12:56 min, from 11/5/2020
A bill on the State Reception Act will be submitted to the Landtag today. With this, the municipalities will receive more money for the reception, accommodation and care of asylum seekers. "The amendment to the State Reception Act will lead to a significant improvement in the financing of the task of assisting refugees for the municipalities and is an important basis for ensuring that the municipalities and the state continue to fulfil their tasks," said Minister President Malu Dreyer and Integration Minister Irene Alt.
Early yesterday evening, the municipal umbrella organisations and the Rhineland-Palatinate government jointly agreed on the cost reimbursement to be paid for refugee assistance expenses as of 1 January 2016. The starting point was the federal funds available to Rhineland-Palatinate according to the decision of the Federal Chancellor and the heads of government of the Länder on 24 September 2015. "We have worked out the necessary key points together so that they can now be introduced as a bill in the state parliament," said Finance Minister Doris Ahnen, who led the discussion together with State Secretary in the Ministry of Integration Margit Gottstein and State Secretary of Finance Salvatore Barbaro.
"I very much welcome the cornerstones that have been worked out jointly between the municipal umbrella organisations and the state government. They ensure that the state and the municipalities will continue to tackle the great challenge of taking in refugees together," said the Minister President.
Starting in 2016, the municipalities are to be paid a lump sum of 848 euros per month per refugee. This refers to the period from distribution to a local authority until the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees issues the first decision in the asylum procedure. This lump sum is paid out in full by the state exactly according to the number of refugees and the months. In this way, the municipalities are relieved effectively and quickly - regardless of how and when the federal government settles the relief for the Länder.
In addition, starting in 2016, the state will make a lump sum payment of 35 million euros at the beginning of each year for costs that are still incurred after the initial decision has been issued. For 2015, it is planned that Rhineland-Palatinate's share of the federal government's additional refugee billion of 48 million euros for the current year will be made available in full to the municipalities. Of this, 24 million euros will be provided as a lump-sum cost-share. The remaining 24 million euros of the refugee billion and another 20 million euros of Land money form an advance payment totalling 44 million euros on Land benefits due in 2016. The aim is to provide the municipalities with the necessary funds in a timely manner.
There is now also clarity for the distribution of federal funds to be used for child day care in the Länder after the abolition of the childcare allowance. Rhineland-Palatinate will receive a total of about 95 million euros from 2016 to 2018. These funds are to be divided equally between the municipalities and the state. To ensure that support is as even as possible, the municipalities will receive three equal annual instalments of around 16 million euros each (a total of around 48 million euros). These funds can be used flexibly within the framework of local target agreements to improve child day care and for additional expenditure in this area.
Source: PM from 06.11.2015
Keywords:
Refugee shelters, Funding, News Blog RLP, Housing policy
After one and a half years of consultation, the black-green Hessian state government has adopted its Climate Protection Plan 2025. According to the plan, greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by 30 percent by 2020, by 40 percent by 2025 and by at least 90 percent by 2050 (compared to the base year 1990). By achieving these goals, Hessen wants to become climate neutral by the middle of the century and contribute to national and international climate protection efforts.
The measures include, among others, the "storage of carbon in durable wood and fibre products and substitution of energy-intensive materials with wood and fibre products". To implement this, the state of Hesse wants to explicitly support timber construction and promote innovative timber products through funding programmes. In addition, timber construction and the use of wood are to be further promoted by reviewing building regulations and the state's procurement guideline.
Left:
www.hessen-nachhaltig.de/...ntegrierter_Klimaschutzplan...
Keywords:
DE-News, Wood construction, Climate protection, News Blog Hesse, Environmental policy, Ecology
In the EEG draft 
The German government plans to make a number of changes in the rooftop PV segment. According to information from pv magazine, an exemption from trade tax is planned and neighbourhood solutions are to become possible.
BSW-Solar concludes: "The German government urgently needs to make improvements, otherwise we will continue to head at high speed towards a climate protection and electricity generation gap. The compromise bill is far too timid, and at the same time too many important points are postponed. Unacceptable are the planned restrictions on the promotion of new larger solar roofs", explained Carsten Körnig, CEO of BSW-Solar.
For other solar associations, too, the EEG amendment does not go far enough, despite minor improvements:
www.pv-magazine.de/2020/12/14/eeg-novelle-2021-spd-verkuendet-durchbruch-enttaeuschung-bei-solarbranche/
Keywords:
Construction and operating costs, Citizen Energy, DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, PV, PlusEnergy house/settlement, Environmental policy
Berlin, 08 August 2017 - The expansion of renewable energies is an important concern for an overwhelming majority of Germans. This is shown by a recent representative survey conducted by Kantar Emnid on behalf of the German Renewable Energy Agency (AEE). 95 percent of those surveyed rated the expansion of renewables as important to extremely important..
"The result of the survey proves how broad the social consensus is that supports the energy transition in Germany," says Nils Boenigk, Deputy Managing Director of AEE. "95 percent is a clear vote for the upcoming federal government to resolutely push ahead with the expansion of renewable energies," says Boenigk with a view to the federal elections in September.
The citizens are very willing to accept renewable energy plants in their neighbourhood. 65 percent of the survey participants are generally positive about plants within a radius of five kilometres from their homes. The approval rate is significantly higher when people already have experience with such plants. While, for example, 72 percent of all respondents approve of solar parks in the vicinity of their homes, the approval rating rises to 94 percent if there is actually a plant in the vicinity of the survey participants. The approval ratings for coal-fired power plants, on the other hand, are far off in the single-digit percentage range.
The most important advantages of renewable energies for people in Germany are future security and climate protection. Thus, 75 percent of the participants agree with the statement that renewables contribute to a secure future for our children and grandchildren. 72 percent affirm the statement that energy from the sun, wind, biomass & co. protects the climate. "The people in Germany know that the expansion must continue so that we can fulfil our obligations to climate protection and to future generations," emphasises Boenigk.
In order to finance the expansion of renewables, the majority of respondents are willing to make their contribution via the EEG levy through the electricity price. Thus, 48 percent rated the current monthly contribution of 20 euros per 3-person household (3,500 kilowatt hours annual consumption) as appropriate, while 8 percent are even willing to pay more for the expansion of renewables. Only 37 percent consider the contribution to be too high.
You can find further infographics on the survey in the AEE Media Library.
Keywords:
100% EEs, DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, Tenant electricity, PV, PlusEnergy house/settlement, Solar thermal, Environmental policy, Ecology
