A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Today’s Executive Director’s Message is all about New York. Recently, I had a successful visit to New York city to meet with some current and potential new members of the CHP Association. Everywhere I went, individuals and companies positively received our message of a reinvigorated policy agenda, business and industry focus, and our expanded meeting and symposium formats, coupled with our new End Users and Technical Committee. Many thanks to Doug Davis of Broad USA who gave generously of his time and talent.
I am pleased to announce the latest member of the CHP Association: ASI Energy. Ithaca, New York-based Anodyne Solutions, Inc. (dba ASI Energy), provides integrated, technology-agnostic clean-energy solutions tailored to the requirements of commercial, institutional and industrial customers, utilities, grid operators and governmental entities primarily in the Northeast.
Also, I am excited about a new partnership with Tom Bourgouis and Pace University to advance efforts on the REV in New York. This will be another member benefit for companies who are interested in what happens in New York. If you are not receiving the REV updates and wish to do so, please let me know. Guy Warner with Pareto Energy is serving as the primary contact point for the CHP Association on this initiative. Relatedly, we will hold a webinar on the REV in May with details to be announced next week.
All the Best,
Dale Louda
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CHP Association is supporting the All-Of-The-Above Federal Building Energy Conservation Act of 2015, to improve federal energy use management. S. 869, introduced by Senators Hoeven, Manchin and Donnelly, was developed by a diverse coalition of industry, efficiency and environmental advocates. The result of that process is a broadly-supported, bi-partisan bill that dramatically improves energy efficiency. The proposal would save taxpayers money by enhancing the energy efficiency of federal buildings. It would repeal a requirement regarding the reduction and eventual elimination of fossil fuel-generated energy consumption in new and renovated federal buildings, and strengthen broader energy efficiency targets and other direction to federal agencies.
Click here (http://www.bcse.org/images/2015Factbook/BCSE%20CHP%20Webinar%20Recording_04.27.15.mp4 ) to watch a recording of this week’s BCSE, EPA CHP Partnership, and CHP Association webinar on the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook.
NEWS EXCERPTS
Obama signs long-delayed bill to boost energy efficiency in commercial buildings, homes
Associated Press
President Barack Obama has signed long-delayed legislation to boost energy efficiency in buildings. Obama signed the bill into law Thursday in the Oval Office. He was surrounded by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. The law aims to cut energy use in commercial buildings, manufacturing plants and homes. Obama says he hopes it will lead to more progress on environmental issues. He says it’s an area where Washington could make a big impact and create jobs.
Click here to read the full article
Dual-pronged focus on efficiency could be key to energy bill’s success
E&E Daily
For lawmakers crafting an energy bill this year, “efficiency” means more than just reducing energy use. It also means cutting back the burdens imposed by the federal government in trying to achieve those reductions. That dual focus on energy efficiency and what key lawmakers have termed “accountability” will be on display today at a pair of hearings focused on refining part of the broader, bipartisan energy bill lawmakers hope to unveil later this year. The coinciding sessions in a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee could provide some key signals about the extent to which the two parties and the two chambers are going to be able to work together over the course of this year.
Click here to read the full article
House passes 2016 energy spending bill
The Hill
The House passed its second 2016 appropriations bill on Friday, this time to fund the Department of Energy and water infrastructure projects. Passed 240-177 along party lines, the measure would provide $35.4 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Energy and nuclear weapons programs. The measure provides $1.2 billion more than the current enacted spending level, but $633 million less than what the Obama administration requested.
Click here to read the full article
California’s greenhouse gas emission targets are getting tougher
Los Angeles Times
Gov. Jerry Brown accelerated California’s effort to slash greenhouse gas emissions Wednesday, burnishing the state’s reputation as a pacesetter in the battle against climate change. In an executive order, Brown said the state must cut the pollutants to 40% below 1990 levels by the year 2030, more than a decade after he leaves office. That is an interim target, intended to help California lower emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by the year 2050, a goal set by Brown’s predecessor, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Click here to read the full article
QER could help lawmakers aiming to pass broad bill
E&E Daily
If bookies set odds on legislative prospects, a bipartisan, comprehensive energy bill would still be a definite long shot this year, but the reactions from Capitol Hill to a suite of proposals rolled out by the Obama administration yesterday may have improved its odds — at least slightly. The multibillion-dollar price tag carried by the proposals in the administration’s Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) may cause some sticker shock in an era of tight budgets. But its overarching focus on energy infrastructure needs — to capitalize on domestic production; secure a reliable electric grid; and ensure safe transport of oil, gas and coal, among other goals — dovetails with some of the priorities being addressed by lawmakers assembling an energy bill this year.
Click here to read the full article
8.4 MW cogeneration plant to power Los Angeles International Airport
Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production Magazine
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has opened its new 75,000 square foot, $438 million Central Utilities Plant (CUP). The new facility will be 25 per cent more efficient than the previous 50 year old CUP and an 8.4 MW cogeneration plant consisting of gas-turbine-driven generators to provide electricity and the “waste” heat will be reused for heating and to power additional steam-driven chillers.
Click here to read the full article
EPA Recognizes Efforts of More Than 400 Federal Facilities for Green Leadership: Reducing Pollution, Conserving Energy and Saving Money
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes the efforts of more than 400 federal facilities that took steps to reduce pollution, support renewable energy, and operate more efficiently in 2014 as part of the Federal Green Challenge (FGC), resulting in an estimated cost savings to U.S. taxpayers of more than $24 million. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from participating facilities is equivalent to annual emissions from 190,000 passenger vehicles.
Click here to read the full article
House Committee Moves Bill Allowing States to Opt Out of Clean Power Plan Compliance
Bloomberg BNA
The House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a bill to the House floor April 29 that would allow states to opt out or defer compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan. The committee approved the Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 2042) on a 28-22 vote after defeating five attempts by Democrats to amend the bill. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), the bill’s sponsor, has said he would like to see the House vote on the measure before the EPA finalizes its Clean Power Plan, which is expected this summer.
Click here to read the full article
Dems bristle at regulatory reforms in efficiency legislation
E&E Daily
Energy efficiency is widely popular, but some provisions Republicans hope to include in a broad energy bill aimed at dialing back some existing policies ran into sharp objections from House Democrats yesterday. The emerging energy bill continued to take shape yesterday in a pair of hearings on either side of the Capitol focused on various legislative proposals that eventually could become its efficiency title. Senate Energy and Natural Resources and House Energy and Commerce panels convened separate hearings around the same time yesterday morning.
Click here to read the full article
EVENTS
Following on from the questions and issues raised during FERC’s technical conferences, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) will host a half-day technical workshop in Washington, DC to delve into the details of designing and implementing an RSV and/or RAM, and FERC’s potential role in implementing these mechanisms. Friday May 8th. Please contact The Bipartisan Policy Center.
NYSERDA Combined Heat and Power Expo
May 5, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM EST
Marriott, Brooklyn Bridge
NYSERDA’s Combined Heat and Power Expo is designed to help commercial, industrial, and multifamily building owners and managers connect with pre-approved Combined Heat and Power (CHP) equipment vendors and other organizations offering financial and technical support for the installation of CHP systems. Building owners, managers, and other representatives are invited to stop by and speak with CHP system vendors, NYSERDA staff, and U.S. Department of Energy’s CHP Technical Assistance Partnership representatives about the various products and services available to capture significant energy savings and improve the resiliency of their buildings.
Click here to register
NYSERDA Seminar: Incorporating CHP in LEED-Certified New Construction
May 5, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST
Brooklyn, NY
NYSERDA, in partnership with the USEPA, is offering a FREE seminar for architects and engineers. 2.0 free PDH credits will be awarded. NYSERDA’s CHP Expo is going on the same day at the Brooklyn Marriott, and seminar attendees can meet the vendors of pre-approved CHP systems featured in NYSERDA’s CHP Catalog.
Click here to register
WEBINAR: Meeting Conservation Targets in Ontario with Combined Heat and Power
May 12, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM EST
In this webinar, ICF International experts examine the opportunity for behind-the-meter generation (BMG) using waste energy recovery (WER) and conservation combined heat and power (CCHP) in Ontario. The webinar provides an introduction to combined heat and power (CHP) in the context of the Conservation First program and describes the current market for BMG in terms of existing market and achievable opportunities in Ontario.
Click here for more information
ICF Breakfast: FERC at the Energy Fulcrum
May 15, 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM EST
In this Energy and Environment Breakfast, ICF International welcomes a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) commissioner who will discuss FERC’s agenda—one of the key fulcrums of the energy universe today. FERC’s agenda encompasses.
Click here for more information
