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8A Page 6 The success of any attempt to place the contents of AS 155 into another piece of legislation will heavily depend on the leadership of the Senate or the Assembly. It is our opinion that the Legislature and its leadership should be focused on finding ways to balance its own budget instead of Inserting itself into local government fiscal matters for purely political reasons. Local governments and the public employee unions behind AS 155 would be better served with a guarantee that local revenues are safe from seizure by the state. 'STAR' Continued from Page 1... Utilizing a "pooled" approach, through STAR California Communities will issue taxable Build America Bonds (BABs) and Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds (RZEDs). These new financing tools provide extremely cost effective financing for new economic development projects in your area. If your city received bond issuance allocations for RZED and RZF bonds or is thinking of selling a BAB issuance, it is important to contact California Communities. The STAR program is designed to provide the lowest overall borrowing costs through: . improved taxable bond market access; . lower costs of issuance; and . a financing team expert in taxable/tax-exempt hybrid structures. Your city can work with your bond counsel and financial advisor to help structure your STAR bond debt offering to help with the structuring of your community's local obligations components of financing. California Communities has approved the team of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe as bond counsel and Piper Jaffray as the STAR Bond underwriter. For more information, please contact James Hamill at (925) 933-9229 ext. 216 or Terrence Murphy at (925) 933-9229 ext. 223 at California Communities or visit the California Communities Web site at www.cacommunities.orQ. DOE Announces Up to $10.5 Million in Solar Energy Education for Local Governments The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week announced a funding opportunity for up to $10.5 million to increase the ability of local governments to accelerate solar energy adoption and workforce development. Funding for the five-year award is subject to annual appropriations. DOE will provide local governments across the U.S. with useful. timely information on increasing solar energy use with this new funding opportunity. Through the Solar America Cities program, a partnership effort with 25 large U.S. cities, DOE has developed guides, case studies, and tool kits to assist local governments in promoting solar energy. Under this new effort, DOE will partner with outreach organizations to get these tools into the hands of local government officials and stakeholders. DOE has encouraged local governments to take a comprehensive approach to solar energy adoption, one that includes workforce development and green jobs training, economic development through support for a local solar industry, and financial incentive programs that help citizens make investments in solar energy. By facilitating peer-to-peer information sharing, DOE will empower local governments to integrate solar energy into their communities. Applications are due by Oct. 15, and DOE anticipates announcing selections no later than Dec. 15. For information. see the Solar Energy Technologies Program Financial Opportunities Web page at www.sotar.enerav.aov/financialoooortunities.html. Applications must be submitted through FedConnect at www.fedconnect.net. 4