NASEO News

FEDERAL UPDATE

Nearly $80 Million in High-Speed Rail Funds Delivered to States

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that nearly $80 million in grants have been delivered to states as part of President Obama's historic high-speed and intercity passenger rail program.  These grants will go toward the development of a brand new Recovery Act funded high-speed rail system in Florida as well as critical upgrades to existing passenger rail service throughout the country.  Please click here for the full story.

EPA Sets Stronger National Air Quality Standard for Sulfur Dioxide

First new SO2 standard in 40 years will improve air quality for millions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a final new health standard for sulfur dioxide (SO2). This one-hour health standard will protect millions of Americans from short-term exposure to SO2, which is primarily emitted from power plants and other industrial facilities. Exposure to SO2 can aggravate asthma and cause other respiratory difficulties. People with asthma, children, and the elderly are especially vulnerable to the effects of SO2.  EPA estimates that the health benefits associated with this rule range between $13 billion and $33 billion annually. These benefits include preventing 2,300 to 5,900 premature deaths and 54,000 asthma attacks a year. The estimated cost in 2020 to fully implement this standard is approximately $1.5 billion.  The first National Ambient Air Quality Standards for SO2 were set in 1971, establishing both a primary standard to protect health and a secondary standard to protect the public welfare. Annual average SO2 concentrations have decreased by 71 percent since 1980.  Please click here for the full story.

REPORTS AND STUDIES

Electricity Savings Opportunities for Home Electronics and Other Plug-In Devices in Minnesota Homes: A Technical and Behavioral Field Assessment

The Energy Center of Wisconsin, with the funding support of the Minnesota Office of Energy Security and Minnesota Power Company, directed a timely consumer electronics field study on behaviors and usage patterns of homes across the State of Minnesota.  Various household electrical devices, their energy use and related consumer behaviors were explored throughout this year-long study with the ultimate goal of identifying both behavioral and technical savings opportunities. The study encompassed phone, mail and in-home contact as information gathering methods and has wielded some intriguing data.  Please click here for more information, including a link to the study. 

Ethanol Production Methods More Efficient Now: Study

A new University of Illinois at Chicago study of facilities that produce most of the nation's ethanol found that the energy needed to make a gallon of the corn-based fuel decreased on average by about 30 percent within the past decade.  Please click here for a link to the study.  Steffen Mueller, principal research economist at UIC's Energy Resources Center, surveyed the nation's 150 "dry mill" ethanol plants -- the type that produce about 85 percent of the ethanol for energy use – between November 2009 and January 2010.  The findings may prove useful to state and federal energy policy makers studying the pros and cons of fuels based on their "full life-cycle" -- the total energy needed to create a fuel compared to its energy output, the greenhouse gases emitted during production, the water used in production, and other factors.  For more information, please see the press release on the study and a fact sheet. 

MEETINGS AND WEBINARS

Webinar June 16 or 17: Guidelines for States Conducting Evaluations of ARRA-Funded SEP Activities

On June 16 and 17, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is offering a webinar for state officials interested in contracting or conducting evaluations of their states’ ARRA-funded SEP activities. The Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs (OWIP) has developed recommended standards to guide such evaluations, based on the priorities and standards included in the SEP National Evaluation. The SEP Evaluation Guidelines were issued in March of this year. This webinar will describe the SEP Evaluation Guidelines and how to apply them. The session is geared toward state officials who are planning to conduct or sponsor their own state-level evaluation and would like a better understanding of OWIP’s standards for such studies.

The webinar will take place on Wednesday, June 16, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and again on Thursday, June 17, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. EDT. The speaker will be Nick Hall, a highly experienced program evaluator and principal of TecMarket Works consulting firm. Mr. Hall worked for several years in the Illinois Energy Office early in his career, and has been involved for many years in evaluating state energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. 

This Webinar is free of charge, but you will need to register in advance to obtain a URL for the presentation and call-in phone number. You can register online at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/422894835 for the June 16 session and at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/868474235 for the June 17 session. If you have questions that you would like addressed during the Webinar, please send them to Nick Hall at TecMarket Works (NPHall@TecMarket.net) by June 11. 

2010 National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid

The National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid will be held June 23-24, 2010 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.  It is the premier demand response and smart grid event in the US. It brings together stakeholders from utilities, technology companies, ISOs, Congress, federal and state agencies, environmental groups, and research and consulting firms for two days of in-depth discussions on a broad slate of topics. The 2010 National Town Meeting will feature speakers who take the measure of the state of the industry, indicate what's to come in the year ahead, and report on best practices and projects in the field.

The National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid is a nonprofit event put on by the Demand Response Coordinating Committee (DRCC), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to facilitate the exchange of expertise and information on demand response and smart grid.  For more information, contact Paul Pietsch, Demand Response Coordinating Committee (DRCC), info@demandresponsecommittee.org or visit www.demandresponsetownmeeting.com/home/.

Energy Codes 2010: The Future is Now!

Energy Codes 2010 will be held July 19-22, 2010 at the Westin Charlotte Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Energy Codes 2010 will provide hands-on training and face-to-face networking through various training activities with other members in the energy codes community. It represents a unique opportunity to bring together state energy office representatives and members of the building industry and to discuss current building energy code issues and receive consistent technical training on building energy codes and standards.  Please click here for more information including the preliminary agenda and online registration. 

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS

SF Bay Area Receives Nearly $11 Million in Stimulus Money

The California Energy Commission recently approved $10.7 million to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to create clean jobs, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions with residential energy retrofit measures. Funding for this program comes from the federal America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The comprehensive community-scale building retrofit program, called Retrofit Bay Area, is targeting up to 15,000 single-family and 2,000 multi-family residences for energy efficiency upgrades. The multi county program is expected to create more than 1,700 jobs, save 58,000 megawatt hours (enough to power about 116,000 homes for a month) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20,053 tons each year. Additionally, Retrofit Bay Area is leveraging the $10.7 million into more than $184 million of public and private funds.  Please click here for the full story.

Illinois Announces Federal Stimulus Grants for Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn recently announced the availability of $13.1 million in federal stimulus funds through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program to help local governments with populations under 35,000 implement energy efficiency and conservation efforts.  The competitive grant program is being made available through the State Energy Office at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and will be administered by the Illinois Association of Regional Planning Councils (ILARC). Applications must be submitted to the ILARC by June 11.  Please click here for more information.

Massachusetts Governor Designates First Official “Green Communities”

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick recently designated 35 cities and towns from the Berkshires to Cape Cod as the Commonwealth's first official "Green Communities" - a status that makes them eligible for $8.1 million in grants for local renewable power and energy efficiency projects. The projects promise to create green jobs and advance both municipal and state clean energy goals.  The signature program of the landmark Green Communities Act of 2008, the Department of Energy Resources' (DOER) Green Communities Grant Program uses funding from auctions of carbon emissions permits under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to reward communities that win Green Communities designation by meeting five clean energy benchmarks.  For more information, please click here.

Missouri offers $7.75 Million in funding for Homeowner Upgrades with Geothermal Program under Energize Missouri Homes

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is offering $7.75 million in funding under Energize Missouri Homes to provide Missouri residents with an opportunity to reduce energy costs, while improving the overall energy efficiency and quality of their homes. Through Energize Missouri Homes, the department has created the Homeowner Upgrades with Geothermal Program.  Under the Homeowner Upgrades with Geothermal Program, incentives will be available for owners of single-family homes to conduct energy audits, implement whole-house energy saving measures and install geothermal systems.  Energize Missouri Homes is a Missouri initiative made possible by funds from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  Please click here for more information.

Alternative Energy Bill Passes Oklahoma Legislature

Legislation to boost Oklahoma's use of alternative energy, including wind energy, has passed the state House and state Senate and is now headed to Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry for signature.  The measure was authored by House Speaker Chris Benge of Tulsa and creates the Oklahoma Energy Security Act, which seeks to reduce dependence on foreign oil and increase domestic energy and renewable energy production in Oklahoma.  The bill creates a renewable energy standard for Oklahoma that calls for 15 percent of all electricity generated in Oklahoma by 2015 be produced from renewable energy like wind, solar and geothermal sources as well as conservation efforts.  Please click here for more information.