NASEO NEWS
ASERTTI-MGA-NASEO-DOE Host Informative Industrial
Workshop
State and private-sector attendees convened on October 4-5, 2011 in
Cleveland, Ohio for a day and a half workshop focused on opportunities for job
creation and growth in the industrial sector. Sponsored by ASERTTI and
co-sponsored by NASEO, Energy Industries of Ohio, the Midwestern Governors
Association and the U.S. Department of Energy, the workshop, Industrial Energy
Efficiency and Competitiveness: Opportunities for Job Creation and Growth,
provided participants with a combination of information-rich presentations and
opportunities to interact during several roundtable sessions.
James Bradbury with the World Resources Institute set the stage for the meeting
and discussions by providing examples of industrial efficiency programs and by
offering constructive policy and market-oriented ideas to drive costs down,
reduce emissions, and move energy efficiency forward. Jennifer Kefer with
the Alliance for Industrial Efficiency provided a keynote luncheon update on the
work of the Alliance and a thorough overview of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Air Act. Roundtable discussions focused on
industrial efficiency RD&D, industrial competitiveness policy, and sate energy
and economic development. Other highlights included: an update on combined
heat and power market trends; industrial assessment center program updates;
presentations from three private sector efficiency implementation leaders; a
federal update on the National Industrial Efficiency Framework updated including
R&D and SEE Action; and a panel that explored the importance of making the case
for action through corporate commitment to industrial energy efficiency and the
related success stories.
The workshop concluded with an outlook for federal legislation and funding for
industrial efficiency. The presentations are now available
online.
NATIONAL NEWS
Fracking Panel Praises State Regulation, Promises
More Detailed Report Soon
Environment & Energy Daily
The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources received
testimony this week on the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board’s Shale Gas
Production Subcommittee’s 90-day report. The panelists testifying offered
high praise for state regulators' current efforts to police the rapidly growing
shale gas drilling industry, but they stopped short of backing either state or
federal regulation for shale drilling. The group released an interim
report in August that drew criticism from both industry and environmental groups
for its conclusions that many of the environmental and health concerns that have
been raised about shale gas drilling are valid and that regulators lack
"effective control" over the drilling process.
The group is planning to expand on its recommendations and conclusions in a more
detailed report due out in about six weeks. The report and hearing come
amid growing concerns about the hydraulic fracturing production technique that
is used to extract hydrocarbons from compact rock formations by blasting them
with a mixture of sand, water and chemicals. Environmentalists have raised
concerns that the process, which industry has used for decades and says is safe,
could taint water supplies. But the panelists testifying this week said
other aspects of the shale gas drilling boom -- like surface leaks and spills
and well blowouts -- deserve further scrutiny as well.
Obama Administration Announces $12 Million i6 Green Investment to Promote Clean
Energy Innovation and Job Creation
The Obama Administration recently announced the six winners of the i6 Green
Challenge, an initiative to drive technology commercialization and
entrepreneurship in support of a green innovation economy, increased U.S.
competitiveness and new jobs. Projects in Florida, Iowa, Louisiana,
Michigan, New England and Washington will each receive up to $1 million from the
U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) and up to
$6 million in additional funding and technical assistance from the U.S.
Departments of Agriculture and Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
the National Science Foundation, and Commerce’s National Institute of Standards
and Technology and United States Patent and Trademark Office. The winning
projects of the i6 Green Challenge announced today include:
- Ames, Iowa: Iowa Innovation Network i6 Green Project
- Holland, Michigan: Proof of Concept Center for Green
Chemistry Scale-up
- New England: iGreen New England Partnership
- Orlando, Florida: Igniting Innovation (I2) Cleantech
Acceleration Network
- Ruston, Louisiana: Louisiana Tech Proof of Concept Center
- Washington State: Washington Clean Energy Partnership
Project
Winning i6 Green applicants will support emerging technology-based businesses
as they mature and demonstrate their market potential, making them more
attractive to investors and helping entrepreneurs turn their ideas and
innovations into businesses. For more information on i6 Green and the
winners announced, click here.
DOE Awards $156 Million for Groundbreaking Energy Research Projects
Arun Majumdar, Director of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research
Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), recently announced 60 cutting-edge research
projects aimed at dramatically improving how the U.S. produces and uses energy.
With $156 million from the Fiscal Year 2011 budget, the new ARPA-E selections
focus on accelerating innovations in clean technology while increasing America's
competitiveness in rare earth alternatives and breakthroughs in biofuels,
thermal storage, grid controls, and solar power electronics.
Demonstrating the success ARPA-E has already seen, the program announced this
year that eleven of its projects secured more than $200 million in outside
private capital investment.
Interior Department Completes Reorganization of the Former MMS
The Department of the Interior (DOI) formally established two new,
independent bureaus – the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)
and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) – to carry out the offshore
energy management and safety and environmental oversight missions previously
under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and
Enforcement (BOEMRE). The establishment of BOEM and BSEE marks the completion of
an effort to reorganize the former Minerals Management Service (MMS). This
milestone comes as part of a series of fundamental changes made by the Obama
administration to reform the government’s regulation of offshore energy
development and the agency responsible for it – while ensuring that responsible
oil and gas drilling and production continues on the U.S. Outer Continental
Shelf – under the leadership of Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and BOEMRE
Director Michael R. Bromwich.
Washington State
University Announces the Launch of E3T Connect
Washington State University recently announced the launch of
E3T Connect, a new
online community for the discussion of emerging energy efficiency technologies.
E3T Connect offers
members opportunities to participate in:
Members can also receive value-added information regarding projects or
programs with feedback from the
E3T Connect community.
You can visit
www.E3TConnect.org to register and begin connecting to emerging energy
efficiency technology professionals.
STATE NEWS
California Energy Commission Awards More Than $1.5 Million to Encourage Natural
Gas-, Propane-Powered Shuttle Buses
The California Energy Commission approved funding of $1,538,000 this week to
help bring natural gas- and propane-powered shuttle buses to California's
highways, encouraging cleaner transportation choices and creating jobs for the
future. The awards are funded from the Energy Commission's Alternative and
Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. The Energy Commission has
awarded nearly $14 million to help public and private fleet operators as well as
individual consumers afford new alternative-fueled passenger vehicles and
medium- and heavy-duty buses and trucks. The on-road vehicles meet all the
emission requirements of the Air Resources Board and are fully warranted by the
original equipment manufacturer. More information about the Alternative
and Renewable Fuels and Vehicle Technology Program is available at the Energy
Commission's DRIVE website at:
www.energy.ca.gov/drive/.
Maryland Tops U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu declared the University of Maryland the winner
of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 on October 1. Purdue
University took second place in the competition, and New Zealand (Victoria
University of Wellington) garnered the third-place award in the 19-team event.
Team Maryland, runner-up in 2007, entered WaterShed, which proposed solutions to
water and energy shortages, and was inspired by the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
Their team's entry was judged the best blend of affordability, consumer appeal,
and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. En
route to the top prize with a score of 951 out of a possible 1,000 points,
Maryland took first place in the architecture contest and tied for first in the
hot water contest, which requires a daily 15-gallon draw of water in 10 minutes
or less for bathing or washing. They also took second in the market appeal
contest, which considers livability, and in the appliances contest, which
measures how efficiently they refrigerate food and power washing machines,
dryers, and dishwashers.
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