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What's
New
Below you will find links to recent additions to the NASEO web site:
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Lawmakers Urge More Money for DOE
On November 17th members of the Senate and House sent letters to
the appropriations subcommittees requesting the highest proposed
spending levels in fiscal 2007 for weatherization, the State Energy
Program, the Building Technologies, as well as other DOE programs.
In the letters, members urged support for the $49.5 million
requested by President Bush, and supported by the Senate for the
State Energy Program. The letter also supported other components of
the DOE funding bill, including:
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Weatherization $254.6
million
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Building
Technologies Program Building Codes -- $5 million
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Energy Efficiency
Pilot Program -- $5 million
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DOE Energy Star
-- $6.4 million
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Building
America/Zero Energy Homes -- $23.8 million
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Energy Information
Administration -- $93 million
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Distributed Energy
Program -- $29.6 million
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Industrial
Technologies Program -- $51.6 million
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Clean Cities Program
-- $10 million
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Federal Energy
Management Program -- $18.9 million
Under a Continuing Resolution scheduled to expire December 8th,
DOE is currently funded at levels approved in the House energy and
water bill for FY 2007. The letter signed by 40 senators went to
Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM), the chairman of the Appropriations
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Harry Reid (D-NV),
the panel’s ranking member. Eighty-four House members signed a
letter to Subcommittee Chairman David Hobson(R-OH), and the panel’s
ranking member, Peter Visclosky (D-IN). For more information read a
copy of the
Senate and
House letters.
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Legislative and Appropriations Update
May 5, 2006
- Nominations Sought for ASE Awards
The Alliance to Save Energy is seeking nominees for its 2006 Star of Energy Efficiency Awards. Each year, the Alliance holds a gala black-tie dinner and awards ceremony to pay tribute to those who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to energy efficiency and made a significant contribution to the energy security of our nation. More details and a nomination form are at
http://naseo.org/news/dinner2006nominations.pdf. - NASEO Seeks Restoration of SEP Funding Cut
NASEO's Chairman, Peter R. Smith, sent a letter this week to the Pete Domenici (R-NM), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, asking that Congress restore the 20% cut made to the State Energy Program for FY '06. The letter reminded Sen. Domenici that both the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees had provided $41 million for SEP, but the House-Senate conference committee cut the appropriations to $36 million.
See a copy of the letter.
- NASEO Calls for Full Funding of Energy Efficiency and Assistance
Programs
NASEO, accompanied by three other organizations representing state
officials, called on Congress and the Administration to fully fund all
major programs supporting energy efficiency, low-income energy
assistance, and weatherization contained in the recently-enacted
Energy Policy Act of 2005.
- Energy Assurance Planning Assistance to States
One of NASEO’s key member fee-based services is providing energy
assurance planning assistance to states. Don Milsten, formerly on the
NASEO staff, has been engaged as a consultant to work with states on
these projects. Please feel free to contact the NASEO office if your
state would like some assistance in developing or updating a state
plan or other energy assurance related training programs. - EPA Clean Energy-Environment State Partnerships
In early 2005, EPA launched a new
Clean Energy and Environment State Partnerships Program with several
energy offices as charter members. EPA now has a web site for the
partnerships. Visit:
www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/stateandlocal/partners.htm - EPA Offers Free Toolkit on Funding Efficiency/Renewable Efforts
thru Enforcement of "Supplemental Environmental Projects:" A new
"Toolkit for States
Using Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) to Promote Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy," from EPA's State and Local Capacity
Building Branch of the Climate Protection Partnership Division and the
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, is now available at:
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/stateandlocal/ SEPs can provide a
significant opportunity to fund EERE community-oriented projects in
the context of enforcement settlement negotiations for environmental
violations where there is a general nexus to the violation and the
project would be located in the same regional air-shed.
This Toolkit provides state and local governments with information
and resources for pursuing energy efficiency or renewable energy
projects through non-federal enforcement settlements. It gives
examples of actual projects, summaries of cases, resources, contact
information, basic information on SEPs, and "how to" steps. Federal
SEPs continue to be governed by EPA’s SEP Policy at:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/compliance/resources/policies/
civil/seps/. For further information, contact Art Diem of EPA at
diem.art@epa.gov.
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