NATIONAL NEWS
Congress Passes Budget Bill
Congress voted Thursday to keep the government financed through September.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) of the Department of
Energy was funded at $1.8 billion, a cut of $407 million as compared to FY'10
enacted levels. The bill did not cut any particular EERE programs.
Instead, discretion will be provided to Secretary of Energy Chu to make program
level reductions. Please see a
summary of the cuts by agency and the
full text of the legislation for more information. The language
concerning EERE can be found on page 231 of the legislation. Information
on SEP, WAP, and other specific EERE and OE programs is pending and will be
provided by NASEO as soon as it becomes available.
NASEO Presents at ACEEE Market Transformation Symposium
NASEO Executive Director, David Terry, presented this week at the 2011
National Symposium on Market Transformation sponsored by the American Council
for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency
(CEE).
Mr. Terry’s presentation, during The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
Sustaining Momentum for a New Era panel, provided the audience with an overview
of how states are leveraging State Energy Program (SEP) funding to make energy
efficiency investments that are helping to move market transformation beyond
ARRA.
NASEO Holds Two Regional Meetings for State Energy Directors and Senior
Staff – Central and Southeast
On April 13 -14, State Energy Directors and Senior Staff in both the
Southeast and Central NASEO Regions met to discuss priority issues such as
ENERGY STAR, building codes, ongoing ARRA issues, and collaborative RDD&D.
Significant discussion time was spent on examining self sustaining energy
programs such as public facilities retrofits and enhanced loan and investment
programs. In addition, participants considered pending and possible
policies that could propel energy efficiency and renewable energy activities
within tight state and federal budgets. For more information about
the discussions please contact NASEO.
EPA
Landmark Clean Air Act Settlement with TVA to Modernize Coal-Fired Power Plants
and Promote Clean Energy Investments
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement this
week with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to resolve alleged Clean Air Act
violations at 11 of its coal-fired plants in Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
The settlement will require TVA to invest an estimated $3 to $5 billion on new
and upgraded state-of-the-art pollution controls that will prevent approximately
1,200 to 3,000 premature deaths, 2,000 heart attacks and 21,000 cases of asthma
attacks each year, resulting in up to $27 billion in annual health benefits. TVA
will also invest $350 million on clean energy projects that will reduce
pollution, save energy and protect public health and the environment.
STATE NEWS
California Governor Signs 33% RPS into Law
Environment & Energy Daily
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a 33 percent renewable power mandate
into law. The law calls on private and public utilities to get 33 percent
of their power from renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, small
hydroelectric and biomass by 2020. It builds upon a 20-percent-by-2010 version
that applied only to the state's investor-owned utilities, or IOUs. The
law would also enact cost-containment measures and put a cap on the use of
out-of-state renewable energy certificates.
Massachusetts Officials Praise Federally Funded Energy Efficiency Program
www.masslive.com
City and state officials gathered this week to praise a three-year pilot
program that will assist area homeowners in evaluating the energy efficiency of
their homes, aided by thermal imaging, and then help them make improvements. The
state Department of Energy Resources is overseeing the pilot program in
Springfield and six other area communities, and has nearly completed the use of
van-mounted thermal imaging to analyze the energy efficiency of approximately
45,000 homes.
NYSERDA Announces $6.5 Million in Incentives to Reduce Carbon Emissions From
Buildings with 5 or More Apartments, Co-ops or Condos in New York
To help encourage the early adoption of New York City’s planned phase-out of
#6 fuel oil, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA) announced $6.5 million in incentives to help multifamily buildings
with five or more units switch to cleaner fuels that will help provide a
healthier, cleaner environment for residents and New York City. The
program will make it more affordable to switch heating and hot water systems to
less carbon-intense fuel alternatives, including #2 oil, natural gas, biodiesel/biofuel
oil blends and renewable energy sources such as solar thermal, photovoltaic and
wind systems. Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA said,
“This clean energy initiative will facilitate local job growth, reduce
greenhouse gas pollution, help improve public health, and help move the state
towards long-term energy independence.”
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