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davidambrose's comments:
on Strategic Default
Very timely topic. I hope that you cover with the principals of You Walk Away what types of services they charge for, how much they charge, what relationship they have to other service providers licensed in Oregon, what additional charges there are for those other service providers, and finally, ask them if You Walk Away is licensed as a debt management company operating in Oregon, in accordance with recently enacted House Bill 2191, which generally requires any companies that engage in assisting consumers with debt problems to be registered with the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, and provides for specific disclosures as well as limitations on what is charged.
David
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Peace Corps Turns Fifty
I have never been in the Peace Corps, but my mother and my youngest brother both were at the same time. I believe that they set a record for being the oldest member of the Peace Corps and the youngest member of the Peace Corps from the same family at the same time. My mother, Marilyn Ambrose, was assigned to Lithuania (our family is of Lithuanian heritage), and taught English, and developed incredibly close relationships with Lithuanian residents, to the point of actually arranging several years ago to bring a Lithuanian folk singing group to the US (all of whom had never been in the US before), and took them to various parts of the West Coast, doing presentations of Lithuanian folk music, including one in Portland. Indeed, there was a reunion of those from the Peace Corps who served in the Baltic Countries in Portland just in the latter part of 2010, which my mother attended.
My youngest brother, Anthony Ambrose, was assigned to Tonga, where he worked on assisting the local residents on improving farming operations.
It was, according to them, an experience they will each never forget.
David Ambrose
503.467.7217
posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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on Jane Lubchenco and Richard Alley
I would like to get her viewpoints on the interaction between the protection of the oceans and its resources with the plans for the use of those same oceans for renewable energy, such as wind farms, perhaps commenting on the planned wind farm offshore of Cape Cod and the divisions it is creating among environmentalists, wave energy, perhaps commenting on the planned thwave energy and wind projects off of the Washington coast near Westport and Ocean Shores, and so on, and how we can balance the competing interests.
Thanks.
David Ambrose
posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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on Oregon's Historic Places
I am one of the principals in a company which purchased the building in the Pearl District known as the Buddha Building. The Buddha Building was built in 1910 by the Portland Buddhist Church. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
It has a fascinating and somewhat sad history. It was occupied by the Portland Buddhist Church from 1910 until 1941, and used not only for the church services, but was also housing for members of the church, and school services were conducted as well. The building was shuttered in 1941, when the members were sent to the internment camps in Idaho.
The primary historic value of this building, in my mind, arises from the historical usage of the building, not so much the architectural features.
David Ambrose
posted 3 years, 10 months ago
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on The Switch: Solar Power
As a follow up, as you're not really addressing financing in this session, I would ask and would appreciate that you set up a future session that deals with the concept of financing renewable energy projects, and have speakers participate who can actually provide specifics on the subject. Thanks.
David Ambrose
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on The Switch: Solar Power
Key impediments to implementation of solar energy on commercial structures: financing.
Tax credits and rebates are great, but the upfront problem is how to finance the installation, or putting it differently, how does one raise the cash to pay the vendors up front to do the installation? Tax credits, even those transferable, don't give rise to cash until the end of the project, and even then, don't do so unless a buyer is found. Traditional financing isn't really available, as how does one collateralize a loan for a solar power installation? It isn't practical to think in terms of removing the installation, and a lender providing such financing usually won't be able to get a security interest in the building, or if able to do so, it will usually be junior to the existing financing in place for the purchase of the building, which usually isn't acceptable. Figure out how to enable commercial property owners to finance solar power installations, and provide satisfactory collateral to the lenders, and there will be more installations. Perhaps establishing a credit enhancement program with loans financing solar installations backed by the guaranty of the State of Oregon?
David Ambrose
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on Full Faith in Credits?
A number of comments on the BETC and related tax credits:
1. Why would anyone invest in the pass through program? Easy, and the last sentence above is a bit misleading. The returns to investors can be significant, in excess of 18%, for a very safe investment. Further, the tax credit actually can be applied immediately to taxes due, depending on the timing of the purchase of the tax credits, so the effective return can be even greater becauseof the time value of money.
2. The biggest criticism of the pass through program is the limitation on the subsequent transfer of the tax credits. The problem is the prohibition on the subsequent transfer of the tax credits is what happens if a purchaser, for example, leaves the state after year 3 and no longer has any Oregon taxes to apply the remaining tax credits to. I don't understand the policy considerations underlying this prohibition. I also understand there is a dispute over this issue between the Oregon Department of Revenue and the Oregon Department of Energy. Perhaps you should get these two departments to speak to this issue.
3. The biggest problem I see with the tax credits is that it doesn't address how you come up with the money in the first place. We were involved in a possible installation of solar panels on commercial buildings in Hillsboro. Total projected costs for several of the commercial buildings was in the range of $550,000.00. However, after taking into account all of the available tax credits, Energy Trust and Department of Energy programs, etc., the effective cost was going to be in the range of $40,000.00 (very round numbers). All of this sounds very nice, but the question: how do you come up with the initial costs of $550,000? That's the biggest stumbling block to the use of the credits and the pass through program only covers a small portion of the upfront costs.
posted 4 years ago
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on High Speed Possibilities
I'm finding the discussion fascinating. Regarding the comments about projections for usage for, say, a high speed rail line between Portland and Seattle, shouldn't the analysis be based upon the concept of "if you build it, he will come"? Why is it appropriate to do an analysis based upon usage of Amtrak now, when it takes four hours to get from Portland to Seattle, vs a high speed train that could get you from Portland to Seattle in 1/2 hour? I would suggest that if you provided consumers with that kind of alternative, that usage would dramatically increase.
Also, with respect to the comments regarding costs of high speed rail line, are your speakers really doing apples to apples analysis? By analagy, look at the costs of nuclear power. Was it really correct to ignore the costs of long term storage of nuclear power wastes in doing the cost benefit analysis. Similarly, in the case of high speed train costs, vs, say, the use of cars, improvements of highways, etc., are all of the costs associated with the latter being taken into account, such as roadway maintenance, effects on the environment, greenhouse emissions, the costs of oil subsidies, the costs of continuing dependence on the Middle East for oil, etc. I realize this is a daunting task, but shouldn't this be undertaken at this time?
David Ambrose
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on High Speed Possibilities
I am still trying to understand why there appears to be no discussion about establishing either a train or high speed train connection between Portland and Madras/Redmond/Bend? Would this not facilitate economic growth in the Central Oregon area? Is this simply not feasible in any respect?
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Shovel Ready?
I have been searching for anything online which might bear upon whether any consideration has been given, or any studies undertaken, about routing a high speed rail line between Portland and Bend. Given the focus on the funding of high speed rail by the Obama administration, this might be something to consider. The idea of being able to connect Central Oregon (routing would be through Madras, Redmond and Bend), so that one could almost commute from or to those cities to or from Portland, with perhaps an hour to an hour and a half ride each way is attractive, particularly being able to avoid the drive, which in winter months can easily take four hours or more.
If there hasn't been consideration given or studies done, perhaps we should move for that kind of action on the part of our state government.
The economic impact on Central Oregon could be enormous. I'm interested to hear others views on this subject.
Regards,
David Ambrose
drambrose@ambroselaw.com
posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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