Energy News
Energy
Efficiency Must Be Foundation of U.S. Energy Policy
- Washington, DC, September 3, 2003 – As Congress
strives to craft a balanced energy bill, it must make energy efficiency
the foundation of our national energy policy, Alliance to Save Energy
Acting Co-President Mark Hopkins said today.
“Our nation has a long history of short memories when it comes to
energy policy,” Hopkins added. “We don’t learn from our past
difficulties and crises.
“But energy efficiency remains the quickest, cleanest, cheapest way to
extend our nation’s energy supplies and protect our economic and
national security.”
Construction
of Energy-Efficient Buildings Could Save $8.4 Billion in Southwest, New
Study Shows
- 08/20/2003 With 2.3 million new single family homes
and more than 3 billion square feet of new commercial buildings
expected to be built in the southwestern region of the United States
over the next 20 years, consumers and businesses would save $8.4
billion during that time if those new buildings were constructed to be
energy efficient, reports a Southwest Energy Efficiency Project study.
http://www.swenergy.org/ieenb/index.html
Alliance Continues Push
for Efficiency in House-Senate Energy Bill Conference
- Washington DC, August 1, 2003 With the recent
blackout and a looming natural gas crisis highlighting the need for
comprehensive energy legislation that includes aggressive
energy-efficiency measures, the Alliance to Save Energy continues its
work to further energy-efficiency legislation in Congress. On July 31
the Senate decided to abandon the 2003 energy bill (S. 14) and report
instead last year’s energy bill to the conference committee that irons
out differences between the House and Senate bills. “With the nation
facing a natural gas crisis and transportation consuming more than 60
percent of the oil used in the country, the American people deserve
better energy policy than the reincarnated 2002 Senate bill," said
Alliance Director of Policy Kara Saul Rinaldi.
Department of Energy
Awards $1.3 Million for Energy Programs in Mid-Atlantic States
-
October 14, 2003 - Secretary
of Energy Spencer Abraham announced this week that the Department of
Energy (DOE) has awarded more than $17 million for energy efficiency
and renewable energy projects nationwide. The Department of Energy's
Philadelphia Regional Office has awarded $1.3 million for 15 energy
efficiency and renewable energy projects in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Funding is being provided through the DOE's State Energy Program
Special Projects competitive grants.
State Energy Offices will use these funds to improve the energy
efficiency of schools, homes and other buildings; create opportunities
for distributed energy resources; promote energy-efficient industrial
technologies; and support renewable energy sources such as solar, wind,
geothermal and biomass.
"This funding supports our continued efforts in educating the
Mid-Atlantic region on the value and need for sustainable energy
through innovative programming," said Ellen D. Lutz, Regional Director,
U.S. Department of Energy - Philadelphia Regional Office. "These
programs -- designed to educate consumers about clean energy choices --
brings us closer to ensuring that consumers receive clean, affordable,
reliable and abundant energy."
States, territories and the District of Columbia competed for these DOE
awards which provide technology-specific funding in addition to annual
formula grants award to each State Energy Office.
The Philadelphia Regional Office is responsible for administering
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs to the
Mid-Atlantic Region which includes, the District of Columbia, Delaware,
Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
The mission of the Philadelphia Regional Office is to ensure that
federal programs for energy efficiency and clean energy technologies
are implemented in the Mid-Atlantic Region, providing the region with a
stronger economy, a healthier environment and a more secure future.
Award Amounts and Special Projects by
State:
Maryland was awarded $355,000 to support the State Industries of the
Future and Distributed Energy CHP projects. Pennsylvania was awarded
$266,400 to support the Clean Cities, Biomass Power and Rebuild America
projects.
Virginia was awarded $258,479 to support the Clean Cities, State
Industries of the Future, Rebuild America, and Federal Energy
Management Program (FEMP) projects.
New Jersey was awarded $219,996 to support the Clean Cities, State
Industries of the Future, and Residential Deployment projects.
The District of Columbia was awarded $150,000 to support the Clean
Cities project.
West Virginia was awarded $100,000 to support the State Industries of
the Future project.
Award Category Summaries:
Clean Cities
Clean Cities is a voluntary, locally-based government/industry
partnership designed to promote the use of alternate fuel vehicles
(AFVs) and their supporting infrastructure. By encouraging AFV use, the
Clean Cities program will help achieve energy security and
environmental quality goals at both the national and local levels. In
the Mid-Atlantic region, there are eight active Clean Cities
coalitions: Greater Philadelphia, Delaware, Metropolitan Washington
D.C., Metropolitan Baltimore, West Virginia, Pittsburgh Region, Hampton
Roads and North Jersey. Rebuild America Rebuild America is a voluntary
network of community partnerships determined to reduce energy costs by
saving money locally.
Rebuild America
Rebuild Americaprovides business and technical tools, customized
assistance and information on alternative financing mechanisms to
enable building owners and community leaders to successfully plan and
carry out building energy projects that improve building performance,
reduce energy use and costs and promote local economic development.
There are currently 44 community partnerships in the Mid-Atlantic
region, including one in Delaware, three in the District of Columbia,
ten in Maryland, ten in New Jersey, five in Pennsylvania, eight in
Virginia, and seven in West Virginia.
Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)
EERE's
Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) works with facility managers,
engineers, architects, contract specialists, and utilities to save
energy and money at federal facilities. FEMP services promote energy
efficiency, water conservation, the use of distributed and renewable
energy, and improved utility management decisions.
Distributed Energy Resources (DER)
Distributed Energy Resources (DER) refers to a variety of small,
modular power-generating technologies that can be combined with energy
management and storage systems and used to improve the operation of the
electricity grid. Implementing DER can be as simple as installing a
small electricity generator to provide backup power at an electricity
consumer's site. Or it can be a more complex system, highly integrated
with the electricity grid and consisting of electricity generation,
energy storage and power management systems.
State Industries of the Future
Industries of the Future (IOF) is a partnership strategy of the U.S.
Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT). OIT has
successfully facilitated the development of industry visions and
roadmaps (R&D pathways) for the agriculture, aluminum, chemicals,
forest products, glass, metal casting, mining, petroleum and steel
industries. The intent of the State IOF is to expand the national
government/industry partnership to the state level. The Philadelphia
Regional Office and the OIT are partnering with the states in the
Mid-Atlantic region to pursue industrial energy efficiency goals at the
local level. In the Mid-Atlantic region, West Virginia, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware have active State IOF
programs.
Residential Deployment
The goal of the residential deployment effort is to develop
self-sustaining energy efficiency programs for the existing home market
that incorporates marketing efforts, builder training/certification,
home inspections, and quality assurance of contractor work. The primary
objective of this effort is to support seed efforts in new market
areas, but DOE will consider funding expansion in existing programs.
The projects do not have to be statewide; they may be limited to one or
more metropolitan areas or media markets.
Biomass Program EERE's
Biomass Program partners with U.S. industry to foster research and
development of advanced technologies that can transform our nation's
abundant biomass resources into clean, affordable, and domestically
produced biofuels, biopower, and high-value bioproducts. The two
primary goals of this program are to:
-- Reduce dependence on foreign oil by developing liquid fuels
-- Create the domestic biomass industry.
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