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The controversial Big Stone II power plant project
collapsed earlier this week, highlighting the considerable energy
challenges facing Minnesota. Anyone claiming victory or acknowledging
defeat would be, at least partly, wrong. Despite considerable
shortcomings, the project was grounded in a very real future need for
more electrical power.
Progressives must think long and hard
about this project's lessons. Opposition, while important, is no
substitute for forward-thinking public energy policy. Only real
innovation drives a sustainable Minnesota future.
Big Stone II
was a proposed "clean coal technology" power generation plant sited in
Milbank, South Dakota. Despite its location, half the plant's power
would've ...
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WASHINGTON,
DC - Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan
called on Congress to approve three important measures to improve
housing and the housing market for Americans: extension of the First
Time Homebuyers Tax Credit for a limited period, extension of higher
loan limits for home mortgages, and secure funding for the Housing
Trust Fund.
"We welcome
efforts taken by Congress to extend the First Time Homebuyers Tax
Credit for a limited period. This credit has brought new families into
the housing market and contributed to three consecutive months of
rising home prices nationwide," said Secretaries Geithner and Donovan.
"I...
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- With buyers scarce and financing tight, some home sellers are offering rent-to-buy options to potential buyers. In fact, there's been enough of a spike in interest that ForSaleByOwner.com added it as a search option on the site, says spokesman Eric Mangan.
These deals, also called rent-to-own and lease-option, usually require buyers to pay extra rents each month plus up-front fees of about 5% of the purchase price. The regular rent then goes in owner's pocket (presumably to pay the mortgage), but the additional payments are used to buy down the price of the home.
"Lease option agreements, if properly drafted, by and large are an effective way of enabling people to buy who are having trouble arranging financing or coming up with down payments," said ...
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The number of home sales contracts signed in April continued to bounce back from record lows hit last winter, according to a widely watched industry report. This is the third consecutive month of gains.
The Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors rose 6.7% in April after jumping 3.2% in March. That was far above the forecasts of experts surveyed by Briefing.com, who predicted a 0.5% increase. The index was 3.3% higher than 12 months earlier.
Pending home sales are a forward-looking indicator since many of the contracts don't result in completed deals for many weeks or months.
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