Ribbon-cutting for solar-panel project

Ribbon-cutting for solar-panel project

WARREN

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Trumbull County’s solar-panel project will be at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 1 on the roof of the county Department of Job and Family Services building, 280 North Park Ave.

Trish Nuskievicz, assistant director of the Trumbull County Planning Commission, said Tuesday the solar panels saved the county $2,135 in electricity costs during the first five weeks. That worked out to between 20 percent and 30 percent of the electrical usage for the building.

The solar panels generated 1,800 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is the amount of electricity 1.3 average American homes use in a year.

The solar panels avoided the release of 8,223 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — the same amount used by 2.1 average passenger vehicles each year.

The county used $300,000 in federal stimulus money to buy and install the 234 panels on the JFS roof.

Consumers’ Counsel office cuts staff

COLUMBUS

Ohio’s watchdog agency for utility customers has slashed its staff by about half and plans other cutbacks because of a big reduction in state funding.

The Columbus Dispatch reports the new state budget gives the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel $5.6 million for the current fiscal year, compared with $8.5 million in the last one.

The office has responded by laying off 30 employees and eliminating 10 open positions. It’s left with 37 full-time workers and five part-timers.

The counsel also is shutting down its call center, cutting outreach programs and will argue in far fewer cases before Ohio regulators.

An agency spokesman predicts the cutbacks will mean higher utility rates.

Lawmakers said much of the counsel’s work duplicates functions of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

Trade deficit soars to $50.2B in May

WASHINGTON

The U.S. trade deficit surged in May to the highest level in more than 21/2 years, driven wider by a big increase in oil imports and a decline in exports.

The Commerce Department said Tuesday that the deficit increased 15.1 percent to $50.2 billion in May. That’s the largest imbalance since October 2008.

Exports declined 0.5 percent to $174.9 billion. Imports rose 2.6 percent to $225.1 billion. Oil prices have fallen since May, so the effect of higher prices should ease some in the coming months.

The deficit is running at an annual rate of $563.2 billion. That’s 12.6 percent higher than the 2010 imbalance. A higher trade deficit subtracts from overall economic growth because it means consumers are purchasing more foreign-made goods and fewer products made by U.S. workers.

Analysts said the wider deficit in May means that the economy probably grew at an even slower pace in the April-June quarter than they had previously forecast.

Staff/wire reports