NASEO News

FEDERAL UPDATE

DOE Announces Nearly $100 Million for Smart Grid Workforce Training and Development 

U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy is announcing award selections for nearly $100 million for 54 smart grid workforce training programs that will help prepare the next generation of workers in the utility and electrical manufacturing industries.  These projects will leverage more than $95 million in funding from community colleges, universities, utilities and manufacturers to develop and implement training programs.  The selectees estimate that the programs will train approximately 30,000 Americans.  These workers will help to modernize the nation's electrical grid and implement smart grid technologies in communities across the country. Please click here to read the full story.

U.S. EPA, DOE Announce Changes to Bolster ENERGY STAR Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy jointly announced changes to the ENERGY STAR® product certification process to ensure that only products meeting the ENERGY STAR® requirements can receive an ENERGY STAR® label.  These changes accelerate steps DOE and EPA have initiated over the past several months to bolster the verification, testing and enforcement aspects of the ENERGY STAR® program.  Effective immediately, manufacturers wishing to qualify their products as ENERGY STAR® must submit complete lab reports and results for review and approval by EPA prior to labeling. Following a thorough review of the ENERGY STAR® qualification approval process, EPA has strengthened its approval systems and is no longer relying on an automated approval process.  All new qualification applications will be reviewed and approved individually by EPA.  Additionally, companies applying to be ENERGY STAR® partners will not be able to access the ENERGY STAR® certification mark until EPA has approved a specific ENERGY STAR®-qualified product submitted by the company.  Please click here for the full story. 

EPA Requests Nominations for Green Power Leadership Awards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will accept nominations for the 2010 Green Power Leadership Awards between April 27 and May 18, 2010. The awards will be presented at the Renewable Energy Markets Conference, to be held in Portland, Oregon, from October 19-22, 2010.

EPA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Center for Resources Solutions co-sponsor the Green Power Leadership Awards annually to recognize leading green power partners for their environmental achievements. A Green Power Leadership Award offers organizations the opportunity to:        

• Demonstrate environmental leadership,               
• Receive EPA recognition,                                  
• Become part of a prestigious group of award winners, and                     
• Be featured at the 2010 Renewable Energy Markets Conference.                                                       

Awards are presented for On-Site Generation, Green Power Purchasing, and Green Power Partner of the Year. This year, there will be a new Green Power Community Award (only EPA Green Power Communities are eligible to apply).

For nomination instructions, visit: http://www.epa.gov/grnpower/awards/nomination.htm

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Energy Efficiency Building Retrofits RFP

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) just issued a call for proposals on innovative, scalable strategies for energy efficiency retrofit programs or policies for the existing building stock in the U.S. DDCF will select from pre-proposals to invite full proposals for grants that will range from $100,000 to $350,000 each.  Proposals may be targeted to any particular barrier or segment of the buildings market (e.g., office, commercial, institutional, retail, residential, single-family, or multi-family). Research to help formulate programs or policies to address barriers is eligible as long as the path to implementation or adoption is clear.  All applicants must submit a pre-proposal using the online application by May 24, 2010.  Please click here for more information about the RFP and a link to the online application.

EVENTS AND WEBINARS

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 is Jose Iglesias, Vice President for Global Solutions from Symantec, to address data security and infrastructure reliability.

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, click here.

Compressed Air Challenge, Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems WE (web-edition)

The Compressed Air Challenge (CAC) is pleased to announce the second round of the Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems WE (web-edition), starting May 14, 2010.  Subsequent sessions will occur on May 21, May 28, and June 4.  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. Please visit the CAC website today, www.compressedairchallenge.org, to access online registration and for more information about the training. 

ECW Announces Community Energy Leadership Webinar Series

The Energy Center of Wisconsin (ECW) is launching the Community Energy Leadership Webinar Series with a free live webinar Green Jobs: Connecting Supply and Demand, presented by Marge Anderson, Associate Director of the Energy Center on April 27, 2010 from 1:00pm-2:15pm CDT.  ECW has been conducting on-going analysis of workforce development, training and energy efficiency program developments in the Midwest. This webinar will provide more specific information to program planners so that they can prepare for the boom --and the workforce capacity challenges -- ahead.  For more information and to register for the webinar, please click here.

The Community Energy Leadership Webinar Series is designed to assist cities and towns in achieving energy reduction goals.  The webinars will offer tips on improving energy assessment and program planning skills, and designing effective evaluation of program results to determine if goals are met.  The series is designed for community planners, economic development professionals, municipal employees and local elected officials, energy efficiency program managers, workforce development professionals, residential consultants and contractors, legislators and regulators, and advocates and professionals in the fields of energy and sustainable communities. Future topics in the series include:

Measuring Success: The Basics of Energy Program Evaluation
Presented by Claire Cowan, Energy Center of Wisconsin
Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Where is the Waste? An Introduction to Auditing Community Energy Use
Presented by Ingrid Kelley and Sean Weitner, Energy Center of Wisconsin
Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Effective Action: The Basics of Energy Program Design
Wednesday, July 28, 2010

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS

Arkansas Home Efficiency Assistance Program Encourages Employers to Help Employees Reduce Residential Energy Costs

L'Oréal USA, located in North Little Rock, will be the first industry in Arkansas to participate in the Home Energy Affordability Loan Program (HEAL), an energy efficiency pilot program that will help employees reduce their energy costs. The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) is administering the program on behalf of the Arkansas Energy Office. Funds for the program are provided by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The HEAL program received total funding of $2 million.  HEAL leverages a zero-interest revolving loan fund to finance industrial energy efficiency improvements.  Each participating business then establishes a loan fund that employees can access to finance similar improvements on their homes. Energy savings are used to repay the loans and provide long-term savings on utility bills.  Please click here to read more at the Arkansas Energy Office.

'Recharge Colorado' Campaign Revs up April 19

Coloradans will be encouraged to "recharge" with the kickoff of a new campaign April 19 that connects residents with millions of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars and dozens of programs and services that will save money, reduce energy use and create jobs. Residents can tap into the campaign using the soon-to-launch Recharge Colorado website and call center, which were both developed to help people across the state learn how to make energy savings a simple part of their everyday lives. The new site will offer personalized energy planning tools and a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind database that will pull in energy-related information from around the state. The site will also help consumers find the latest rebates on energy-efficient appliances, insulation and solar power, the simplest ways to weather-proof their homes at the lowest cost and the newest energy innovations and opportunities available where they live. Please click here to read more about the program at the Colorado Governor's Energy Office.

Nebraska Wind Energy Bill Expected to Jump-Start Wind Industry

A wind-energy bill recently signed into law is expected to reap immediate results. "This legislation marks the beginning of accelerated wind energy development in Nebraska," Governor Dave Heineman said during a bill-signing ceremony. Legislative Bill 1048 is designed to remove the barriers to private generation of electricity that were set up in the 1930s, when Nebraska became the nation's only public power state.  The bill will allow private companies to generate wind power in Nebraska for export to other states. The companies would be required to pay the expensive costs of building transmission lines to export the power. Officials said that would protect the state's cheap electric rates from rising. Please click here to read more at the Omaha World-Herald.

Joint Georgia Tech - Duke University Study Says South is Ripe for Energy Efficiency

According to a recently released the report, Georgia could create 32,200 jobs and reduce utility bills by $3.8 billion by 2020 through a series of aggressive energy-conservation measures. Throughout the 16-state Southern region, better conservation programs would save $41 billion in utility bills and create 380,000 jobs by 2020.  The additional jobs would emerge from expanded manufacturing and construction activity associated with more efficient homes and businesses, the report said. "Policies that drive a higher level of efficiency investments can create new jobs quickly, and can sustain a favorable employment balance because of the utility bill savings that foster long-term growth in other productive sectors of the economy." Please click here to read more at the Augusta Chronicle.

Hawaiian Biofuels, Solar Power Being Boosted for Military Use

The Navy wants to increase up to sevenfold the state's solar power output as part of a military-wide effort in Hawaii to reduce its dependency on foreign fossil fuels. About 160 people from 61 companies on the Mainland and in Hawai'i attended a forum yesterday at Marine Corps Base Hawaii to discuss the effort. A short distance away, also on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, a biofuels gathering that focused on growing renewable energy crops for Navy fuel drew 250 people and about 100 companies. The meetings were separate, but the goal is the same: a drive by the military to curb its use of foreign oil. Officials said Hawaii is the most oil-dependent state in the nation, getting 90 percent of its fuel from overseas nations. Please click here to read more at the Boston Herald.