NATIONAL NEWS

DOE and EPA Accepting Comments on Residential Retrofit Protocols and Standards
NASEO

On Nov. 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released protocols and guidance for residential retrofits and home energy upgrades.  The Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades drafted by EPA and the Workforce Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades drafted by DOE are complementary documents intended to provide practical resources for contractors, trainers, and program administrators.  These companion voluntary protocols and standards are designed to foster a stronger residential retrofit market.  Both documents are open to public review and comment. 

FHFA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Support Maine’s PACE Program Approach
NASEO

On November 12, 2010, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac issued a letter to Efficiency Maine Trust (Efficiency Maine) to provide comments to Maine’s Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program concluding that the approach Maine is taking complements Fannie and Freddie’s goals and efforts to promote sustainable homeownership and maintain liquidity to mortgage markets. 

House Sends Government Building Efficiency Training Bill to White House
Environment and Energy Daily

By voice vote, lawmakers this week approved S. 3250,, which would require the General Services Administration to set energy efficiency training standards for employees who manage federal buildings.  The Senate had approved the measure by unanimous consent in July.

DOE Hosts First Energy Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee Meeting
U.S. Department of Energy

United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu welcomed 20 members of the Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (ERAC) to U.S. Department of Energy headquarters this week for the group’s first meeting.  Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. For more information on the Committee and its activities, visit the ERAC Web site.

Interior Department to Identify High-Potential Offshore Wind Sites in Atlantic
The Washington Post

The Department of Interior’s Smart From the Start initiative will accelerate the leasing process for developing offshore wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean. Salazar said the policy change is the result of "a lesson learned" from the ongoing struggle to develop the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts. Opponents have delayed construction of the wind farm despite government approval in April.

EPA Issues Final Rules for Carbon Sequestration
E&E News

U.S. EPA finalized two rules for regulating the underground sequestration of carbon dioxide with the aim of protecting water supplies and providing guidelines that should help the expansion of carbon capture and sequestration technology for fossil fuel-burning power plants.

A National Lab Develops Grid Controls to Handle Renewable Energy
ClimateWire

The advanced monitors in Energy Department's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center (EIOC) could have helped operators avoid the 1996 Western power blackout, which knocked out 30,000 megawatts of power -- equivalent to darkening 30 cities the size of Seattle and averted or at least minimized the 2003 Northeast blackout, which cut off power to 50 million people, says Carl Imhoff, PNNL's electricity infrastructure manager.

STATE NEWS

Propel Fuels Works with California to Rollout 75 Renewable Fuel Stations
Propel Fuels

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first customer at the October 28th grand opening of a new renewable fuel station in San Jose.   The new station, which offers both E85 Flex Fuel and biodiesel to retail and fleet customers, is part of Propel’s two-year 75-station rollout. 

Colorado Announces New $13 Million Business Loan Programs
State of Colorado

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) recently announced two new programs that will finance energy-efficiency improvements in commercial buildings and renewable energy businesses in Colorado.

Hawaii Now Accepting FIT Applications
Interstate Renewable Energy Council

Hawaii has started accepting applications for its new Feed-in Tariff program, which offers pre-set rates and standardized contract terms for selling renewable electricity to the grid via utility Hawaiian Electric. The 20-year contracts are designed to make it easier to sell clean energy to the grid from small-scale solar photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar power technology, onshore wind or in-line hydropower installations.

New Mexico Issues $50 Million in Bonds to Finance Renewable Energy Transmission
State of New Mexico

Governor Bill Richardson and the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority Board of Directors have announced that it has issued its first $50 million worth of bonds to upgrade New Mexico’s transmission system and foster clean energy growth.

NYSERDA Green Job Training Program Celebrates First Set of Graduates
NYSERDA

The Altamont Program, which is offering training in Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Utica, reported that eight individuals who had been unemployed and receiving social services support are now employed in energy-related fields in the Capital Region after completing training through its Albany program.

NASEO/ASERTTI Energy Policy and Technology Outlook Conference
January 31 - February 3, 2011
Washington, DC

2011 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit
February 28 - March 2, 2010
Washington, DC

The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit 2011 will convene the key players in the nation’s energy innovation community to spur the networks that will bring about the next Industrial Revolution in clean energy technologies.  The Summit will be held at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center, Washington, DC.

Energy Services Coalition Names New Executive Director

The Energy Services Coalition (ESC), a national public-private partnership committed to the promotion of Guaranteed Energy Savings Performance Contracting, announced on November 12, 2010, the appointment of its new Executive Director.  Dale Hahs was named to head the national nonprofit organization that was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as a member of its technical assistance team for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

NASEO Releases Guidance on Smart Grid & Cyber Security for Energy Assurance

NASEO has just released guidance for States on how they can include Smart Grid and Cyber Security in their Energy Assurance Plans.  The Energy Assurance Grant specifically calls for the inclusion of "new applications, such as Smart Grid technology, into energy assurance and emergency preparedness plans." The report provides a set of topics that States can consider and adapt to meet their needs and their level of Smart Grid deployment.  It also suggests a process that can be used and adapted by State agencies to begin to build in-house capacity to address cyber security threats and risks in the energy sector.  This report was prepared with the assistance of EPRI's Public Advisory Group for Smart Grid and Energy Efficiency and NARUC's Committee on Critical Infrastructure.

Congressional Research Service Releases Biomass Report

The Congressional Research Service recently issued the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP): Status and Issues.  The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246, 2008 farm bill) created the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). The two main purposes of BCAP are (1) to support the establishment and production of eligible crops for conversion to bioenergy in selected areas, and (2) to assist agricultural and forest land owners and operators with collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of eligible material for use in a biomass conversion facility.

NASEO has assembled success stories to highlight effective state efficiency and renewable programs and projects. View the Success Stories >