NASEO News

Obama Administration Announces More Than $327 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Science Research

U.S Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced more than $327 million in new funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will go toward scientific research, instrumentation, and laboratory infrastructure projects. Ten of DOE's national laboratories in six states will be receiving funds, along with researchers at institutions of higher learning across the nation.  Of the $327 million in Recovery Act funding announced, $107.5 million is slated to go to universities, nonprofit organizations, and private firms, generally on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis. The remaining $220 million will go to U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories for a range of research, instrumentation, and infrastructure projects, including $164.7 million for projects already allocated.  Please click here to view the full press release.

Energy, Treasury Now Accepting Applications for Funding For Renewable Energy Projects

With the goal of expanding development of renewable energy projects throughout the United States and creating new jobs, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced they are now accepting applications for a program that will make direct payments in lieu of tax credits to companies that create and place in service renewable energy facilities. The two Departments estimate distributing at least $3 billion in financial support to approximately 5,000 biomass, solar, wind, and other types of renewable energy production facilities. The funding for this effort is made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Please click here to view the full press release.

DOE Announces Recovery Act Funding of up to $5.5 million for Ethanol Blends Infrastructure and Outreach

As part of the ongoing effort to support the development of domestic renewable fuels, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the availability of up to $5.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to increase the use of higher ethanol blends up to E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) by expanding refueling infrastructure and launching targeted outreach to promote public awareness.  The FOA is available at FedConnect and can be found by searching for Reference Number DE-FOA-0000125. Applications for this FOA are due September 30, 2009.  Please click here for the additional detail on the announcement.

IEA Clean Coal Centre Draft Report Available for Comment

A new IEA Clean Coal Centre draft report entitled, "Co-gasification and the indirect co-firing of coal and biomass" by Rohan Fernando, is available for review and comment.  Please click here to link directly to the report.  The report briefly describes the technologies for coal gasification and biomass gasification. It considers the technical issues arising during the co-gasification of coal and biomass. It describes the experience gained from the plant, which have co-gasified the two fuels. The report then updates the experiences of plants indirectly co-firing the two fuels.  Please submit you comments to Barbara McKee at barbara.mckee@hq.doe.gov by September 3, 2009, with a carbon copy to Terri Durdock at terri.durdock@hq.doe.gov.   IEA Clean Coal Centre is an organization set up under the auspices of the International Energy Agency (IEA). 

DOE Loan Guarantee Funding at Risk in "Clunkers" Extension

In an energy bulletin released by Concept Capital, the Washington research group describes a recent attempt by lawmakers to replenish funding for the successful "cash for clunkers" program.  The House passed legislation, H.R. 3435, which would take $2 billion in stimulus funding from the Department of Energy's renewables, transmission and cutting edge biofuels loan guarantee program and redirect it towards cash for clunkers.  With the House gone on recess, the Senate would need to take up the House's exact bill this week if lawmakers want a legislative fix for the "clunkers" program before the start of the Senate's August recess.  Notwithstanding the success of cash for clunkers, some opposition to a quick fix has emerged.  Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) has expressed opposition to using the loan guarantee funds to extend the "clunkers" initiative.  Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) have indicated they would like to see stricter emissions standards for the program in addition to more information on how the program is working.  Please click here for the full report. 

Efficiency Drive Could Cut Energy Use 23% by 2020, Study Finds

As reported in the New York Times, the biggest opportunity to improve the nation's energy situation is a major investment program to make homes and businesses more efficient, according to a study released Wednesday by the consulting firm McKinsey. An investment of $520 billion in improvements like sealing ducts and replacing inefficient appliances could produce $1.2 trillion in savings on energy bills through 2020, the study found.  Please click here to link to the full article.  You can link directly to the McKinsey report by clicking here.  A separate study released on Tuesday by the National Research Council cited potential energy savings of 15 percent by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030 if more efficient technologies were adopted. Unlike McKinsey, the research council included transportation, acknowledging that it would be a difficult sector to transform quickly. 

ASE – Share Your Best Practices Request

In order to address climate change and growing energy demands in developing nations, NASEO is supporting an important project to collect U.S. sub-national Best Practices in energy efficiency and renewable energy.   With funding and support from the U.S. Department of State, the most innovative and successful sub-national programs will be highlighted in a Compendium of Best Practices, which will be used at the highest levels of the U.S. government to provide a resource of replicable models for China , India, and other developing countries.  If you would like to submit your practice for consideration, please fill out the short survey found at www.surveygizmo.com/s/159012/compendium.  Best practices are being collected by the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), and the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).  For a link to the full request, please click here. 

Race to the Top - Energy Savings Performance Contracting Dollars Per Capita

The Energy Services Coalition's (ESC's) "Race to the Top" map shows the estimated amount of Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) investments in state and local buildings in particular states.  Please click here to link directly to the ESC homepage.  Once there scroll to the "Race to the Top" map.  To view the amounts, roll your cursor arrow over the state you are interested in. If the state is in red, you can click for more information. The amounts listed are only estimates and do not reflect precise or comprehensive project investments in the entire state in most cases. The information does provide a useful trend line over time on the level of ESPC activity. States with missing data are encouraged to contact ESC at ESC@energyservicescoalition.org to have your data added or updated.