Wind Energy may Save Consumers Money; McCain Speaks on Energy; Midwest Floods & the Impact on Ethanol
WILLIS: Chances are you opened the mail in the past month and couldn't believe your energy bill. They're going up, fast. So many people are looking for ways to cut back to bring those bills down to a manageable level. And some say the answer is wind energy. CNN's Kate Bolduan explains.</s>PAUL ABEY, USES WIND ENERGY: We have to keep the crabs cooled off until the bar comes and picks them up.</s>KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paul Abey, a third-generation Maryland crabber, is an accidental environmentalist.</s>ABEY: It seems to be something that might be feasible for us, could help us some in our electric bill. And we just decided to try it. And it seems to be working out.</s>BOLDUAN: What is working out? Last year, because of ever-rising energy costs, Abey installed a 47-foot wind turbine on his property. Wind energy advocates estimate giant wind farms like this one will generate just over 1 percent of the total U.S. electricity supply by the end of the year. Advocates also say more and more consumers like Abey are taking matters into their own hands, harnessing wind energy in their own back yards.</s>ANDY KRUSE, SOUTHWEST WIND POWER: We know that there is not a single silver bullet out there that's going to solve all the problems of tomorrow. So we're all looking to the resources that we have around us.</s>BOLDUAN: But skeptics say the small amount of energy generated by residential turbines isn't worth the big investment.</s>LISA LINOWES, INDUSTRIAL WIND ACTION GROUP: It could take 10, 15, 20 years for you to get payback on those units. You may want to think about other ways. For instance, insulating your home, new windows.</s>BOLDUAN (on camera): Well, Paul Abey says his initial investment was $17,000. And Maryland gives homeowners a $3,000 grant for these wind systems. Abey says his turbine cut his electric bill by a third. Now, add this all up, and if energy prices continue to rise, Abey thinks he'll recoup his investment in eight years. (voice-over): No matter the cost, this fisherman, whose livelihood often depends on coastal winds, says he's content catching the swift Maryland breeze.</s>ABEY: I've cursed it a lot of times in my life, but now maybe I'll get something back out of it.</s>BOLDUAN: Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.</s>WILLIS: Next, why the Midwest floods could translate into more pain at the pump for you. But first, let's get you up to speed on the latest headlines. Don Lemon is in the CNN "Newsroom."</s>DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And, Gerri, thank you very much. We start with some developing news. This just in to the "CNN NEWSROOM." Check out these live pictures. It is a small plane that landed on Interstate 95. It's in Florida near Orman Beach. You can see the plane landed right there in the median of these two highways. But just as you can see, traffic is backed up there. It had to make an energy landing on that strip right there on the highway. And you can only imagine what it's doing to traffic. Right now we believe no one is hurt. That's the initial reports in all of this. Again, happening at Ormond Beach. Traffic backed up. If it warrants developments, we will have it for you at the top of the hour right here in the "CNN NEWSROOM." Let's talk about the big story that we've been following here, it seems like for weeks. The mighty Mississippi and the big danger that's now flowing downstream. The river is surging higher as it heads south. Tense days lie ahead in Iowa, Illinois, and in Missouri as the Mississippi climbs to its crest. The threat is dire and it's also widespread. The federal government says the river could wash over 27 levees. Armies of volunteers are stacking millions of sandbags to hold back the waters. Hundreds of homes are at risk, and not to mention the people there. The Midwest floods commanding the attention of President Bush as well. This morning, he received a White House briefing on the worsening conditions and had this to say afterwards.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We understand people are upset when they lose their home. A person's home is their most valued possession. And we want to work with state and local folks to have a clear strategy. To help people get back into a place where they can live.</s>LEMON: And President Bush plans to tour the flood zone on Thursday. OK. Let's talk now about the wedding rush. In California it is on. Hundreds of guy and lesbian couples flocking to courthouses to legally wed. The state supreme court cleared the way for same sex marriages last month. They began last night, those marriages did. The first couple to get married, Dell Martin (ph) and Phylis Lyon (ph). They've been together for 55 years. California is the second state to allow same sex marriage. Massachusetts the first. But unlike Massachusetts, California does not require state residency. We're also going to talk about this. Taliban battling back in Afghanistan. What's next for America's mission there. Ahead in the CNN "Newsroom," we'll talk with the general who has just finished up his command there and met with President Bush just this morning. I'm back at the top of the hour. Now let's throw it back to Gerri in New York. Gerri, take it away.</s>WILLIS: Don, thank you for that. It's a long presidential campaign and somewhere along the way the candidates are bound to change up their policies just a little bit. And that is exactly what Senator John McCain is doing today with respect to energy. CNN's Paul Steinhauser, part of the best political team in television, is in Washington with more. Paul, give us the details.</s>PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, he's going -- John McCain is going to Houston, Texas, today, oil country, and he's going to talk about reversing the federal ban on offshore drilling. John McCain was against that ban. He was in favor of that ban for a long time, but now he says he's changing his mind and he wants to loosen that ban to allow some states to do some offshore drilling. Why? To improve oil production in this country. With gas prices soaring, John McCain says the time is now. He gave us a little sneak peek yesterday and here's what he had to say.</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESUMPTIVE PRES. NOMINEE: I'll call for lifting the federal moratorium for states that choose to permit exploration. I think that this -- and perhaps providing additional incentives for states to permit exploration off their coasts would be very helpful in the short-term in resolving our energy crisis.</s>STEINHAUSER: Part of this plan also, Gerri, calls for a new push for alternative fuels. And that's something John McCain is also near and dear to, environmental policies. Part of his plan, pushing for these alternative fuels. Also he's out with a new ad today where he saying in the ad, he fought the Bush administration when it came to global warming. So he realizes he's going to get a little bit of a knock here from environmental groups calling for the loosening of the ban on offshore drilling, but I think he's willing to take that with gas prices soaring and people paying big money at the pumps.</s>WILLIS: Yes, big money at the pumps, Paul. But, you know, I'm wondering what Obama is saying about this very issue. Seeing here that McCain has flip-flopped, changed his mind, wiggle waggle. What does Obama say?</s>STEINHAUSER: This is an issue, like many others, where these two candidates definitely don't see eye to eye. Barack Obama, he's in favor of keeping the moratorium on offshore drilling. And his campaign, today, put out a statement saying that this plan by John McCain would only benefit big oil -- Gerri.</s>WILLIS: Paul, thank you for that. The Midwest floods are hitting hard in many areas, but the corn crop is getting slammed. Some reports indicate up to 20 percent of the corn crop destroyed. And that could have a big impact on the quickly growing ethanol business in this country. Jennifer Westhoven of "Morning Express" on Headline News is here with more. Hey, Jen, good to see you.</s>JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, thanks, Gerri. You know, we've got these millions of acres possibly underwater here, or parts of it, just to soggy. So, so much of the corn crop has been destroyed. The estimates are about all of these acres of terrible news for the ethanol makers. The price of their main ingredient now surging to record highs. We're talking about corn futures. They jumped to more than $1 a bushel in the past two weeks. More than $7.50 yesterday. It went to a record nearly $8 a bushel. So that could force many, if not all, small and medium-sized ethanol producers to close in coming months. That is the scary forecast from a Citigroup analyst. Now if they do close, even temporarily, it's really a big blow. That ethanol boom meant many new jobs and fresh hope in some very depressed towns in the Midwest. There are right now about 150 biorefineries and 75 more still being built. So this has really been the one growth spot that could be in jeopardy because of these higher corn prices. And, you know, beyond the Midwest, this really affects everybody who drives because if we've got less bio-fuel being blended into the gasoline, more gasoline demand. There's one estimate by Merrill Lynch that this could put 50 -- if you took all of the ethanol out, it could be 50 cents for every gallon of gas.</s>WILLIS: Oh, my goodness. That's amazing.</s>WESTHOVEN: Yes. Nobody thinks it will be all the ethanol.</s>WILLIS: Well and hopefully all these dire projections won't come true. But, you know, you do have this choice of food or fuel. What do you have to say about that, Jen?</s>WESTHOVEN: Well, yes. So is this going to affect us at the grocery store? Because I think that's how really for so many Americans that's how we'll experience the flood if you're not there directly. You'll be seeing it at the grocery store or at the restaurant. Will this take the edge off the inflation that we're already seeing? So one of the arguments is that, yes, it might do that. But let me tell you, Gerri, that is a huge and bitter fight between the ethanol industry. Because they say, oh, no, this doesn't affect food prices. And the food industry says, oh, it affects them a lot. But, you know, we know, remember, we had that report where the U.N. was asking the United States, saying please stop putting all this food into fuel. We could use it to feed people, who could end up really, in the next few years, starving.</s>WILLIS: You know, I feel a battle of the lobbyists coming on. Jennifer Westhoven, thanks so much for that report. Overall satisfaction with the airline industry is at a three-year low. But here's the headline, it's not because of high fares and additional amenity charges. A new J.D. Power and Associates study points to deteriorating levels of customer service by airline staff as a reason for the low grade. Now let's break it down. Traditional airlines scoring above average on the satisfaction scale includes Alaska, Continental, and Delta Airlines, as well as Air Canada. Only one low-cost carrier earned above average marks, that would be JetBlue. Now we should note, they're also the highest rated airline overall and by a long shot. The study looked at customer satisfaction based on performance in seven areas -- cost and fees, flight crew, in- flight services, aircraft, boarding/deplaning/baggage, check-in and reservations. The whole kettle of fish. Satisfaction with airline staff declined dramatically and is the leading contributor to the overall decline in customer satisfaction with airlines in 2008. The decrease in satisfaction with airline staff is more than twice as large as the decline in satisfaction with ticket prices. Coming up, new steps to ease the mortgage meltdown for hundreds of thousands of families going through foreclosure. Plus, same sex marriage takes a big step in California. How it could impact the economy. We're live in west Hollywood next. CNN is all over issue number one, your economy.