Federal Efforts for Energy Efficiency

Posted on February 14, 2011 by mdlittlehale

President Barack Obama

In the 2011 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama highlighted many goals as part of the administration’s “winning the future” campaign. Energy efficiency was one such goal, and last Thursday the President, speaking at Penn State, unveiled the Better Buildings Initiative, a plan for a 20% improvement in energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 2020. It’s no coincidence the plan was reveled at Penn State, a school with more than 500 researchers working on energy and environmental studies. The President touted Penn State as a leader in the research towards a clean energy future.

The initiative also strives to reduce companies’ energy bills by $40 billion per year. The plan aims to achieve these goals through a number of different approaches, including tax incentives, loans, and challenges to turn the private sector towards the mind set that clean energy is a worthwhile investment.

In the plan, five main points are presented to achieve these goals.

Tax incentives – A call to redesign tax code, this would create more incentives through tax breaks and credits for businesses to make energy efficiency improvements to their properties.
More financing opportunities – Through a recent increase in loan size limits, the Small Business Administration is encouraging current lenders to promote loans made specifically for small businesses to improve the efficiency of their buildings. Also, a new pilot program is proposed in the President’s budget that will guarantee loans for improvements on hospitals, schools, and other commercial buildings.
Promote state and local governments to encourage energy efficiency in the private sector – The President’s proposed budgets will include new competitive grants for state and municipal governments to encourage the private sector to invest in energy efficiency upgrades to commercial buildings. This is important because many codes, regulations, and standards on commercial energy efficiency are set and controlled by state and local governments.
The Better Buildings Challenge – The President will challenge CEOs and University Presidents to become leaders in the movement of commercial building energy efficiency by making those leading the way eligible for benefits that include public recognition, technical assistance, and access to “best-practices sharing” within a network of like minded peers.
Training the next generation of commercial building technology workers – The plan looks to provide more transparency around energy efficiency performance, and provide better training in energy auditing and building operations.

To show the government is truly behind its aspirations for energy efficiency, President Obama issued an executive order to federal agencies, directing them to achieve zero net energy by 2030. Among the requirements, all new constructions and alterations must employ high performance and sustainable design principles. As a mark of progress of this Executive Order, at least 15% of existing federal buildings must meet these principles by 2015.

As for the energy efficiency in the homes of American families, this particular plan does not touch on the subject, but it builds off of the proposed “HOMESTAR” legislation, which encouraged Americans to make energy saving upgrades to their homes. While the house passed the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, it never came to vote in the Senate. The President says his remains committed to passing this legislation.

As 2012 approaches, President Barack Obama will be starting to campaign for reelection in the coming months. Look for energy efficiency policy to be a big part of his “winning the future” campaign unveiled during the State of the Union Address last month.

Green Communities Act

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Tara Holmes

Many Massachusetts residents want to live in a healthy and thriving green community, but don’t know how or where to start considering many of the broader environmental challenges that are so vast they can be paralyzing. With such a wide assortment of programs, subsidies and rebates, it can be a challenge for Massachusetts residents to stay on top of state and local energy efficiency options available to them [even though some communities have organizations like CEA to help navigate].

One useful state-wide resource was established under the Green Communities Act, which was signed into law by Governor Patrick in July 2008 and created the Green Communities Division within DOER to serve as the hub for all cities and towns on all matters related to energy. The Green Communities Act established the Green Communities Grant Program that provides grant funding to cities and towns and other local governmental bodies. In 2010, fifty-three cities and towns from across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts were designated as Green Communities. To become a Green Community, a city or town must meet the following five criteria as detailed in the program guidelines:

1). Provide for the as-of-right siting of renewable or alternative energy generating facilities, renewable or alternative energy research and development (R&D) facilities, or renewable or alternative energy manufacturing facilities in designated locations.

2). Adopt an expedited application and permitting process under which these energy facilities may be sited within the municipality and which shall not exceed one year from the date of initial application to the date of final approval.

3). Establish an energy use baseline inventory that includes municipal buildings, vehicles, street and traffic lighting, and put in place a comprehensive program designed to reduce this baseline by 20 percent within 5 years of the baseline year.

4). Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal use whenever such vehicles are commercially available and practicable.

5). Require all new residential construction over 3,000 square feet and all new commercial and industrial real estate construction to minimize, to the extent feasible, the life-cycle cost of the facility by utilizing energy efficiency, water conservation and other renewable or alternative energy technologies. The recommended method for meeting these criteria is adoption of the Stretch Code, 780 CMR 120.AA, appendix to the MA State Building Code.

While the Green Communities Act has already established a solid base and grant program for communities who wish to participate, it’s important to continue to increase public awareness of grant and education programs associated with the GCA. For example, coordinate state-wide community outreach efforts to expand GCA impact, use GCA success stories to promote more green-community advancement, encourage increased participation in DOER’s Energy Audit Program and utilize Green Communities Regional Coordinators to learn more specifics.

Green Communities Regional Coordinators:

Central Region: Kelly Brown, 627 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01103 (508) 767-2703 / Cell (617) 780-8144
Northeast Region: Joanne Bissetta, 205B Lowell Street, Wilmington, MA 01887, (978) 694-3315 / Cell (617) 823-4029
Southeast Region: Seth Pickering, 20 Riverside Drive, Lakeville, MA 02347 (508) 946-2838 / Cell (617) 780-7156
Western Region: Jim Barry, 436 Dwight Street, Springfield, MA 01103, (413) 755-2232 / Cell (617) 823-4588

Please note, this article will also appear in the MA E-Sierran this spring.

2005 and 2010 Tied for Hottest Years on Record

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Tara Holmes

The NYTimes recently cited that current NASA data matches NOAA data making 2005 and 2010 the two hottest years on Earth in recorded history. [NASA data is available here.]

From extreme flooding in Pakistan, California, Australia and Tennessee, to significant snow fall in England and France, to raging fires in Russia and extreme heat in New England, 2010 was indeed a notable weather year. While climate deniers continue to correlate varying weather patterns with the natural cycle of the Earth, climatologists disagree stating that the global average surface temperature was 1.12 degrees Fahrenheit above the average for the entire 20th century. In fact, according to the NYTimes article, 9 of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since the year 2000. It will be interesting – and perhaps startling – to see what occurs in 2011. This data is a reminder that climate change is real, and immediate global action, both political and personal, is imperative to maintain a healthy, livable planet for all.

Massachusetts Plans for the Clean Energy Future

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Tara Holmes

On December 29th, Massachusetts officials announced a state-wide plan to cut heat-trapping carbon gases emitted by homes, cars and businesses in the state by 25 percent below 1990 levels over the next decade. The targets set by the plan are the highest allowed under climate legislation passed by the state in 2008 and among the most stringent in the nation. This aligns Massachusetts with states like California and New Mexico, who have already announced similar action.

The Massachusetts plan relies mainly on existing programs such as energy-efficiency standards for building construction, renewable-energy mandates and curbs in the electricity sector under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, of which Massachusetts is a signatory. Ian Bowles, the state’s energy and environmental secretary, highlighted that the plan is an example of how a state can alter its energy profile with minimal economic impact and predicts instead a net gain in jobs for Massachusetts in the clean energy sector.

Debra Boronski, president of the Massachusetts Chamber of Business and Industry, has doubts about the plan stating, “Our biggest concern — even though it is right to conserve energy — is that alternative resources have to be cost-effective … As far as we know, in Massachusetts, research has shown that alternative energy is more expensive.”

Interestingly, data released by state officials indicated that more than one-third of the total greenhouse-gas emissions in Massachusetts come from the transportation sector. In response to this information, Mr. Bowles announced the state will begin a pilot “Pay As You Drive” program giving drivers an incentive to cut back on unnecessary travel by linking car-insurance premiums to miles driven. Congress has authorized $15 million in grants to insure low-income drivers do not suffer an unequal burden.

Other energy options include hydroelectric power from Quebec, weatherization for resident homes, and economic incentives for homeowners to replace oil-fueled furnaces with more efficient models.

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Cambridge Energy Alliance is available to help guide you through the above-mentioned process of weatherization as well as retrofitting your home- all starting with signing you up to have your home looked at. If you would like to take advantage of your free energy assessment (which you have each already paid for via utility bills), please head to the CEA sign-up page, or call their Energy Advising line at 1-617-491-0488, extension 121 today!

Clean Water Woes in Boston

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Tara Holmes

In a breaking news article, the Boston Globe reported that the Boston Water and Sewer Commission is releasing polluted water into area rivers, including the Charles, Neponset and Mystic, all of which flow into Boston Harbor. Massachusetts US Attorney Carmen Ortiz and the Environmental Protection Agency’s New England office alleged the Commission is acting in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. Federal agencies are poised to take legal action in February following an official lawsuit by the Conservation Law Foundation. CLF said the lawsuit “documents serious failures in the system that are allowing ongoing unlawful pollution of Boston’s waterway.” A statement by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission evaded direct mention of the allegation commenting “We have no comments on the specifics, however, the commission takes its role as an environmental steward as seriously as any other and is proud of its contributions to the resurgence of Boston Harbor and the Waterfront.’’ Whatever the official findings, federal intervention marks the severity of the situation and the lawsuit carries an important message: clean water is a basic human and environmental right which must be upheld and respected.

EPA vs. Industry

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Tara Holmes

In a victory for environmentalists, on Friday, a US federal court denied an appeal by industry groups to block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions starting in early January, 2011. The Obama Administration supports the EPA’s regulation of GHGs, including carbon dioxide, from major industrial sources due to the inability for more comprehensive national climate legislation to pass through Congress this summer.

Beginning in January, the EPA will require big emitters such as power plants, refineries and cement manufacturers, to obtain permits for polluting greenhouse gases. Companies will also have to follow EPA guidelines regarding the best technologies to control emissions when expanding or building new plants or factories.

Critics of the regulations argue the EPA is not equipped to handle the task of controlling GHG emissions and that regulations would damage the US economy. David Baron of Earthjustice however stated, “We’re glad the court rejected these baseless attempts by polluters to stall progress toward cleaner cars and safer air.”

Smart Growth Awards

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Tara Holmes

The EPA recently announced the winners of its Smart Growth Awards program, a program that ranks national cities and communities on metrics of green development and environmental design sensitivity. The program also ranks urban planning elements such as density and compact community development. The recent winners are: Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, NYC, Baltimore and 20 rural Maine communities. NYC came out on top this year with increased bike paths and carved out public spaces as key improvements. “New York City has achieved a relatively small carbon footprint, given its size, through its commitment to creating compact and walkable neighborhoods” the EPA said.

Portland won EPA recognition for its “Making the Greatest Place” growth plan which “…calls for maintaining connections with nature, preserving existing neighborhoods, strengthening employment and industrial areas, and concentrating growth in designated centers.” In Maine, 20 towns linked by Route 1 collaborated in an effort to preserve the region’s rural character, while in San Francisco, a seedy alleyway South of Market area was turned into vibrant public space lined with restaurants, shops, and a farmers market. Finally, Baltimore won for a green building design that rehabilitated an historic building into a mixed-use residential and commercial space that revitalized the surrounding neighborhood.

With Cambridge and/or Boston’s ever-increasing commitment to sustainability, let’s hope that we make the list next time!

COP16

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Tara Holmes

As delegates, politicians and heads of NGOs from around the world gather in Cancun, Mexico this week and next for the COP16 conference, the follow-up to the climate talks in Copenhagen, or COP15, many are wondering what will result from these talks, and more importantly, what, if any, internationally binding climate contracts will be made. Many speculate that any progress at COP16 will be frozen by continued immobility on the parts of China and the United States, who held their own separate talks earlier this fall, however refuse to budge on overarching climate agreements unless the other moves first.

Reports have suggested that the Cancun talks are only a stepping stone to the 2011 conference in South Africa with little tangible action expected to result. Nevertheless, climate change must be taken seriously and acted upon right away. A recent report out of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Oxford University states that up to one billion people will lose their homes to climate change (rising sea levels, droughts, crop failure) by 2100. Furthermore, fresh water scarcity is a growing concern as rising sea levels lead to fewer fresh water resources.

While it will be interesting to monitor the COP16 talks over the coming weeks, it’s important to keep in mind that the atmosphere is at a critical tipping point, with many climate scientists allotting 5 years before we’re at the point of no return. 2010 is posed to be one of the hottest years in recorded history and weather patterns are notably shifting in many regions of the world. To continue to push serious action off until the future is a critical mistake; there is simply no more time to waste.

Power Hungry US

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Tara Holmes

In a recent post by GOOD, a detailed breakdown of 2008 energy consumption in the US illustrates the range of energy use across the country by state. According to this data, Massachusetts comes in with 1.00 – 1.49 quadrillion BTUs of total energy consumption, while California or Texas, for example, come in at more than 2.50 each. The graph also breaks down total energy consumption by person, or per capita. How does your state measure up?

The Fate of Vermont Yankee

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Tara Holmes

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, located in the town of Vernon on the boarder of Massachusetts and Vermont, has been a topic of environmental concern and debate for many years. On Sunday, November 7th, the plant shut down due to a cooling water leak, but was back online to the New England grid early next Thursday morning.

Local residents and politicians, fearing the dated, aging plant could lead to potential nuclear disaster, have been pushing to permanently close the plant for years. In fact, the consensus in the Vermont Legislature is that Vermont Yankee should be closed when its 40-year license expires in March, 2012. Entergy, the Louisiana-based power company that owns the plant, has since put the reactor on the market as of last week given the continued resistance by the state of Vermont. Nonetheless, the fate of Vermont Yankee remains somewhat unclear.

The Brattleboro Reformer reported Thursday that in nearby Keene, NH, city officials are debating whether to sign a letter asking to be involved in decisions on how the reactor would be torn down. Clearly the push to close Vermont Yankee is significant, particularly when neighboring states express concern and take action. The question however remains: if Vermont Yankee shuts down, what alternative energy source will take its place? For now, the focus is the closure of an archaic power plant. What would ensue remains open for discussion and debate.

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