NATIONAL NEWS
President Obama Announces Historic 54.5 mpg Fuel Efficiency Standard
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
President Obama announced last week a historic agreement with thirteen major
automakers to pursue the next phase in the Administration’s national vehicle
program, increasing fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon for cars and
light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025. Building on the Obama administration’s
agreement for Model Years 2012-2016 vehicles, which will raise fuel efficiency
to 35.5 mpg, the next round of standards will require performance equivalent to
54.5 mpg or 163 grams/ mile of CO2 for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year
2025. Achieving the goals of this historic agreement will rely on innovative
technologies and manufacturing that will spur economic growth and create
high-quality domestic jobs in cutting edge industries across America. The
standards also curb carbon pollution, cutting more than 6 billion metric tons of
greenhouse gas over the life of the program – more than the amount of carbon
dioxide emitted by the United States last year. The oil savings, consumer, and
environmental benefits of this comprehensive program are detailed in a new
report entitled
Driving Efficiency: Cutting Costs for Families at the Pump and Slashing
Dependence on Oil, which the Administration also released last week.
EPA Proposes Air Pollution Standards for Oil and Gas Production
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed standards last week
to reduce harmful air pollution from oil and gas drilling operations. These
proposed updated standards - which are being issued in response to a court order
- would rely on cost-effective existing technologies to reduce emissions that
contribute to smog pollution and can cause cancer while supporting the
administration’s priority of continuing to expand safe and responsible domestic
oil and gas production. The standards would leverage operators' ability to
capture and sell natural gas that currently escapes into the air, resulting in
more efficient operations while reducing harmful emissions that can impact air
quality in surrounding areas and nearby states.
U.S., Seeking to Reshape Electric Grid, Adopts a Power Line Rule
The New York Times
Federal regulators recently laid down principles for planning and paying for
new power lines, part of a long-term policy effort to help the nation’s
electricity grid grow enough to meet the demands of renewable energy and a
competitive electricity market. The rule, which has been in the works for
several years, is intended to push the organizations that manage the grid into
cooperating with one another, so that developers can build power lines across
several states and multiple electrical jurisdictions. Passed unanimously
by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the rule does not specify what the
formula should be for allocating costs, or precisely how new lines should be
planned. But it does lay out general guidelines, including the notion that the
costs should be borne by those who benefit.
Bipartisan Senate Bill would Delay, Alter EPA Boiler Rule
The Hill
A bipartisan coalition of senators recently introduced legislation aimed at
delaying and reworking a set of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
regulations for industrial boilers that industry groups have blasted as overly
burdensome.
The
legislation mandates that the EPA rework the regulations over a 15-month
period. EPA’s current regulations require that industrial boilers and
incinerators install “maximum achievable control technology” to reduce harmful
emissions like mercury. The Senate legislation specifies that EPA’s
existing boiler regulations “are of no force or effect, shall be treated as
though such rules had never taken effect, and shall be replaced.” The bill
also mandates that EPA gives facilities at least five years to comply with the
rules — two years more than EPA’s current compliance period. EPA must also
take into account the cost, feasibility and impact on jobs of the reworked
regulations, according to the bill.
DOE to Award Over $6 Million
for Clean Energy Projects on Tribal Lands
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently announced 31 tribal energy projects
to receive $6.3 million over two years as part of the U.S. Department of
Energy's ongoing efforts to support tribal energy development and continue
strengthening the partnership with Tribal Nations. These competitively selected
projects will allow Native American Tribes to advance clean energy within their
communities by developing strategic energy plans, expanding the skills and
knowledge of tribal members, and improving the energy efficiency of their
buildings. These investments will help tribal communities to save money and
reduce energy waste, expand the use of clean energy technologies, and promote
economic development.
Interior Department Approves Four Major Renewable Energy Projects
U.S. Department of Interior
Advancing the Obama Administration’s commitment to rapid and responsible
development of large-scale renewable energy, Secretary of the Interior Ken
Salazar recently announced the approval of four new projects on public lands,
the launch of environmental reviews on three others, and the next step in a
comprehensive environmental analysis to identify ‘solar energy zones’ on public
lands in six western states. The renewable energy projects that Salazar
announced - two utility-scale solar developments in California, a wind energy
project in Oregon, and a transmission line in Southern California - together
will create more than 1,300 construction jobs, provide a combined 550 megawatts
of electricity, enough to power 185,000 to 380,000 homes, and generate several
million dollars annually in local government tax revenues. The projects are part
of Interior’s “Smart from the Start” approach to processing existing
applications for renewable energy development on public lands in a coordinated,
focused manner with full environmental analysis and public review.
REPORTS
Blue Ribbon Commission Releases Draft Report on America’s Nuclear Future
The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (BRC) was formed by
the Secretary of Energy at the request of the President to conduct a
comprehensive review of policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel
cycle and recommend a new plan. The Commission and its subcommittees met
more than two dozen times between March 2010 and July 2011 to hear testimony
from experts and stakeholders, to visit nuclear waste management facilities in
the United States and abroad, and to discuss the issues identified in its
Charter. A wide variety of organizations, interest groups, and individuals
provided input to the Commission at these meetings and through the submission of
written materials. Copies of all of these submissions, along with records and
transcripts of past meetings, are available at the BRC website (www.brc.gov). This
draft report highlights the Commission’s findings and conclusions to date
and articulates a preliminary set of consensus recommendations for public review
and input.
IMT Releases Report on Building Energy Transparency
The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) released a report last week
that offers the first-ever national review of building energy rating and
disclosure policies in the United States. The policies, recently enacted into
law by five cities and two states, require large commercial building owners to
measure their properties’ energy consumption and reveal that data. By making
building energy use and costs more transparent, these laws will encourage
building energy improvements and stimulate market demand for energy efficiency.
Building
Energy Transparency identifies best practices that help jurisdictions
overcome common challenges in implementation. IMT’s report will be an essential
road-map for jurisdictions seeking to adopt rating and disclosure policies.
In addition to the report, IMT worked with real estate services firm CB Richard
Ellis on a compact user’s guide to the requirements, which is also released
today. CBRE’s “Guide to State and Local Energy Performance Regulations” can be
downloaded at www.cbre.com/USA/Sustainability/Envirometrics.
SURVEY REQUEST
Sandia National Laboratories Survey
Sandia National Laboratories and OurEnergyPolicy.org are partnering
to survey key energy sector stakeholders as to how the United States should
align the priorities that drive its energy policies. Recently, they reached out
to NASEO asking for our input and help.
They have provided a survey designed to identify how informed professionals are
thinking about energy, and what their thinking might mean for the direction of
American energy policy. Specifically, it asks respondents to reflect on the
importance and relative emphasis of the three most common goals and
considerations of energy policy:the economy, the environment, and
national/energy security. The survey also encourage respondents to suggest any
additional goals that energy policymakers should account for. Sandia and OurEnergyPolicy.org would like to include
the perspectives of NASEO's members in the results.
If you are interested, you can access the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QHFB5LG.
The results of the survey will form the basis of a joint report by Sandia and OurEnergyPolicy.org.
STATE NEWS
2
Wind Projects Under Way in Maine this Summer
Bloomberg Businessweek
With four grid-scale wind projects already built in Maine and another two
under construction, the state is poised to surpass an important milestone as it
moves toward its 2015 wind-power generation goal. Power produced from all
of the completed projects, along with an approved portion of another planned
wind farm in Aroostook County, will put the state past 21 percent of the 2,000
megawatt wind power goal set by state law, said Jeremy Payne, executive director
of the Maine Renewable Energy Association. Total wind project investments
in Maine approach $1 billion and construction has created or supported more than
600 jobs, according to a study the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School
of Public Service.
DOE Offers $730 Million Loan Commitment for Michigan Steel Plant
U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced the offer of a $730 million
conditional loan commitment to modernize a high-strength steel factory in
Dearborn, Michigan. The funding will support the modernization of Severstal
Dearborn, LLC's existing facilities in addition to the construction of new
facilities to produce the next generation of automotive steel. The Severstal
project has the potential to significantly increase the supply of the steel
needed to spur the growth of fuel-efficient vehicles. Severstal estimates the
project will generate more than 2,500 construction jobs and more than 260
permanent manufacturing jobs.
Vehicle Charging Stations are Coming to Washington’s I-5, U.S. 2
Snohomish County Business Journal
Within six months, drivers will be able to recharge their plug-in electric
vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and upcoming Ford Focus, along
Washington State's Electric Highways. With funding provided through the
Washington State Energy Office State Energy Program (SEP), the Washington
State Department of Transportation selected AeroVironment to ready I-5 and U.S.
2 for the new generation of electric cars. The State Energy Office in the
Washington Department of Commerce is investing a $1.32 million Recovery Act SEP
grant as seed funding and the Washington State Department of Transportation is
developing the partnerships to implement the Electric Highways network. Project
funding will be supplemented with contributions from private businesses, other
public agencies and drivers of electric vehicles who will pay for the
fast-charge services. Washington's electric-highway infrastructure is a
key component of a future West Coast Green Highway. When complete, it will
extend a seamless network of recharging stations along all 1,350 miles of I-5
from Canada to Mexico, serving more than 2 million electric vehicles that market
analysts say will be sold in Washington, Oregon and California in the next
decade.
|
