certified teachers or accredited curricula, while public schools in areas like Miami-Dade face steep budget shortfalls. Texas lawmakers had every opportunity to learn from these failures. They chose not to. Because SB 2 was never about helping kids. It's about dismantling our public education system and funneling public dollars into private hands—quietly, permanently, and without public consent. During debate, 44 amendments were introduced—many of them aimed at adding transparency, accountability, and protections for students. Not one passed. In a particularly telling moment, State Representative James Talarico proposed an amendment to let voters decide on vouchers directly. The House tabled it without a second thought. This is not just a Texas story. This is a national strategy. Texas has long been the proving ground for extremist policy experiments—from abortion bans to book bans, to now school privatization. The fact that national political figures, including the president, are now weighing in on a state-level education bill should set off alarms for every American. SB 2 is a blueprint for how public goods are quietly defunded and handed over to private interests under the guise of "choice." Texas Freedom Network (TFN) will not back down. Neither should Texas families. Public education is the backbone of our democracy. It's where children learn how to live and thrive in a diverse, dynamic society. Undermining that system undermines our future. It erodes equality. It erases opportunity. And it abandons the constitutional promise Texas has made to every child. TFN and our allies are committed to fighting this for every student, regardless of their race, zip code, income level, faith, or LGBTQ identity. Texans deserve schools that serve all students, not political agendas. We will not forget who turned their backs on our kids. Neither will voters, and if you're in another state, know who you're electing at the ballot box. Ask yourself if they're bringing the next voucher scheme to your doorstep or if they're willing to fight for public education, our country's great equalizer and the foundation of our democracy. Marti Bier is Texas Freedom Network's chief of programs. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Pennsylvania GOP Makes Another Attempt To Pass School Vouchers
Attempting to pass a school voucher bill is an annual ritual in Pennsylvania's legislature, and this year is no exception. But voucher supporters seem stuck in a bit of a rut. In 2017, SB 2, Education Savings Accounts for Students in Underperforming Schools, would have created education savings account vouchers that would allow parents to use the state subsidy intended for their child's school district to provide flexible funding for a variety of education-related costs. The bill offered no oversight, and very broad definitions of qualifying expenses. Students were eligible if their district was in the bottom 15% of Pennsylvania schools. That bill stalled in committee. Until 2018, when the bill emerged from committee with some slight modifications. Some small oversight for spending was added, and a requirement that students spend at least a semester in a public school to be eligible. In 2019, HB 1800 made it out of committee. This was a narrow approach, aimed at provided vouchers for students in districts that were in receivership (a sort of financial takeover primarily for financial issues). It was a hot issue because Harrisburg schools were put in receivership in June, 2019, to gasps from a court audience, as reported by Lawrence Binda for The Burg. In 2022, HB 2169 was proposed. Once again, it was specifically aimed at students in 'failing' schools and was to take the form of an education savings account, a block of money to be used for a variety of education expenses. This time it was called the Lifeline Scholarship. The conservative Commonwealth Foundation had a press release ready to go hours after the bill was introduced. Sean Kitchen, reporting for The Keystone, later unveiled emails showing just how closely state officials had leaned on the foundation for help in crafting the bill. In 2023, Pennsylvania Republicans had a golden opportunity with new Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who is voucher-friendly. SB795 was designed to be Shapiro-friendly. Lifeline Scholarships would now be traditional school vouchers, good just for private school tuition and fees. Money for the vouchers would not be taken from the funding for public schools, but directly funded by the commonwealth. Vouchers would be set at certain dollar amounts depending on the level of the student ($5,000 for K-8, $10,000 for 9-12, and $15,000 for students with special needs). Shapiro was on the receiving end of a full court press from most of the voucher-supporting advocacy groups in existence: American Federation for Children (the DeVos family), Americans for Prosperity (Koch), EdChoice, ExcelInEd (Jeb Bush), and others. A dark money advocacy group, Commonwealth Action, popped up to push for the bill. Rather than watch the budget stall over a voucher fight, Shapiro promised Democrats he would line item veto the vouchers if the budget arrived at his desk. And he did. SB 795 reappeared in 2024, but it was clearly doomed. Now it's 2025, and vouchers are back again. This time, SB 10 proposes the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) scholarship program. The bill is virtually identical to the old SB 795. The new bill expands eligibility for the vouchers, adding students whose families make under 250% of the federal poverty limit. It adds a responsibility for the State Treasurer to create some regulations which will be deemed 'temporary.' There are new requirements for the private schools receiving vouchers to report data about the voucher students. Otherwise, it is a word for word resubmission of the previous voucher bill. SB 10 passed out of the state senate education committee earlier this month with an 8-3 vote. All seven GOP members of the committee (including former gubernatorial candidate Sen. Doug Mastriano) were joined by one Democrat (Sen. Anthony Williams) in voting to send the bill on. This is, for all intents and purposes, is the same bill that Shapiro vetoed in 2023, this time without the huge lobbying effort (the Commonwealth Action website has not moved on from 2023). It's unclear whether voucher supporters believe something has changed in the political calculus, or whether they are going through motions so as to reassure voucher-friendly supporters that they are doing something. In the meantime, PASS vouchers are treading down a well-worn path, and it remains to be seen if the path will this time lead to something other than failure.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lambert backs $7.7B school bill, explains why he voted for vouchers
BIG COUNTRY, Texas () – As the Texas legislative session barrels toward key deadlines, District 71 State Representative Stan Lambert says lawmakers are making critical progress on major public education bills — some of which stirred strong reactions across the state. Texas governor signs $1 billion voucher bill in milestone for school choice supporters nationally Two major bills — House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 2 — have now passed in both chambers. HB 2 focuses on public school funding, while SB 2 includes a controversial education savings account (ESA) program, often referred to as a school voucher system. Despite concerns from rural lawmakers about the potential impact of vouchers, Lambert says the most important takeaway is the $7.7 billion investment in public education. 'We wanted to make sure that before we took up and discussed the voucher bill, the ESA and SB2, we had made strong commitments and a strong investment in public education,' Lambert explained. That basic allotment, increased by nearly $400 per student based on Weighted Average Daily Attendance, now has built-in inflation protection. Lambert noted that about 40% of the increase is now statutorily dedicated to teacher pay and raises. 'There were some additional measures to make sure that even if enrollment drops in some of our schools, which is what we have seen in the last few years, those school districts will continue to be funded. We've ensured, and we have put into statute now, once the governor signs the bill, that those monies will continue to be invested in public education, in addition to the ESA voucher program,' Lambert shared. Lambert flips to support HB2 after changes to voucher program Though Lambert previously opposed ESAs, he voted in favor after key amendments were added to protect rural schools. 'It was very hard for me, because I have been a very staunch opponent of the conceptual idea of using public dollars to fund private education. But again, once the amendments were accepted by the governor's staff and the Senate and our House public education committee chairman, then I felt obligated, once those amendments were accepted and put on the bill, I was obligated to support the legislation,' Lambert shared. He explained that the $1 billion voucher program is divided into tiers—or 'buckets'—starting with the neediest students. 'The lowest bucket is those families with the greatest need, in other words, the lowest income levels, as well as those students with disabilities and special educational needs. Then the buckets increase a little bit up to the final bucket, which is the 20% that basically is the universal one, where any family can apply,' Lambert explained. He emphasized strict guidelines for how voucher funds can be spent. 'There's still a lot of a lot of things that are restricted, as far as how the money can be spent, how if you're a homeschool kid and your parents want to take you on a ski trip and use the $2,000 voucher, you can't do that. It's got to be used for tuition, for educational supplies. There is just a list of things there that will make sure that the money is being used effectively and efficiently, and will be accountable as far as the taxpayers' funding of that program.' Rep. Stan Lambert discusses election integrity, school vouchers & future goals for West Texas Senator Ted Cruz recently stated that competition from voucher programs will improve public schools. Lambert agreed that the competition can improve education, though he believes this is more of an urban issue. 'I think competition can improve and make us better. It gives us a kind of insight as to what others are doing, how they're doing it, and how effective they are,' said Lambert. 'I really think that that though, in West Texas and certainly in our rural areas of the state, we're not going to see as much impact necessarily, because I do think that this is more really of an urban issue, a metropolitan major, major city type issue, versus what's happening in our rural schools. That's why I've been such a strong opponent of a voucher program, because I think that it doesn't really impact what's happening in our schools like Abilene and like Wiley and so forth. While I'm a big supporter of private education, I think we have some private schools in West Texas that are doing a very good job. So I'm not trying to say one is better than the other.' Lambert also weighed in on testing reform, saying the STAAR test may soon be on its way out. 'The fact that we put so much emphasis and so much weight on one day, one test, that's not fair to our students, it's not fair to our teachers. So, anything we can do to try to move away from that kind of system where we put so much weight on one day of testing,' Lambert said. 'I think that's what we'll see come forward as a result of House Bill 4, which has not been on the floor yet… that will be the way that we address the elimination of the STAAR test and introduce some type of norm referenced testing so that all of our public education, and to some degree, our private schools as well, will be held accountable to. That way, we have at least some metrics, some way of evaluation that makes good sense, and makes us be able to at least have data moving forward as we add an additional program that's going to use taxpayer dollars to fund private schools.' Just weeks ago, Lambert joined a bill with ACU alum Representative Caroline Fairly — House Bill 1481 — which limits digital device use during school hours. 'There's way too much opportunity for students to pull out their cell phone, to be playing games or to be engaging with social media. I know that's a very controversial issue, because I know parents are concerned about safety and how they could communicate with their child if they needed to, on an as-needed basis,' explained Lambert. 'I went back and watched the layout of representative Fairley's bill in state affairs, it was a pretty lengthy layout where the idea that these devices would not be allowed in classrooms there, there will be some funding that could allow for some type of apparatus in the classroom for those phones to be placed in so they're going to be within reach if there's some type of situation where parents do need to reach their children.' WATCH: KRBC'S Exploring School Choice in Texas Special He's also proud of legislation moving forward to strengthen Texas's workforce, especially a bill supporting Texas State Technical College (TSTC). 'We were very instrumental and very involved in making sure that Texas State Technical College is going to receive a large endowment that will allow them to expand their campuses across the state. We know how good and effective TSTC is in workforce education, and so we've carried that bill through the House. It was just approved the other day with 129 votes in the House. So it'll move to the Senate now,' Lambert added. 'We're excited about what's happening in terms of not just that bill, but many other bills that are addressing the workforce shortages that we have throughout the state… We talked a lot about this over the last interim, about the workforce shortage and how that would be a very significant thing that we would need to address in this legislative session. So excited to see those bills moving forward, and we're looking forward to the next 32 days here in Austin.' With the session's final weeks approaching, Lambert said lawmakers are bracing for long nights and tight deadlines. 'This is a really critical time in the legislature. We're getting into some deadlines as far as when bills can be heard, how many more calendars we're going to actually see, and we're going to start seeing a backup in terms of the number of bills that are going to be coming out of calendars. There's going to be some long, long nights here in the Capitol, which is fine, that's part of what we signed up to do. I'm very proud of the fact that most of the legislation that we've focused on this session is moving forward.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
