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NASEO Industrial Committee

After months of planning and preparation, NASEO’s 2002 China Exchange Mission was successfully completed on January 19, 2002. The mission was conducted with support form the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Export Council for Energy Efficiency. The NASEO 2002 exchange included two energy policy and program meetings.

The overarching objective of both was to accelerate the adoption of energy efficiency and the development of clean energy resources and technologies. This goal has acquired new urgency with the prospect of China hosting the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Severe air pollution in major urban areas is a noticeable consequence of China’s reliance on coal to serve its energy needs.

The first meeting was held in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China (PRC), and focused on strategic planning and clean energy program development. An element of the presentations was information about “greening” China for the Olympics. One NASEO presenter suggested that the Olympics would provide an opportunity to motivate organizations in China to adopt clean energy technologies and it would allow the government to showcase energy efficiency practices. NASEO also helped lay the foundation for the establishment of a DOE-sponsored Industrial Assessment Center in Shanghai.

The second meeting was held in China’s seventh largest city, Wuhan. The event-Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Seminar on Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Community Planning-was organized by the International Sustainable Development Foundation. The NASEO delegation provided a series of presentations ranging from water-related energy efficiency programs to buildings commissioning to transportation efficiency to clean energy power production. More than 60 local government officials, representing a number of provinces, attended the three-day meeting.

Considerable power is vested in China’s local governments. Moreover, the central government has directed mayors to stimulate local economic development, as a key part of the strategy to stem the migration from rural to over-burdened urban areas. Consequently, this audience was well positioned to translate NASEO’s information into practice and projects.

The NASEO delegation included David Terry, Carol Tombari, Bill Nesmith (OR), and Dub Taylor (TX).

• Presentations at the 2002 APEC Energy Efficiency
  and Sustainable Community Planning Seminar
  Wuhan, China - January 2002

• Presentations at the 2002 Shanghai
  Clean Energy Strategic Planning Workshop
  Shanghai, China - January 2002

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