NATIONAL NEWS
President Obama Launches Advanced Manufacturing Partnership
Today, at Carnegie Mellon University, President Obama launched the Advanced
Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), a national effort bringing together industry,
universities, and the federal government to invest in the emerging technologies
that will create high quality manufacturing jobs and enhance our global
competitiveness. Investing in technologies, such as information
technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, will support the creation of good
jobs by helping U.S. manufacturers reduce costs, improve quality, and accelerate
product development.
U.S. States Lead on Energy Efficiency, Lower Utility Bills
USA TODAY
New research shows 26 now have rules that are lowering utility bills for
consumers and reducing the need to build new power plants. According to a
recent Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS)
progress report developed by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient
Economy (ACEEE), from 2004 to 2010, 24 states followed the lead of Texas and
Vermont in adopting an EERS, which require utilities to save a certain amount of
power each year. The report says EERS policies are driving energy
efficiency investments and energy cost savings to unprecedented levels.
DOE Commits
Support for Landmark Rooftop Solar Project
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced this week the offer of a
conditional commitment to provide a partial guarantee for a $1.4 billion loan to
support Project Amp. This project will support the installation of solar
panels on industrial buildings across the country, with the electricity
generated from those panels contributing directly to the electrical grid, as
opposed to powering the buildings where they are installed.
Supported by funding from the 2009 stimulus bill, the solar generation project
includes the installation of approximately 733 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic
(PV) solar panels, which is nearly equal to the total amount of PV installed in
the U.S. in 2010. Project Amp is expected to produce up to one million
megawatt hours annually, enough to power over 88,000 homes. At this level, the
project is also expected to avoid approximately 580,000 tons of carbon pollution
annually.
USDA Forest Service Awards Nearly $3 Million for Renewable Energy Projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the award of nearly $3
million in grants to 17 small businesses and community groups to develop
wood-to-energy projects that require engineering services and will help expand
regional economies and create new jobs. These projects will use woody
material removed from forests during projects such as wildfire prevention, and
that woody biomass will be processed in bioenergy facilities to produce green
energy for heating and electricity. The awardees will use funds from the
Woody Biomass
Utilization Grant program to further the planning of such facilities by
funding the engineering services necessary for final design, permitting and cost
analysis.
NASEO NEWS
NASEO Board Meets in Washington, D.C., Focuses on SEP and Economic
Development
The NASEO Board of Directors met this week, Tuesday, June 21- Wednesday, June
22, in Washington, D.C., for their quarterly meeting. The Board approved a
slate of new members to fill
open positions due to retirements. Malcolm Woolf, Director for the
Maryland Energy Administration will serve as NASEO Chair; Vaughn Clark, Oklahoma
Office of Community Development Director, is the Vice Chair; Terri Adams,
Alabama Energy Division Director, is Treasurer; Estrella Seese, Energy Program
Administrator from the Hawaii Energy Office, is Secretary; Frank Murray, NYSERDA
President, will be the Parliamentarian; and Dub Taylor, Director of the Texas
State Energy Conservation Office, will serve as Past Chair. Mark Sylvia,
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Commissioner, joined as a Northeast
region representative, and Tony Usibelli, Division Director in the Washington
State Energy Office, now represents the Western region.
The Board discussions centered on State Energy Program funding and the
opportunities for clean energy economic development. Board members heard
program and department updates from a number of U.S. Department of Energy
officials related to the State Energy Program (SEP), Office of Weatherization
and Intergovernmental Programs, building technologies, solar technologies, and
Energy Information Administration. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency shared information on their climate protection division.
Congressional staff provided an outlook on federal energy legislation and
appropriations. A representative from the Pew Charitable Trusts gave an
overview of their clean energy initiatives in the states.
The next Board Meeting will be held in conjunction with the NASEO Annual
Meeting in September in San Antonio.
NASEO Hosts Northeast Regional Energy Assurance Exercise and Workshop
On June 16–17, 2011, the National Association of State Energy Officials
(NASEO), U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy
Reliability, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the City of Boston co-hosted
the 2011 “Amber Borealis” Northeast Regional Energy Assurance Exercise and
Workshop in Boston, MA. Commissioner Mark Sylvia, Massachusetts Department of
Energy Resources and NASEO Board member, provided
opening remarks
highlighting the important role that training and planning exercises play in how
well the states lead in restoring energy resources to citizens in times of
crisis and the effectiveness of delivering emergency response services. The
exercise was attended by fourteen states and over 186 representatives from
Federal, and local governments, trade associations, and private industry.
Attendees assessed the consequences, mitigation, and response to a series of
simulated large-scale regional energy emergencies or supply disruptions. The
exercise allowed states to evaluate their State and local energy assurance
plans, which are currently being developed by State Energy Offices and select
local governments.
NASEO Releases RFP for Residential Program Evaluation Contractor
In partnership with the State Energy Offices in Alabama, Massachusetts,
Virginia, and Washington, NASEO is releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to
select a program monitoring and evaluation contractor for a multi-state
residential labeling and retrofit project funded through the U.S. State Energy
Program. There will be an optional bidder’s webinar on Thursday, July 7,
2011; 2:00-3:30pm EDT. To register for the webinar, please contact Mandy
Clarke (mclarke@naseo.org). Final
submissions are due July 22, 2011. NASEO anticipates making one award for
an amount not to exceed $505,000. If your office is aware of qualified
firms who might be interested in this opportunity, please feel free to share
this RFP or refer them to NASEO staff at
dlin@naseo.org. More details on this RFP can be found on NASEO’s
website at
www.naseo.org/resources/rfps/4states.
STATE NEWS
Alabama Loan to Cut Energy Costs, Create Jobs
The Randolph Leader
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) announced
that a Randolph County manufacturer is the first business approved to
participate in AlabamaSAVES, the department's new and innovative program to save
energy and boost employment. ADECA is providing a $2.3 million loan to
enable The Dixie Group to install upgrades that will save energy and create up
to 20 new jobs at its Roanoke carpet yarn plant. The Dixie Group will use
the loan to install high-efficiency equipment in its Roanoke yarn plant, which
makes carpets and rugs for residential and commercial consumers. The new
equipment, used to heat and set yarn into the carpets and rugs, is expected to
increase the plant's production capability while cutting utility costs by 15
percent. ADECA established AlabamaSAVES with funds made available to
Alabama by the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program. Loans of up to
$4 million are available to help existing commercial and industrial businesses
finance energy-saving improvements.
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