NATIONAL NEWS

President's FY'12 Budget Request – DOE Details

Please click here for a PDF file with detailed DOE program justifications and proposed funding levels from the President's FY'12 Budget request.  The file has been edited to include only the details for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Electricity, and ARPA-E.  If you would like a full version of the budget justification document, please contact NASEO.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chu detailed the President's $29.5 billion request for the DOE emphasizing the Administration's plan to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.  As part of the effort toward fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice, the budget cuts tax subsidies to oil, coal and gas industries, reduces the fossil program's budget, and reduces funding under the hydrogen technology program.  Of particular interest to the State Energy Offices are the following requests: 1) $60 million for the State Energy Program (SEP); 2) $220 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP); 3) $97 million for WAP Innovations; 4) $10 million for Tribal; 5) $3.8 million for SEP Technical Assistance; and 6) $3 million for WAP Technical Assistance.  In comparison to previous year, the SEP request in FY11 was $75 million and $50 million was the appropriation for FY10.  The WAP FY11 request and the FY10 appropriation was $180 million plus $30 million for WAP Innovations.  For the DOE press release on the President's Energy Budget, click here.  To view the video recording and PowerPoint slides from Secretary Chu's presentation, click here.

Energy, Environment Take Center Stage in Budget Skirmishes
Environment & Energy Daily

Political jockeying over the nation's fiscal health intensified this week on the heels of the White House's 2012 budget request, with leaders of both parties and their interest-group allies exerting quick pressure on electorally vulnerable members of Congress to take a stand on the energy-centric presidential pitch. The Obama administration's budget dealt a $1.3 billion cut to U.S. EPA while hiking the Energy Department's budget by 12 percent, shifting money out of areas such as fossil-fuel research to pay for new investments in clean energy technology.

Senator Lugar Prepping Bill that Could Include CES
Environment & Energy Daily

Republican Sen. Richard Lugar is crafting broad energy legislation that could include a "clean energy" mandate similar to the one President Obama called for in his State of the Union address. The Indiana Republican this week said his bill, which is still "weeks away," could include a clean energy standard as well as "energy efficiency in many, many facets."

STATE NEWS

Maryland Governor Supports Bill to Mandate Purchase of Offshore Wind Power
www.delmarvanow.com

A draft of Governor O'Malley's offshore wind bill would require the state's four utilities to sign fixed-price contracts of at least 20 years with offshore wind developers who are expected to build wind turbines a dozen miles off the coast of Ocean City. The measure will likely cost Maryland ratepayers an additional $1.60 a month on their utility bills, said Malcolm Woolf, director of the Maryland Energy Administration.

Three Michigan Correctional Facilities to Get Energy Retrofits: Saving Taxpayers $1.7 Million Annually
Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth

Efficiency and infrastructure improvements will be made to three Michigan correctional facilities in Jackson and Kincheloe that will pay for themselves by saving the state $1.7 million a year over the next 10 years. "This partnership with ESG, Chevron and Johnson Controls is a potential model for future performance contracts for the State of Michigan and local government entities," said Andrew S. Levin, DELEG acting director.

NYSERDA Energy Efficiency Initiatives Save State Businesses more than $2.4 Million Annually
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

As a result of energy efficiency upgrades and sustainable building projects supported by NYSERDA during 2010, 212 Western New York businesses are reducing energy costs by a total of $2.4 million annually. “NYSERDA commends these leaders in the Western New York business community for their commitment to more environmentally sustainable business practices,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA. Statewide, NYSERDA commercial and industrial incentives supported more than 2,800 projects during 2010, helping companies reduce operating costs by $40 million.

CAC Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems WE (web-edition) Training Opportunity
February 28, March 7, 14, 21, 2011
The Compressed Air Challenge (CAC) will offer a web-based version of the popular Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems training, which uses an interactive format that enables the instructor to diagram examples, give pop quizzes and answer students’ questions in real time beginning February 28, 2011.

SAVE THE DATE:
State and Local Government Clean Energy Summit: Sustainable Policies and Programs
May 18-19, 2011 - Washington, DC
The U.S. Department of Energy will host the first in a series of policy-focused meetings for federal, state and local energy efficiency and renewable energy leaders to maintain and grow the successes achieved during the Recovery Act period. 

New Energy Code Requirements and the Use of “Continuous Insulation” Focus of PIMA Training Initiative
On January 26th, PIMA held an educational seminar to familiarize their members with changes made to the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as they specifically apply to the construction of residential and commercial walls.  These changes, which require a 30 percent increase in energy savings in residential and commercial buildings as compared to the 2006 code, have created more opportunities for the use of “continuous insulation” systems on new residential and commercial walls.  The updated IECC also calls for increased levels of insulation, particularly for residential walls.