S. 761: Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013

113th CONGRESS1st SessionS. 761
To promote energy savings in residential and commercial buildings and industry, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 18, 2013

Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. COONS, and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

May 13, 2013

Reported by Mr. WYDEN, with amendments

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A BILLTo promote energy savings in residential and commercial buildings and industry, and for other purposes.

TITLE I--BUILDINGS

Subtitle A--Building Energy Codes

Sec. 101. Greater energy efficiency in building codes.

Subtitle B--Worker Training and Capacity Building

Sec. 111. Building training and assessment centers.

TITLE II--PRIVATE COMMERCIAL BUILDING EFFICIENCY FINANCING

Sec. 201. Private commercial building efficiency financing.

TITLE III--INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY AND COMPETITIVENESS

Subtitle A--Manufacturing Energy Efficiency

Sec. 301. Purposes.
Sec. 302. Future of Industry program.
Sec. 303. Sustainable manufacturing initiative.
Sec. 304. Conforming amendments.

Subtitle B--Supply Star

Sec. 311. Supply Star.

Subtitle C--Electric Motor Rebate Program

Sec. 321. Energy saving motor control rebate program.

Subtitle D--Transformer Rebate Program

Sec. 331. Energy efficient transformer rebate program.

TITLE IV--FEDERAL AGENCY ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Sec. 401. Adoption of information and communications technology power savings techniques by Federal agencies.
Sec. 402. Availability of funds for design updates.
Sec. 403. Natural gas and electric vehicle infrastructure.
Sec. 404. Federal data center consolidation. 

TITLE V--MISCELLANEOUS

Sec. 501. Offset.
Sec. 502. Budgetary effects.
Sec. 503. Advance appropriations required.

(GovTrack)

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Sequester Cuts Weaken Readiness For Wildfire Season

Administration officials warned Monday that sequester cuts would weaken wildfire management as agencies prepare for a season with “above normal significant fire potential.” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has noted that authorities were “dealing with significantly challenged budgets.”

The automatic, across-the-board spending cuts forced the Agriculture Department to shed 500 firefighters and 50 engines — roughly a 5 percent decline for each category. Officials said strained personnel will force them to increasingly rely on local communities to take steps to limit the chances of wildfires.

The Center has a wildfire mitigation program.

Reduced budgets at the Interior Department will also hinder fire response.  The department had to scale back summer employment, losing park rangers and seasonal staff who have a “red card” to fight fires.

Federal officials said they are “confident” the West will experience a higher-than-average amount of wildfires this year, though fewer and on a smaller scale than those that ravaged the region in 2012.
Last year, wildfires burned 9.3 million acres of land — the third-most since 1960 — and more than 4,400 structures.

Many Democratic lawmakers and President Obama have linked those wildfires to climate change, arguing that drought conditions affecting the West and Midwest along with higher temperatures sparked the uptick. (The Hill, 5/13/2013)

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NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR THE ARCTIC REGION

"The United States is an Arctic Nation with broad and fundamental interests in the Arctic Region, where we seek to meet our national security needs, protect the environment, responsibly manage resources, account for indigenous communities, support scientific research, and strengthen international cooperation on a wide range of issues ."1

1 National Security Strategy, May 2010.

The National Strategy for the Arctic Region sets forth the United States Government’s strategic priorities for the Arctic region. This strategy is intended to position the United States to respond effectively to challenges and emerging opportunities arising from significant increases in Arctic activity due to the diminishment of sea ice and the emergence of a new Arctic environment. It defines U.S. national security interests in the Arctic region and identifies prioritized lines of effort, building upon existing initiatives by Federal, state, local, and tribal authorities, the private sector, and international partners, and aims to focus efforts where opportunities exist and action is needed.

It is designed to meet the reality of a changing Arctic environment, while we simultaneously pursue our global objective of combating the climatic changes that are driving these environmental conditions. Our strategy is built on three lines of effort:

1. Advance United States Security Interests – We will enable our vessels and aircraft to operate, consistent with international law, through, under, and over the airspace and waters of the Arctic, support lawful commerce, achieve a greater awareness of activity in the region, and intelligently evolve our Arctic infrastructure and capabilities, including ice-capable platforms as needed. U.S. security in the Arctic encompasses a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from those supporting safe commercial and scientific operations to national defense.

2. Pursue Responsible Arctic Region Stewardship – We will continue to protect the Arctic environment and conserve its resources; establish and institutionalize an integrated Arctic management framework; chart the Arctic region; and employ scientific research and traditional knowledge to increase understanding of the Arctic.

3. Strengthen International Cooperation – Working through bilateral relationships and multilateral bodies, including the Arctic Council, we will pursue arrangements that advance collective interests, promote shared Arctic state prosperity, protect the Arctic environment, and enhance regional security, and we will work toward U.S. accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Law of the Sea Convention).

Our approach will be informed by the following guiding principles:

• Safeguard Peace and Stability – Seek to maintain and preserve the Arctic region as an area free of conflict, acting in concert with allies, partners, and other interested parties. Support and preserve: international legal principles of freedom of navigation and overflight and other uses of the sea and airspace related to these freedoms, unimpeded lawful commerce, and the peaceful resolution of disputes for all nations.

• Make Decisions Using the Best Available Information – Across all lines of effort, decisions need to be based on the most current science and traditional knowledge. 2

• Pursue Innovative Arrangements – Foster partnerships with the State of Alaska, Arctic states, other international partners, and the private sector to more efficiently develop, resource, and manage capabilities, where appropriate and feasible, to better advance our strategic priorities in this austere fiscal environment.

• Consult and Coordinate with Alaska Natives – Engage in a consultation process with Alaska Natives, recognizing tribal governments’ unique legal relationship with the United States and providing for meaningful and timely opportunity to inform Federal policy affecting Alaskan Native communities. (The White House)

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Republicans Fighting EPA & Gina McCarthy Nomination

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

The Center supports Gina McCarthy's nomination to be EPA administrator.  She was approved by the Senate before.  She should be again.

Republicans on the Senate Enviroment and Public Works Committee boycotted a proposed vote on the nomination this week.  On April 25, 2013 the Committee Republicans asked Chairman Barbara Boxer to postpone the nomination vote because they had not received answers to their questions. That request was denied. The Senators made the following statement today:

"For too long EPA has failed to deliver on the promises of transparency espoused by President Barack Obama, former Administrator Lisa Jackson, and by Gina McCarthy. Accordingly, the Republicans on the EPW Committee have asked EPA to honor five very reasonable and basic requests in conjunction with the nomination of Gina McCarthy, which focus on openness and transparency. While Chairman Boxer has allowed EPA adequate time to fully respond before any mark-up on the nomination, EPA has stonewalled on four of the five categories. We ask and expect that Chairman Barbara Boxer will follow the rules of the Committee and the full U.S. Senate."

Rule 2(a) of the EPW Committee rules require at least two members of the minority party to be present to constitute a quorum, which is necessary for the Committee to take action.

Rule XXVI 7(a)(1) of the Senate rules require that a majority of any Committee be physically present to take action. This is a requirement enforceable on the Senate floor, a fact confirmed by the Senate Parliamentarian's office.

On April 10, the EPW Republicans released five transparency concerns (four of which remain unresolved) they have with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Click here to read the letter to McCarthy outlining their requests. Click on each of these transparency requests to read about each in detail:

FOIA Failures,

Inconsistent E-mail Practices and Policies,

Transparency through Data Access,

Snapshot Approach Toward Economic Analysis Doesn't Work,

Share 'Intent to Sue' Notices with the Public.

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(Senate Environment & Public Works Committee) 

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Electricity Production From Plant Photosynthesis

Ramaraja Ramasamy, right, and Yogeswaran Umasankar
work together to capture energy created during photosynthesis.
Ramasamy is an assistant professor in the UGA College of Engineering
 and Umasankar is postdoctoral research associate working i
n his lab. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Georgia)

Ramaraja Ramasamy, assistant professor in the UGA College of Engineering, is the author of a paper describing the process of how to get electrical power from sunlight using plant-based systems.  The process was published in the Journal of Energy and Environmental Science. Plants are the undisputed champions of solar power. Most of them operate at nearly 100 percent quantum efficiency, meaning that for every photon of sunlight a plant captures, it produces an equal number of electrons. onverting even a fraction of this into electricity would improve upon the efficiency seen with solar panels, which generally operate at efficiency levels between 12 and 17 percent.

During photosynthesis, plants use sunlight to split water atoms into hydrogen and oxygen, which produces electrons. These newly freed electrons go on to help create sugars that plants use much like food to support growth and reproduction.  The researchers have developed a way to interrupt photosynthesis so that they can capture the electrons before the plant uses them to make these sugars.

According to Ramasamy, who is also a member of UGA's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, the technology involves separating out structures in the plant cell called thylakoids, which are responsible for capturing and storing energy from sunlight. Researchers manipulate the proteins contained in the thylakoids, interrupting the pathway along which electrons flow.  These modified thylakoids are then immobilized on a specially designed backing of carbon nanotubes, cylindrical structures that are nearly 50,000 times finer than a human hair. The nanotubes act as an electrical conductor, capturing the electrons from the plant material and sending them along a wire.
In small-scale experiments, this approach resulted in electrical current levels that are two orders of magnitude larger than those previously reported in similar systems.

Ramasamy cautions that much more work must be done before this technology reaches commercialization, but he and his collaborators are already working to improve the stability and output of their device. In the near term, this technology might best be used for remote sensors or other portable electronic equipment that requires less power to run. The researcher believe that if they we are able to leverage technologies like genetic engineering to enhance stability of the plant photosynthetic machineries, they are very hopeful that this technology will be competitive to traditional solar panels in the future. (Science Daily, 5/9/2013)

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Elizabeth "Izzy" Martin Recognized For Conservation Work

Long time environmentalist Izzy Martin was recognized for her conservation work at an award ceremony during Bear Yuba Land Trust’s Annual Oak Tree Ball. This Celebration and Awards Dinner was held April 27, 2013 at the Alta Sierra Country Club in Grass Valley, California.    

During the event, Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin was recognized with the William Nickerl Award for Conservation Leadership. For 30 years, The Sierra Fund C.E.O. has been a leader in environmental advocacy and community organizing. She served as a Nevada County Planning Commissioner and later County Supervisor and led the fight to put the South Yuba River into the state’s Wild and Scenic river program.  In 2004, Izzy worked with Assemblymen John Laird and Tim Leslie to establish Sierra Nevada Conservancy. That same year, she took the helm at The Sierra Fund where she has helped secure millions in state funds for conservation in the Sierra Nevada, including the most recent Bear Yuba Land Trust acquisition of Rice’s Crossing.

Others recognized included:

Hank Meals, local archaeologist, writer and photographer received the John Skinner Sierra Outdoors Recreation    Award for Education. For a span of 25 years, Hank worked off and on as an archeologist for the Tahoe National Forest. He is the author of several books about trails: The River: Hiking Trails and History of the South Fork of the Yuba River and Yuba Trails 1 and 2 and is currently co-authoring a book about the Nisenan people. Hank began leading hikes for Bear Yuba Land Trust more than 20 years ago and his knowledge of local history and trails remain popular draws.


Greg Archbald received the John Skinner Sierra Outdoors Recreation Award for Volunteerism. As an environmental attorney, Greg helped stop development in Mineral King and along the coastlines of Marin and Sonoma. He co-founded the Trust for Public Land with Huey Johnson in 1972 and was instrumental in starting natural resource stewardship programs at the Golden Gate National Parks. For several years, Greg has worked to GPS, photograph and write about local trails as he develops an online trails portal for Bear Yuba Land Trust, the first of its kind in the region.

Fabulous local band Leta’s Blues provided live jazz and blues standards and original music for dancing.
 

Coming from very disparate musical backgrounds, the jazz and blues quartet have played together for five years and perfected a smooth and sultry sound.
 

Think Billie Holiday, Louis Prima, Chet Baker, Astrud Gibrelto....and some originals too.  The band is made up of upright bassist Dylan McConnell, drummer Ritchie O'Connell, guitarist Jerome Ali and singer Leta Gibney.

(Bear Yuba Land Trust)

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European Carbon Market In Trouble

Europe’s climate change mitigation program turned carbon emissions into a commodity that could be traded like gold or oil. But the once-thriving pollution trade here has turned into a carbon bust.  Carbon started as the commodity of the future, but it has now deteriorated. Under the system, 31 nations slapped emission limits on more than 11,000 companies and issued carbon credits that could be traded by firms to meet their new pollution caps. More efficient ones could sell excess carbon credits, while less efficient ones were compelled to buy more. By August 2008, the price for carbon emission credits had soared above $40 per ton — high enough to become an added incentive for some companies to increase their use of cleaner fuels, upgrade equipment and take other steps to reduce carbon footprints.

That system, however, is in deep trouble. A drastic drop in industrial activity has sharply reduced the need for companies to buy emission rights, causing a gradual fall in the price of carbon allowances since the region slipped into a multi-year economic crisis in the latter half of 2008. In recent weeks, however, the price has appeared to have entirely collapsed — falling below $4 as bickering European nations failed to agree on measures to shore up the program.

The cap-and-trade program is based on a system of carbon allowances for large emitters such as utilities and manufacturers, with some bought and others awarded for free. Companies are allowed to draw on global mitigation projects — such as planting trees in tropical rain forests — to offset a small portion of their emissions. But for the most part, they must meet targets through carbon credits issued by European authorities.

At the core of the problem is a massive oversupply of carbon allowances. Demand for carbon began to fade in the late 2000s as a recession set in and factories across Europe dramatically curbed production. But there were also built-in flaws. Unlike newer cap-and-trade programs such as the one in California, Europe’s system never established a price floor that could have prevented a market collapse. In addition, too many free allowances were given to too many companies. Some, in fact, never had to pay for allowances at all, allowing them to hoard them or even sell their carbon credits at a profit.

On April 16, the European Parliament was on the verge of temporarily tightening the supply of allowances to boost the price of carbon and shore up the ailing market. But opposition by countries led by Poland — a nation strongly dependent on heavy-emitting coal power plants — defeated the measure. The rejection sent the price of carbon plummeting to a historic low of roughly $3.60.

The price per ton in California, for instance, is above $10 — about two and half times the price in Europe.

Critics argue that the low price of carbon has removed the incentive for European companies to reduce their carbon footprints. They point to a boom in the use of cheap imported American coal in European power plants. In addition, many fear that the lack of an incentive to make more green upgrades will create a boom in emissions if and when European economies recover.  (Wash Post, 5/6/2013

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