NASEO News
FEDERAL UPDATE
President's
Energy Budget Invests in Innovation,
Clean Energy, and National Security
Priorities
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu
detailed President Barack Obama's $28.4
billion Fiscal Year 2011 budget request
for the Department of Energy,
highlighting the Administration's
commitment to create jobs with the
development of a clean energy economy;
invest in advanced science, research and
innovation; maintain a strong nuclear
deterrent and secure nuclear materials
both at home and abroad; and improve
energy efficiency to help curb
greenhouse gas emissions that contribute
to climate change. The FY 2011 budget
request also places an emphasis on DOE
improving fiscal performance with the
proposed creation of a new initiative on
Management Reform. For the full press
release with additional budget detail
and a link to the Administration's
Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal for the
Department of Energy, please
click here.
Obama Announces
Steps to Boost Biofuels, Clean Coal
President Barack Obama announced a
series of steps that his Administration
is taking as part of its comprehensive
strategy to enhance American energy
independence while building a foundation
for a new clean energy economy, and its
promise of new industries and millions
of jobs. At a meeting with a bipartisan
group of governors from around the
country, the President laid out three
measures that will work in concert to
boost biofuels production and reduce our
dangerous dependence on foreign oil.
The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has finalized a rule to implement
the long-term renewable fuels standard
of 36 billion gallons by 2022
established by Congress. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture has proposed a
rule on the Biomass Crop Assistance
Program (BCAP) that would provide
financing to increase the conversion of
biomass to bioenergy. The President's
Biofuels Interagency Working Group
released its first report – Growing
America's Fuel. The report, authored by
group co-chairs, Secretaries Vilsack and
Chu, and Administrator Jackson, lays out
a strategy to advance the development
and commercialization of a sustainable
biofuels industry to meet or exceed the
nation's biofuels targets. In addition,
President Obama announced a Presidential
Memorandum creating an Interagency Task
Force on Carbon Capture and Storage to
develop a comprehensive and coordinated
federal strategy to speed the
development and deployment of clean coal
technologies. Please
click here for the full press
release.
STUDIES AND REPORTS
Great
Expectations: U.S. Wind Energy
Development
Please
click here to link directly to Great
Expectations: U.S. Wind Energy
Development, the Governors' Wind Energy
Coalition's 2010 wind energy
recommendations. The Governors' Wind
Energy Coalition was formed to address
some of the nation's most pressing needs
— jobs, energy, and climate — through
the use of domestic renewable energy
resources. As a bipartisan group of 30
governors from all areas of the nation,
they share a concern that U.S.
dependence on unsustainable and carbon
intensive energy sources is an
unacceptable risk to the nation's
energy, economic, and environmental
security. These recommendations include
the governors' top priorities — green
economic development, job creation, and
energy security.
25 Percent U.S.
Renewable Electricity Standard Will
Create 274,000 Jobs
A new study released by Navigant
Consulting finds that a 25 percent by
2025 national Renewable Electricity
Standard (RES) would support hundreds of
thousands of new American jobs and
prevent a near-term collapse in some
industries. Job growth in the wind,
solar, biomass, waste-to-energy and
hydropower industries would particularly
benefit the Southeastern U.S. and
manufacturing states. The "Job Impacts
of a National Renewable Electricity
Standard" study was released by the RES
Alliance for Jobs and found that a 25
percent by 2025 national RES would
support an additional 274,000 renewable
energy jobs over a no-national policy
option. The 25 percent figure is
significantly higher than RES mandate in
current legislation and the expected
jobs supported in the current House and
Senate provisions would be considerably
lower. Please
click here for the full story and
click here to link directly to the
study.
EVENTS AND WEBINARS
Record
Attendance for the State Energy
Technology and Policy Outlook Conference
in Washington, D.C.
The National Association of State
Energy Officials (NASEO) and the
Association of State Energy Research and
Technology Transfer Institutions
(ASERTTI) co-hosted the State Energy
Policy and Technology Outlook Conference
in Washington, D.C., from February 1-4,
2010, with nearly 300 state officials
and energy experts in attendance.
Over the course of four days,
attendees heard the latest on state and
federal efforts to create green jobs,
increase the nation's energy efficiency
and use of renewable energy, and
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act
(ARRA)-related progress and expectation
issues, as well as updates on vehicle
electrification, the Net Zero Energy
Commercial Buildings Consortium, ARPA-E,
and more. The conference agenda also
included an offsite meeting with
Secretary Chu for the state energy
offices, a presentation from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, and a
special keynote address from Congressman
Paul Tonko. The core conference agenda
was complimented by pre-meeting ARRA and
committee sessions and an important
post-conference ARRA-related building
codes workshop.
Keynote speakers from the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE), including
Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Energy Efficiency and
Jacques Beaudry-Losique, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Renewable
Energy, provided an update on DOE
activities and discussed how conference
attendees can assist in meeting shared
federal public policy goals. Scott
Blake Harris, DOE General Counsel,
provided the most recent guidance on the
Davis-Bacon Act, the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Buy
American provisions. The National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Director, Dan E. Arvizu, provided an
overview of the NREL activities and
discussed the potential for
collaborative approaches with State
Energy Offices and State Energy
Technology Institutions aimed at
speeding technology transfer and
deployment and Arun Majumdar, Director,
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
(ARPA-E), discussed what the new program
model offers energy innovators and how
states can assist DOE in advancing clean
energy innovation. For access to the
full agenda and online links to speaker
presentations, please
click here.
The platinum sponsor of the 2010
NASEO/ASERTTI State Energy Policy and
Technology Outlook Conference was Eaton
Corporation. Silver sponsors included
Chevron Energy Solutions, 4tell
Solutions, LLC, Johnson Controls, and
Sentech, Inc. ICF International was a
bronze sponsor.
Compressed
Air Challenge - Fundamentals of
Compressed Air Systems WE (web-edition)
The Compressed Air Challenge (CAC) is
pleased to announce the launch of
Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems
WE (web-edition) on February 22, 2010.
This web-based version of the popular
Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems
training uses an interactive format that
enables the instructor to diagram
examples, give pop quizzes and answer
students' questions in real time. The
course will launch on February 22, 2010,
with subsequent classes on March 1,
March 8, and March 15. The classes will
begin at 11:00 a.m. eastern and will
last approximately 2 hours each. Please
click here for additional
information and to register online.
DOE Announces
Inaugural ARPA-E Energy Innovation
Summit
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
announced that the inaugural "ARPA-E
Energy Innovation Summit" will take
place March 1-3, 2010, at the Gaylord
National Hotel and Convention Center in
Washington, D.C. The event, hosted by
the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced
Research Projects Agency - Energy
(ARPA-E) and organized by the Clean
Technology and Sustainable Industries
Organization (CTSI), with key support
from the National Venture Capital
Association (NVCA) and the Kauffman
Foundation, will serve as a forum for
the nation's energy leaders to share
ideas, collaborate, and identify key
technology opportunities and
challenges. Summit participants will
include members of the scientific and
research communities, investors,
technology entrepreneurs, corporations
with an interest in clean energy
technologies, policymakers, and
government officials. For more
information and a link to the Summit
website, please
click here.
STATE AND LOCAL NEWS
New Traffic Lights
Shine Bright in New Mexico
New Mexico's Energy, Minerals and
Natural Resources Department (EMNRD),
which manages the State Energy Program,
has teamed with the New Mexico
Department of Transportation on a
statewide Traffic Light Retrofit
Project. Funded with $5 million from
the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act that was allocated to the State
Energy Program, the project to retrofit
traffic and pedestrian lamps at
intersections throughout the state is
nearly 75 percent complete. Please
click here for the full story on the
NASEO website.
Energy Rebates for
Maine Homeowners Now Available
Every homeowner in Maine is now
eligible to receive rebates of $1,500 to
$3,000 for energy efficiency projects
through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Over the next
two years, up to 4,000 homes could be
retrofitted with rebates from the Maine
Home Performance program, which is
funded with $9 million in federal
stimulus dollars as part of Maine's
State Energy Program ARRA grant. Please
click here for the full story on the
NASEO website.
New Kentucky "Green
Bank" to Finance Energy-Efficient
Improvements in Public Buildings
Kentucky's historic reliance on
coal-fired base load generation has
provided the state with some of the
lowest electricity rates in the
country. Kentucky's low rates have
encouraged Kentuckians to become some of
the greatest consumers of electricity in
the country. Kentucky's per capita
consumption of electricity is among the
highest in the United States. To help
reduce its energy appetite, Kentucky's
elected officials are clear about their
approach. Not only has the state set a
goal of 25 percent energy reduction by
2025, it has also allocated American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
funds from the U. S. Department of
Energy to energy efficiency projects in
government buildings to help meet that
goal. Please
click here for the full story on the
NASEO website.
Michigan Announces
$17.4 million in EECBG Awards
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
announced that the Michigan Department
of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth (DELEG)
has awarded $17.4 million in grants to
125 cities, villages, townships, and
counties throughout Michigan to support
local energy efficiency projects. The
state Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Block Grants (EECBG) are funded through
the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). DELEG's
Bureau of Energy Systems (BES) awarded
the EECBG grants to projects that will
create and retain jobs, save energy, and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Please
click here for the full press
release and a list of projects awarded.
Florida Company
Donates Solar Lights to Haiti
Sol Inc., a Florida manufacturer of
solar outdoor lighting, is helping
relief efforts in Haiti, pledging more
than $300,000 in equipment and aid. The
company's product combines a small solar
panel and a battery pack to provide
power for a high-intensity lamp that
uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Following the devastating 7.0 magnitude
earthquake that struck the island on
January 12, killing untold tens of
thousands, Sol employees have been in
Haiti since January 19, working to
install solar-powered light systems.
Workers have helped bring sun-powered
illumination to hospitals, relief camps,
and food distribution centers in the
quake's epicenter of Port-au-Prince. The
company is continuing to work with U.S.
officials and agencies to get more of
the solar lights to Haiti. Please
click here for more on the story. |
