NATIONAL NEWS
Senators Bingaman and Murkowski Release White Paper on the Clean Energy Standard
United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bingaman (D-NM) and
Ranking Member Murkowski (R-AK) have released a white paper soliciting comment
broadly on key questions and potential designs elements of a Clean Energy
Standard (CES). The full text of the white paper, along with instructions and
forms for submitting responses, can be found
here on the Energy Committee website. All responses should be
submitted in accordance with the instructions by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 11,
2011.
Senator Bingaman Remarks on the Price of Gasoline: World Events, not US Drilling
or EPA Regulations, Drive Price
United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) made a floor statement to the U.S. Senate to
provide clarity on the issue of rising gasoline prices in America. Middle East
instability, including military intervention in Libya and the Saudi Arabian
presence in Bahrain have put upward pressure on prices. The Senator’s comments
were informed by meeting with three expert oil analysts from a variety of
backgrounds. The Senator concluded by saying, “a realistic, responsible answer
has to be focused on becoming less vulnerable to oil price changes over the
medium- and long-term. And we become less vulnerable by using less oil.”
USDA Seeks Applications for Renewable Energy Funding
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for loan
guarantees in the Biorefinery Assistance Program, Repowering Assistance Program,
and the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels. USDA's Biorefinery Assistance
Program provides loan guarantees to develop and construct commercial-scale
biorefineries or to retrofit existing facilities using eligible technology for
the development of advanced biofuels. The Repowering Assistance Program is
designed to encourage the use of renewable biomass as a replacement fuel source
for fossil fuels used to process heat or power in the operation of eligible
biorefineries.
LBNL
Study - Interactions between Energy Efficiency Programs funded under Recovery
Act & Utility Customer-funded Energy Efficiency Programs
The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) provided billions of
federal dollars to support investments in energy efficiency at the state and
local level. How state energy offices chose to allocate those funds and how
those programs interacted with the existing utility customer-funded programs is
the subject of a new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory entitled,
“Interactions between Energy Efficiency Programs Funded under the Recovery Act
and Utility Customer-Funded Energy Efficiency Programs.” The study may be
downloaded from
http://eetd.lbl.gov/EA/EMP/ee-pubs.html. The LBNL team will present a
webinar on this report that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Weatherization and
Intergovernmental Program on April 28, 2011 at 2:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
The webinar registration link is:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/188766568.
STATE NEWS
Kentucky DEDI Hosts More than 100 School Administrators to Promote School
Efficiency
Commonwealth of Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet
Hosted by the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence
(DEDI) and the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, more than
100 school administrators and design professionals from around Kentucky will
tour several energy saving schools. Since 2002, the number of Energy Star
schools in Kentucky has grown to 87, helping to fund school activities through
cost savings on energy.
Efficiency Maine Grant Will Reduce Paper Mill Consumption by 3.2 Million kWh
Annually
Bangor Daily News
A $300,000 grant to Sappi Fine Paper will replace ten fixed speed pumps with
efficient variable-speed pumps at the Skowhegan mill. When complete, the project
will save an estimated 3.2 million kilowatt hours annually, which is comparable
to the yearly electricity usage of 300 average homes.
Massachusetts DOER Launches Home Efficiency Rating Pilot Project
The Official Website of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental
Affairs
As part of the $2.6 million, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of
Energy, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) will use
approximately $325,000 for state-of-the-art thermal imaging and analysis to
evaluate the energy performance of homes in Western Massachusetts. Participating
homeowners will have access to an online system providing “one-stop shopping”
for energy efficiency upgrades, including recommended efficiency measures,
information about contractors who can perform the work, and information about
available incentives and financing.
LED Streetlights Coming to the Northern Marianas Islands
Saipan Tribune
A total of 1,225 LED lamps will be installed on three Islands in the territory,
which are being paid for by the Department of Public Works' Energy Division. In
addition to saving energy and money, the new streetlights will reduce labor as
they last longer and provide better lighting to make CNMI’s streets safer for
both drivers and pedestrians.
Washington, DC to be Recognized by U.S. EPA as the Nation’s Leading Green Power
Community
District Department of the Environment
District Government, businesses, institutions, and residents are collectively
purchasing nearly 756 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually –
enough green power to meet 8 percent of the community's total electricity use.
This tremendous, voluntary effort ranks the District as the number one EPA Green
Power Community. Green Power Communities are cities, towns, and villages where
the local government, businesses, and residents all commit to buy green power in
amounts that meet or exceed EPA's Green Power Community purchase requirements.
Washington, D.C. is one of the newest of 36 Green Power Communities nationwide.
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