In this issue:
NEW PAPER DETAILS OPTIONS FOR CLEAN ENERGY STANDARDS
A well-designed clean energy standard (CES) can create new industries, diversify U.S. electricity supplies, and reduce air pollution, according to a new paper recently released by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), the successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, and the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP).
The paper, “Clean Energy Standards: State and Federal Policy Options and Implications,” examines issues and options in designing a clean energy standard, a policy that requires electric utilities to deliver a certain amount of electricity from clean energy sources. The paper’s goal is to help policymakers, utility regulators, and other stakeholders better understand how a CES works, its potential benefits, and the implications of different national- and state-level policy options.
Among the key issues for policymakers is defining “clean energy.” Options include renewables; highly efficient natural gas combined cycle generation; fossil fuel generation with carbon capture and storage (CCS); nuclear power; and, electricity savings from efficiency and conservation. By allowing utilities flexibility to choose among energy sources, the paper notes, a CES can minimize cost impacts on electricity consumers. A CES can also limit utilities’ and consumers’ exposure to fuel-price volatility by diversifying electricity supplies and spurring growth and jobs in clean energy industries.
An executive summary of the report may be reviewed at: http://www.c2es.org/publications/clean-energy-standards-state-federal-policy-options-implications
The 81-page report is also available at http://www.c2es.org/docUploads/Clean-Energy-Standards-State-and-Federal-Policy-Options-and-Implications.pdf
Release of this report comes as Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Chair Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) is preparing a draft bill that could create a CES. The Committee floated a white paper on a possible CES earlier this year to lay out some of the key questions and potential design elements of a CES. ENR has also recently introduced S.1807, the Energy Research and Development Coordination Act of 2011,which would create a cross-government energy budget and planning program (Please see the November 12, 2011 Edition of Capitol Update for more information).
The aforementioned Senate ENR white paper is available for review at: http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueItems.View&IssueItem_ID=7b61e406-3e17-4927-b3f4-d909394d46de
Robert Rains handles public policy-related energy issues for ASME. He can be reached at:
rainsr@asme.org
DOE AND EPA RELEASE 2012 ANNUAL FUEL ECONOMY GUIDE
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have released the 2012 Fuel Economy Guide to provide consumers with information that can help them choose a more efficient new vehicle. Some 2012 models will be displaying a new fuel economy and environment label that provides consumers with more comprehensive fuel efficiency information, including five-year fuel costs or savings compared to the average vehicle, as well as new greenhouse gas and smog ratings. These labels are actually required in model year 2013, but automakers may voluntarily adopt the new labels in model year 2012.
Each vehicle listing in the guide provides an estimated annual fuel cost. The estimate is calculated based on the vehicle’s miles per gallon (mpg) rating and national estimates for annual mileage and fuel prices. The online version of the guide allows consumers to input their local gasoline prices and typical driving habits to receive a personalized fuel cost estimate.
For additional information and a complete version of the guide, go to: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ and at fueleconomy.gov/m for mobile devices.
To view the 2012 fuel economy leaders within each class and the lowest fuel economy models, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/basicinformation.htm
Additional information about the new label may be found at: http://www.epa.gov/carlabel/
Robert Rains handles public policy-related energy issues for ASME. He can be reached at:
rainsr@asme.org
EPA DELAYS GHG RULE FOR REFINERIES
After delaying regulations for power plant emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it will not meet the December 10th deadline for proposing greenhouse gas (GHG) rules for refineries. The proposal would have established the country’s first-ever greenhouse gas limits on oil refineries.
In a prepared statement, the agency said “EPA expects to need more time to complete work on greenhouse gas pollution standards for oil refineries, and is working with the litigants to develop a new schedule to replace the current date of mid-December for a rule proposal.”
The agency is slated to finalize standards for power plant emissions of mercury and other air toxics sometime next month. Earlier this year, the EPA also delayed implementation of new boiler MACT rules (Please see the May 25, 2011, and October 31, 2011 Editions of Capitol Update for more information). That rule was to have been issued on December 16th. The EPA also has a final rule related to refineries that will be rolled out in mid-November, 2012.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has been a frequent guest of Congress this year, particularly the House of Representatives, as the agency has come under heavy scrutiny for proposed regulations.
Robert Rains handles public policy-related environmental issues for ASME. He can be reached at:
rainsr@asme.org
REPORT: GREENHOUSE GAS CONCENTRATIONS CONTINUE CLIMBING
According to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, since pre-industrial time and the rate of increase has accelerated, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new high in 2010. The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reports on atmospheric concentrations – and not emissions - of greenhouse gases. Emissions represent what goes into the atmosphere. Concentrations represent what remains in the atmosphere after the complex system of interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere and the oceans.
Between 1990 and 2010, according to the report, there was a 29 percent increase in radiative forcing, i.e. the warming effect on our climate system from greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide (CO2) accounted for 80 percent of this increase. Other specific findings of the report include the following:
- Between 2009 and 2010, the atmospheric abundance of CO2 increased by 2.3 parts per million – higher than the average for both the 1990s (1.5 parts per million) and the past decade (2.0 parts per million);
- Methane (CH4) contributes about 18 percent to the overall global increase in radiative forcing since 1750 and is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide;
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes about six percent to the overall global increase in radiative forcing since 1750 and is now the third most important greenhouse gas.
The atmospheric burden of nitrous oxide in 2010 was 323.2 parts per billion – 20 percent higher than in the pre-industrial era. It has grown at an average of about 0.75 parts per billion over the past ten years. Its impact on climate, over a 100 year period, is 298 times greater than equal emissions of carbon dioxide.
The four-page “The State of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere Based on Global Observations through 2010” may be reviewed at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/documents/GHGbulletin.pdf
Additional information on the WMO may also be found at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/index_en.html
Robert Rains handles public policy-related environmental issues for ASME. He can be reached at:
rainsr@asme.org
NSF LAUNCHES NEW CREATIV GRANT MECHANISM
Earlier this month, the National Science Foundation (NSF) launched a new grant mechanism termed CREATIV for “Creative Research Awards for Transformative Interdisciplinary Ventures,” to support bold interdisciplinary projects in all NSF-supported areas of science, engineering, and education research. CREATIV is the first grant award mechanism issued under the Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE) initiative introduced by NSF Director Subra Suresh with the fiscal year 2012 NSF budget.
The CREATIV grant mechanism is distinguished as follows:
- Only internal merit review is required;
- Proposals must be interdisciplinary and potentially transformative; and,
- Requests may be for up to $1,000,000 and up to five years duration.
The goals of the CREATIV grant mechanism are to:
- Create new interdisciplinary opportunities that are not perceived to exist presently within NSF;
- Attract unusually creative high-risk / high-reward interdisciplinary proposals;
- Provide substantial funding, not limited to the exploratory stage of the pursuit of novel ideas;
- Designate no favored topics; and,
- Be open to all NSF-supported areas of science, engineering, and education research.
Proposals may be submitted only by U.S. academic institutions that have research and degree-granting education programs in any area of research supported by NSF, and by U.S. non-profit, non-academic organizations (independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations associated with research or educational activities). Other types of organizations may be included in a CREATIV proposal as sub-awardees.
For more detailed information on CREATIV, please visit: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12011/nsf12011.txt
Paul Fakes handles public policy-related research and development (R&D) issues for ASME. He can be reached at:
fakesp@asme.org
STUDY HIGHLIGHTS 'POWER OF MORE TIME' FOR SCIENCE LEARNING
A report issued in mid-November by the National Center on Time & Learning laments the science achievement levels of U.S. students overall and cites studies suggesting that science instruction in the elementary grades has increasingly been squeezed out of the curriculum. The report, “Strengthening Science Education: The Power of More Time to Deepen Inquiry and Engagement,” makes the case for restructuring the school calendar to allow more learning time for science, and through a set of case studies seeks to explain promising approaches to make the most of that extra time.
"At just the moment when science education is reaching a crisis, the dedication of public schools to teaching the subject is declining, for the simple reason that science has been edged out as a priority," says the report. It notes in particular the influence of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, with its emphasis on improving test scores in reading and mathematics.
The case studies highlight five regular public schools that serve large populations of disadvantaged students. The report identifies a number of "key successful practices" across all five schools, from integrating more hands-on learning activities and facilitating more scientific discourse in the classroom to creating connections for students to science careers and role models through collaborations with outside partners.
In the end, the National Center on Time & Learning contends: "Without fundamentally restructuring the school calendar—particularly at the elementary and middle school levels—to add more learning time and prioritizing science during that time, most American students will simply not spend enough time to become either proficient in, or excited about, science."
The four-page executive summary of the report is available at: http://www.timeandlearning.org/files/Strengthening-Science-Education-ES-Final.pdf
To review the entire report, please visit: http://www.timeandlearning.org/files/Strengthening-Science-Education-Full-Report.pdf
Melissa Carl handles public policy-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education issues for ASME. She can be reached at:
carlm@asme.org
NASA EXPANDS WOMEN@NASA WEBSITE TO ENCOURAGE GIRLS TO PURSUE STEM CAREERS
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has expanded its Women@NASA website to include Aspire 2 Inspire, a new feature aimed at helping middle school girls explore education and careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The site features four short films and one overview film that explore the careers and backgrounds of early-career women who work for NASA in each of the STEM areas. A list of community organizations and NASA-affiliated outreach programs with a STEM emphasis also is available. The site also features four Twitter feeds where visiting girls can interact with and submit questions to the young women featured in the films.
"We have an opportunity to reach out to the next generation and inspire today's girls to pursue science and technology careers," said Rebecca Keiser, the agency's associate director for agency-level policy integration and representative to the White House Council on Women and Girls. "Expanding opportunities in these fields will give our country perspectives and expertise that will help us out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the world. It's key to our future."
For additional information, visit the website at http://women.nasa.gov/a2i/
Melissa Carl handles public policy-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education issues for ASME. She can be reached at:
carlm@asme.org
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