NASEO News
FEDERAL UPDATE
DOE, Interior, and
Army Corps of Engineers to Cooperate on
Hydropower
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),
the U.S. Department of Interior and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on
March 24 to create a new federal
approach to hydropower. The federal
agencies have agreed to focus on
increasing energy generation at
federally owned facilities and to
explore opportunities for new
development of low-impact hydropower.
The new agreement also provides an
opportunity for DOE to connect its
hydropower research and development
efforts with the agencies that own,
operate, and regulate federal water
projects. The combined hydroelectric
facilities of the Army Corps of
Engineers and Interior's Bureau of
Reclamation total about 34,000
megawatts, representing approximately
half of the country's hydropower
capacity. Please
click here for the full story.
DOE to Provide
$37.5 Million for U.S.-Chinese Clean
Energy Research
DOE announced on March 29 the
availability of $37.5 million in U.S.
funding over the next five years to
support the U.S.-China Clean Energy
Research Center (CERC). Grantees will
need to match the funding, generating a
total of $75 million to support research
on advanced technologies for building
energy efficiency, clean vehicles, and
carbon capture and storage. China will
contribute an additional $75 million to
the CERC, which will be a virtual
research center, located in existing
facilities in both the United States and
China. Please
click here for a link to the funding
opportunity announcement.
Secretary
Chu Highlights Recovery Act Tax Credits
for Home Energy Efficiency Improvements
While visiting Seaway Manufacturing
Corporation, an energy efficient window
manufacturing company in Erie,
Pennsylvania, Secretary Chu highlighted
the tax credits available to American
families as a result of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Taxpayers
are eligible for up to $1,500 in tax
credits for a range of home energy
efficiency improvements – such as adding
insulation, installing energy efficient
windows, or replacing water heaters.
The Recovery Act expanded residential
efficiency tax credits for some
energy-efficiency improvements,
including replacing doors and windows,
upgrading heating, ventilation and air
conditioning equipment, adding
insulation, or replacing a water heater.
Through 2010, homeowners can receive a
tax credit for 30 percent of the cost of
the improvements, up to $1,500. Please
click here for the full story.
DOE to Invest
Nearly $18 Million for Advanced Biofuels
User Facility
U.S. Department of Energy Assistant
Secretary for Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy Cathy Zoi announced
that the Department's Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory will build an
advanced biofuels process development
facility aimed at speeding the
commercialization of advanced biofuels
by allowing researchers and the private
sector to test and integrate innovative
technologies. The facility – funded
with nearly $18 million from the
Recovery Act – will be a publicly
available facility where researchers can
integrate process steps and test
innovative technology pathways, such as
those being developed at DOE's Office of
Science Bioenergy Research Centers.
This facility will be the only one of
its kind available for public use.
Please
click here for the full story.
EVENTS AND WEBINARS
REGISTER NOW!
Summer Energy Outlook Conference and
Energy Data and Assurance Planning
Workshop on April 20-21
Energy Outlook and Assurance Meeting
Prepares States for Energy Disruptions
NASEO, the U.S. Department of Energy,
and the National Conference of State
Legislatures will jointly host the
Summer Energy Outlook Conference and
Energy Data and Assurance Planning
Workshop on April 20-21 in Denver. Over
75 state and federal government, NGO,
and private sector participants are
expected to attend. During the Outlook
portion of the event, industry
representatives and energy experts will
offer national and global perspectives
on the energy outlook through this
summer. The Workshop will equip state
energy assurance leads with the tools
needed to prepare for and respond to an
energy disruption.
On Tuesday morning, April 20, the
Summer Energy Outlook Conference will
feature the Energy Information
Administration's (EIA) 2010 Summer
Short-Term Energy Outlook forecasting
energy supplies, demand and prices for
the coming season. Experts will examine
global energy markets, natural gas
supply and demand, drought mitigation
strategies, and renewable potential and
grid integration. The keynote luncheon
speaker from Symantec will address the
issues of data security and reliability
in energy infrastructure.
On Tuesday afternoon and through
Wednesday morning, the Workshop on
Energy Data and Energy Assurance
Planning will help state and local
officials identify and understand how to
use EIA energy data through a series of
energy-based scenarios. EIA
representatives will be available to
demonstrate energy data series and their
website. Participants will receive
practical guidance on state and local
energy assurance planning activities,
energy disruption tracking ideas,
preview the Table Top in Box exercise
tool, and receive the latest information
on Recovery Act grant requirements and
deliverables.
For more information on the agenda,
meeting registration, hotel
reservations, and ground transportation,
please visit the NASEO website:
http://www.naseo.org/events/summer/index.html.
Utilities
Telecom Council's Smart Grid Policy
Summit, April 7-8, Washington, DC
Policies that will impact the success
of Smart Grid deployments are being
developed in many diverse forums by many
diverse groups. Getting the most out of
such deployments requires a concerted
effort to carefully align policies for
energy, telecom, the environment and the
economy. The purpose of this Summit is
to create a forum for such discussions.
UTC is gathering key people from every
policy community to address questions
that are critical to the long term
policy success of Smart Grid. Visit
http://summit.utc.org for more
information.
Joint EPA/NASEO
RAD Program Webinar Slides and Audio Now
Available Online
On March 24th, U.S. EPA and NASEO
offered a webinar on the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's
Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD)
Program. Follow the links below to view
the slides and listen to the webinar
audio to find out how the RAD Program
can help states reach their energy and
climate goals.
EPA's RAD Program is a voluntary
partnership that helps to protect the
ozone layer, reduce emissions of
greenhouse gases, and save energy. RAD
accomplishes this by helping make sure
that old, less-energy-efficient
refrigerant-containing appliances are
removed from households and disposed of
using the best environmental practices
available. This helps the environment
in many ways: older appliances like
refrigerators may contain substances
like ozone-depleting refrigerants, oil,
and PCBs, which if not managed properly,
hurt the environment. These older
appliances also typically consume more
energy in the household than newer
models. And if disposed of improperly,
they take up landfill space and prevent
the recycling of metals and other basic
materials that take energy to re-create
from scratch. For all these reasons,
EPA and its RAD Partners believe it is
critical that appliances be handled
properly at their end-of-life.
For more information on becoming a
RAD Partner, go to:
www.epa.gov/ozone/partnerships/rad/
STATE AND LOCAL NEWS
New York Announces
$24 Million in Stimulus Funding for
Clean Energy Projects in Small
Municipalities
New York Governor, David A. Paterson,
announced that $24 million in American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
funding has been awarded to 206 energy
conservation projects. These energy
efficiency and renewable energy projects
will help 137 municipalities throughout
the State reduce energy and operating
costs by $3.3 million annually and fully
return the initial investment in less
than nine years. The projects were
competitively selected through the
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block
Grant (EECBG) program and are projects
that municipalities have identified as
local priorities to reduce energy costs
and increase energy efficiency in
buildings, transportation systems, waste
management practices, and other
operations. These funds will benefit a
variety of facilities, including fire
stations, libraries, town halls,
wastewater treatment plants, and others.
Measures funded include installation of
lighting, heating, and cooling systems
and controls to increase efficiency;
building envelope improvements;
renewable energy measures including
photovoltaic systems, high efficiency
biomass boilers, solar thermal systems,
and small wind generators; and recycling
programs. Please
click here for the full story.
Kentucky Plans to
Make Schools Energy High Performance,
High Efficiency
The Kentucky Department for Energy
Development and Independence (DEDI) and
the Kentucky National Energy Education
Development (NEED) Project, held a
workshop for school decision makers
March 23-24 discussing the benefits of
high efficiency school buildings in
Kentucky. "Kentucky has quickly moved
from the end of the line to the front of
the pack nationally in energy
conservation, thanks in large part to
innovative, informative programs like
the High Performance Sustainable School
Buildings workshops," said First Lady
Jane Beshear. "With almost 50 schools
across the state having earned the
ENERGY STAR, it's clear that sustainable
schools not only have a positive ‘green'
impact today, but teach children how to
live their lives as responsible
environmental stewards." Please
click here to read more about the
program at the Kentucky Post. |
