In this issue:
ADVANCE YOUR CAREER AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE! APPLY FOR AN ASME
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FELLOWSHIP!
ASME is currently accepting applications for participation in its Federal Government Fellowship Program through which ASME members provide engineering and technical expertise to policy-makers in Congress (Congressional Fellowships) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (ASME Foundation “Swanson” Fellowship). Federal Fellows provide a valuable public service to the nation while at the same time providing engineers with a unique opportunity to participate directly in the public policy making process.
Persons interested in serving as a 2011-2012 Congressional Fellow would spend one year in Washington, DC working with the staff of a congressional committee, U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative. Congressional Fellowships are designed to demonstrate the value of engineering-government interaction, bring technical backgrounds and external perspectives to the decision making process in Congress and provide a unique public policy learning experience to the Fellow. Because of the limited number of Congressional Fellowships available, the process is very competitive. The following credentials are encouraged: at least five years of professional experience; an advanced engineering degree; professional engineer registration; and, some public policy experience.
The ASME Foundation “Swanson” Fellowship was established in 2010 in recognition of Dr. John A. Swanson, an internationally recognized authority and innovator in the application of finite element methods to engineering. The Swanson Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for an experienced engineer to serve as a Federal Fellow in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), where her/his broad, multi-disciplinary background would be applied to finding solutions to technical issues. The Swanson Fellow will confer with public policy professionals to make practical contributions on the most effective use of engineering in federal decision making. Swanson Fellow applicants should be established engineering researchers/practitioners with an advanced degree in engineering plus approximately ten years of R&D product development experience in an academic setting or in industry. Entrepreneurial experience, R&D commercialization and some understanding of working with federal agencies are also desirable.
ASME Fellows will be awarded a stipend of $60,000 for the one year Fellowship. ASME Federal Fellows typically serve from September through August, but a January through December term is sometimes an option. Applications are accepted annually from December 1st through March 31st. All Fellows must be US citizens and ASME members at the time of application. Federal employees are not eligible.
To apply for the Congressional Fellowship or the Swanson Fellowship, fill out the online application at https://secure.asme.org/fedgovfellows/appform.cfm and provide the requested materials. The application deadline is March 31, 2011.
For additional information visit the ASME
Federal Government Fellowship Program or contact Kathryn Holmes, Director,
ASME Government Relations, at holmesk@asme.org
or 202-785-7390.**
EPA FINALIZES GHG EMISSION REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR PETROLEUM AND
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRIES
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting requirements for the petroleum and natural gas industries as part of its mandatory reporting program. Beginning in 2011, petroleum and natural gas facilities that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year are required to monitor and report all greenhouse gas emissions to EPA. Data collection for petroleum and natural gas sources will begin January 1, 2011, with the first annual reports due to EPA March 31, 2012.
EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, launched in October 2009, requires the reporting of GHG emissions data from large emission sources and fuel suppliers across a range of industry sectors. The data will help guide the development of programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information on this rulemaking, go to: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/subpart/w.html
Additional information on the GHG Reporting Program can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html
Robert Rains covers public policy-related energy issues for ASME. He can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org
NAEP REPORT: U.S. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS HAVE SHOWN IMPROVEMENT IN READING
AND MATH SINCE 2005, BUT STILL LOWER THAN 1992
On November 18th, the National Assessment Governing Board released its report on the 2009 12th Grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which assesses the progress of high school seniors across the country in math and reading. The report finds that while high school seniors nationwide have shown improvement in math and reading since 2005, the average reading score was still lower than the average reading score in 1992. Also, for the first time, the report includes information on the performance of high school seniors in 11 states.
Upon receipt of the report, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released the following statement, “"Today's report suggests that high school seniors' achievement in reading and math isn't rising fast enough to prepare them to succeed in college and careers… President Obama has set a goal that the United States once again will have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the end of the decade. In a survey that accompanied the NAEP test, 86 percent of seniors said they expect to graduate college. They'll only succeed if we challenge and support them to raise their academic performance and offer them the financial support they need to pay for college.”
House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) agreed, by saying, “Nationwide, our high school seniors are not where they need to be in math and reading. It is hard to be excited about the small gains some students are making when we know that all students, in every state, in every school, need to be making gains for both their success in life and the future of this country,”
For more information about the NAEP report, including this new state data, please visit: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
Melissa Carl covers public policy-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education issues for ASME. She can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org
TIP SEEKS COMMENTS ON POTENTIAL FUNDING AREAS
The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking public comments on six NIST-prepared white papers outlining potential areas for research grants. TIP assists U.S. businesses, universities and other institutions in furthering and accelerating innovation through shared support of high-risk, high-reward research addressing needs and challenges meriting national attention.
The six draft white papers that are the subject of the current call for public comments distill the topics into the following areas of critical national need:
- Water: New Technologies for Managing and Ensuring Future Water Availability;
- Manufacturing: Advanced Robotics and Intelligent Automation;
- Manufacturing and Biomanufacturing: Materials Advances and Critical Processes;
- Energy: Technologies to Enable a Smart Grid;
- Civil Infrastructure: Advanced Sensing Technologies and Advanced Repair Materials for The Infrastructure: Water Systems, Dams, Levees, Bridges, Roads, and Highways; and,
- Healthcare: Advanced Technologies for Proteomics, Data Integration and Analysis, and Biomanufacturing for Personalized Medicine.
All six of the drafts can be downloaded at: http://www.nist.gov/tip/wp/index.cfm
Comments will be accepted through September, 29, 2011, and should be submitted electronically using the automated response feature at the end of each document.
The Federal Register notice can be found at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-27449.pdf
Robert Rains covers public policy-related NIST issues for ASME. He can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org
ELECTRIFICATION COALITION RELEASES “FLEET ELECTRIFICATION ROADMAP”
The Electrification Coalition, an organization launched in November 2009 to promote policies and actions that facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale, recently released a “Fleet Electrification Roadmap,” an analysis that presents the business case for electric-drive technology adoption among the more than 16 million fleet vehicles in the U.S. The report is geared toward demonstrating targeted opportunities in which the lower operating costs of electric drive vehicles, coupled with the operational norms of commercial and government fleets, could make adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) highly attractive.
“Our main focus continues to be the promotion of a comprehensive policy framework for accelerating consumer adoption of PHEVs and EVs. But it is important to consider all of the applications where electric drive technology makes sense, and what we have found is that the case is very strong for a number of fleet applications over the next five years,” said Coalition Member Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation. “Fleet electrification alone will not solve our pressing energy security challenges, but by bringing costs down, it will provide a critical boost to the consumer electric vehicle market.”
The report includes a detailed examination of commercial and government fleets, highlighting common practices that could make them significant early adopters of EVs and PHEVs. The Fleet Roadmap also identifies the most significant technological challenges facing fleet operators, and recommends targeted public policies to help overcome those challenges, including:
- Tax credits for light-duty PHEVs and EVs deployed in fleets;
- Tax credits for medium- and heavy-duty PHEVs and EVs;
- Clean renewable energy bonds for infrastructure;
- Guarantee of residual value for the first generation of lithium-ion batteries; and,
- Federal fleet electrification, including the Postal Service.
The full “Fleet Electrification Roadmap” is available for download at, please visit: http://electrificationcoalition.org/electrification-roadmap.php.
Robert Rains covers public policy-related energy issues for ASME. He can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org
NEW REPORT EXAMINES U.S. AND RUSSIA’S ROLES IN PROMOTING SAFE,
SECURE NUCLEAR ENERGY GROWTH
A new report from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center's Managing the Atom (MTA) Project and the Russian Research Center's Kurchatov Institute, posits that Russia, the United States and other countries must cooperate to enable large-scale growth of nuclear energy around the world, while achieving even higher standards of safety, security, and nonproliferation than are in place today.
Entitled, “Promoting Safe, Secure, and Peaceful Growth of Nuclear Energy: Next Steps for Russia and the United States,” the basis of the report is the April 2009 meeting of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama. Following the summit, Medvedev and Obama said: "Together, we seek to secure nuclear weapons and materials, while promoting the safe use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes." The two presidents agreed that they sought "to promote international cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy while strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime." At their July 2009 summit, the presidents repeated these objectives, and established a joint Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Security Working Group.
The report begins with an outline of the world's energy challenges in the 21st century, the potential role of nuclear energy in addressing these challenges, and the issues that must be addressed if nuclear energy is to play a major role in meeting the world's 21st century energy needs. The authors argue that with more than 95 percent of the world's nuclear weapons in Russia and the U.S., most of the world's weapons-usable nuclear material, and the world's longest experience in nuclear energy, the United States and Russia bear special responsibilities for strengthening global efforts to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of the use of nuclear energy.
The report concludes with recommendations for Russia and the United States to address issues related to: safety; security; nonproliferation; extending uranium resources; waste management; cost reduction; and, making nuclear energy more broadly available around the world and more capable of addressing multiple needs. The authors describe particular areas of joint research and development that should be undertaken, and the need to move forward with the bilateral Agreement for Cooperation in the Field of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, to provide a government-to-government framework for this cooperation.
The 80-page report may be read at: http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/Promoting-Safe-Secure-and-Peaceful-Growth-of-Nuclear-Energy.pdf
Robert Rains covers public policy-related Energy issues for ASME. He can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org
DOE LAUNCHES NEW ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY ADVISORY
COMMITTEE
Earlier this month, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the creation of a new federal advisory committee that will focus exclusively on clean and renewable energy. The energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC) will report directly to the Secretary of Energy with advice on the portfolio of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The 19 members represent a broad spectrum of expertise and experience including academia, technology development, project finance, economic development, and utilities.
"We are fortunate to have such knowledgeable people volunteering their time and efforts to the Department's clean energy endeavors," said Secretary Chu. "They will be contributing their expertise and experience to help address the energy challenges faced by our Nation."
ERAC will periodically review EERE's portfolio and provide advice to the Secretary of Energy on a variety of areas including: completion of long-range plans, priorities and strategies; program funding; and, any issues of specific concern expressed by the Secretary of Energy or the Assistant Secretary for EERE. ERAC is expected to meet twice a year; the meetings will be open to the public.
To view the list of ERAC’s members, please visit: http://www.energy.gov/news/9792.htm
Additional information on ERAC can be found at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/eere_advisory_committee/
Robert Rains covers public policy-related energy issues for ASME. He can be reached at: rainsr@asme.org
THE ARTICLES CONTAINED IN CAPITOL UPDATE ARE NOT POSITIONS OF ASME OR ANY OF ITS SUB-ENTITIES, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY NOTED AS SUCH. THIS PUBLICATION IS DESIGNED TO INFORM ASME MEMBERS ABOUT ISSUES OF CONCERN BEING DEBATED AND DISCUSSED IN THE HALLS OF CONGRESS, IN THE STATES, AND IN THE FEDERAL AGENCIES.
EDITOR: Mary James Legatski, ASME Government Relations, 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 906, Washington, DC 20036-5104.