Roanoke Tea Party

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Press Release

Roanoke, VA – 01/09/2012 – The Roanoke Tea Party continues to educate the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors on why they need to sever the relationship they currently have with the environmental group ICLEI.

To help further illustrate that the $1200 a year dues the county pays to this organization is a waste of tax payer money, Roanoke County citizens have been requesting information from the County via Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The latest FOIA requests dealt with the claims made by the ICLEI partner group RCCLEAR of carbon emission savings due to their efforts.

Four questions were asked in this Freedom of Information Act request. Emphasis added.

Q. How was the 400 tons of carbon emissions savings derived?

A.The carbon emissions savings is an estimate based on the past three years of RCCLEARS activities.

66 Residential Energy Audits (Assumed all weatherized since they were motivated) 198 tons

300 26 Watt CFL’s given out 23 tons

300 LED nightlights given out 3 tons

Well over 100 building energy tip sheets given out to motivated individuals 100 tons

Well over 100 driving energy tip sheets given out to motivated persons 100 tons

Estimated total: 424 tons

Q. If through ICLEI software, what independent safeguards are in place to assure reasonably accurate data measurement and computer generated projections that can be relied on?

A. Not Available

Q. Was there a follow through with the 60 homes inspected?

A. Not Yet

Q. Did they choose to implement all suggestions and if so what was the average cost of implementation?

A. Unknown

These estimates are problematic as there is no way to verify if the information and supplies were utilized except based on the assumption that the participants were “motivated.”

Chip Tarbutton, Board member of the Roanoke Tea Party stated that “The results of the energy audits are obvioulsy based on a formula, with no effort to verify whether the recommendations of the audits or tips are implemented. These sham results are an effort to show a pre-determined outcome and validate the value of these audits.”

Terry Franklin, one of the citizens who requested the FOIA information adds, ” RCCLEAR received $50,000 as part of a Department of Energy grant. $15,000 was spent on advertising of this audit program. As for the rest of that taxpayer money, it appears to be flushed down the drain.”

Local media has cast ICLEI and their support organizations as well meaning do-gooders engaged in helpful actions like these energy audits.The Roanoke Tea Party has continued to cast doubt on the motives of ICLEI, but the slipshod way in which these audits were conducted and tracked should cast doubt for even the most trusting of local citizens on the wisdom of conitnued tax payer funding of the ICLEI organization.