ASHRAE Government Affairs Update, 5/22/2015
Posted by admin on May. 26, 2015 / Subscribe 0
Federal Activities
- Energy & Water Funding Bill Advances in Senate
- ASHRAE Treasurer Tim Wentz Presents at EE Global
- High Performance Building Week is June 8 – 12!
- America COMPETES Act Passes House – Includes Detrimental Language on High Performance Building Standards
- DOE Reopens Rulemaking Comment Period on Test Procedures for Consumer and Commercial Water Heaters
- DOE Requests Information on How Local Governments Obtain and Use Information on Energy Consumption in Their Communities and Within Their Government Operations
GGAC Regional and Chapter Activities
- Vermont Board of Professional Engineering Rejects Increasing Educational Requirement
- Five More State Legislatures Adjourn, Hawaii passes 100% Renewable Energy Bill
- Special sessions called for Arkansas and Florida Legislatures
- ACEEE’s City Energy Efficiency Scorecard
Federal Activities
For additional information on federal issues, please contact Mark Ames, ASHRAE’s Senior Manager of Federal Government Affairs, at [email protected].
Energy & Water Funding Bill Advances in Senate
Yesterday the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved its Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016. The bill includes a $1.2 billion increase over the FY 2015 enacted level, and was approved by a vote of 26 to 4.
While information is still coming out, at this stage, it does not appear that the Senate bill includes language similar to that from the report for the House-passed bill that could undermine the development, adoption, and implementation of model energy codes by restricting the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) engagement with these codes.
The Senate bill will now be scheduled for debate on the Senate floor in the coming weeks.
Additional information and analysis of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for FY 2016 will be included in subsequent editions of the Update.
ASHRAE Treasurer Tim Wentz Presents at EE Global
Hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), the Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global) is one of the world’s premiere events bringing together leaders and experts in energy efficiency for in-depth conversations, partnership building, and high-level networking.
Among those in attendance was ASHRAE Treasurer Tim Wentz, who also presented at an Executive Dialogue panel examining the questions of “Should building efficiency codes, incentives, and programs be more standardized across borders? What are the lessons learned from regions where this is being done successfully?”
ASHRAE is an Associate Member of ASE, and was a Bronze level sponsor of EE Global.
High Performance Building Week is June 8 – 12!
High Performance Building Week (HPB Week) is an annual celebration of high performing buildings intended to educate Members of Congress and their staff on the myriad benefits of high performance buildings.
Organized by the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition (HPBCCC), a coalition of more than 200 stakeholder organizations, the 2015 HPB Week is June 8 – 12. This year’s events include a congressional reception, in-depth roundtable discussion of high performance building issues and legislation, an unveiling of the HPBCCC’s Policy Committee policy priorities, and a congressional briefing on high performance buildings.
The tentative agenda of events is available at http://www.hpbccc.org/hpb2015week.php. Check back often for updates!
America COMPETES Act Passes House – Includes Detrimental Language on High Performance Building Standards
Advancing in the House by a slim margin of 217 to 205, the America COMPETES Act of 2015 (H.R.1806) is a 203-page bill that does a lot – some good, and some not-so-good.
The good includes authorizing approximately $16.4 billion for federal research and science programs at DOE, the National Science Foundation, National Institution of Standards and Technology, and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The bill also includes a handful of provisions that would strengthen STEM education programs and related federal activities.
Unfortunately, the bill would also eliminate DOE’s ability to provide grants or technical assistance to support the development of voluntary consensus-based standards for high performance buildings. If enacted into law, this has the potential to impact standards such as Standard 189.1 and the International Green Construction Code.
The chances of this bill making it into law are slim at present. President Barack Obama has issued a veto threat, and the Senate is still working through its bill. Several groups, including ASHRAE, are actively working to educate Senators and their staff on the importance of high performance buildings, and the need to keep the related House language out of any final bill.
DOE Reopens Rulemaking Comment Period on Test Procedures for Consumer and Commercial Water Heaters
DOE is reopening the comment period for their proposed rulemaking that proposes mathematical conversion factors for converting from the current efficiency metrics (i.e., energy factor for residential water heaters, and thermal efficiency and standby loss for commercial water heaters) to the uniform efficiency descriptor (i.e., uniform energy factor metric). The comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) pertaining to the test procedures for water heaters was scheduled to end May 14, 2015, and is now extended to June 15, 2015. Additionally, at the request of stakeholders, DOE is announcing a public meeting to discuss the conversion factors for consumer and commercial water heaters. This meeting will be held on Thursday, May 28, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in Washington, DC. The meeting will also be broadcast as a webinar.
This NOPR references ASHRAE Standard 90.1.
Full information is available at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/05/20/2015-12221/energy-conservation-program-for-consumer-products-and-certain-commercial-and-industrial-equipment
DOE Requests Information on How Local Governments Obtain and Use Information on Energy Consumption in Their Communities and Within Their Government Operations
The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a request for information (RFI) that seeks to understand how local governments obtain and use information about energy consumption in their communities and within their government operations. The purpose of this RFI is to gather feedback from stakeholders prior to DOE potentially issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This RFI is not a FOA; therefore, DOE is not accepting applications at this time. All responses to this RFI must be provided as an attachment (in Microsoft Word format) to an e-mail message addressed to [email protected]. Responses must be received no later than 5:00 PM EDT on May 29, 2015.
GGAC Regional and Chapter Activities
For additional information on state, local, and international government affairs, please contact Jim Scarborough, ASHRAE’s Manager of Grassroots Government Affairs, at [email protected].
Vermont Board of Professional Engineering Rejects Increasing Educational Requirement
The Vermont Board of Professional Engineering voted 4-1 to reject a move to increase the educational requirement from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree at their May 7, 2015 meeting. This motion was the culmination of approximately two years of discussion by the board, and is an issue that at least three board members have been actively aware of for over a decade.
Over the past few months, the Board has received a tremendous amount of input from the public on this issue including a full-day public hearing two months ago that gave all interested parties the opportunity to voice their opinion without any time limits or constraints. Additionally, ASHRAE joined ASME and 10 other national societies in sending a letter of opposition to the proposed change. After careful consideration, the Board came to the determination that there is not sufficient reason or evidence to support any proposed legislation to increase the minimum education required for licensure to a Master's degree or equivalent.
Five More State Legislatures Adjourn, Hawaii passes 100% Renewable Energy Bill
Lawmakers in Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota and Vermont adjourned their regular legislative sessions within the past two weeks, and floor sessions ended in the state of Missouri (with final adjournment in that state set for May 30). ASHRAE has been tracking a number of bills of interest in those states. Of particular importance is legislation passed in Hawaii that requires the state to be 100% dependent on renewable energy by the year 2045, making it the first state to enact this type of law. According to the text of House Bill 623, “the purpose of this Act is to update and extend Hawaii’s clean energy initiative and renewable portfolio standards to ensure maximum long-term benefit to Hawaii’s economy by setting a goal of one hundred per cent renewable by 2045.” These requirements will be phased in, with 30% requirement by 2020, 40% by 2030 and 70% by 2040. To access the bill history and the full text, go to http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=623&year=2015.
Special sessions called for Arkansas and Florida Legislatures
Governors in the states of Arkansas and Florida have called their legislatures back into special session. The Arkansas session, beginning on May 26 and expected to last one week, primarily will consider a bond issue regarding a military assembly program. However, lawmakers may consider other measures so ASHRAE will continue to monitor legislation in that state. In Florida, the main reason for the special session is to complete the state’s budget which was not adopted prior to adjournment a few weeks ago. As in Arkansas, legislators may also consider other legislation and it is possible a bill on environmental protection will be considered. That session begins June 1.
ACEEE’s City Energy Efficiency Scorecard
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranks 51 large cities in the United States on their efforts to save energy in five key areas. The five top-ranked cities in the United States, in order, are Boston, MA, New York, NY, Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA and Seattle, WA.
To access the map or to get more information, go to http://aceee.org/local-policy/city-scorecard.
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