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Just In! for September 23, 2023
The weekly newsletter of the New York Geothermal Energy Organization (NY-GEO)
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Just In! is NY-GEO's weekly news feed for members. See more information on memberships here. If we send you a complimentary copy and you're not a member of NY-GEO, it means we value your role in the transition to renewable heating, but without a membership, please don't count on getting Just In! weekly. For past issues, check out the Just In! Archive available on the NY-GEO.org website. Note: Just In! won't publish October 7th and 14th. | |
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Governor Hochul Signs Bill to Ease Geo Boreholes Deeper than 500 Feet – On Thursday, September 23rd, during NY Climate Week, the Governor signed (S6604/A6949), a bill sponsored by Pete Harckham and Deborah J. Glick, the Senate and Assembly Chairs of their respective Environmental Conservation Committees. The bill removes outdated regulations for drilling closed loop geothermal boreholes deeper than 500 feet and will allow access to geothermal heating and cooling for more New Yorkers. It implements a recommendation of the Climate Action Council’s Scoping Plan, and is an important step toward the state's goal of two million electrified and electric-ready homes by 2030. There will now be a regulatory process to reset how closed loop boreholes beyond 500 feet will be regulated in the state. NY-GEO thanks the NY League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, AGREE (Alliance for a Green Economy), the Building Decarbonization Coalition, NYPIRG, Con Edison and many individuals for their support of this initiative. Governor’s press release here. NY-GEO’s release here.
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Renewable Heat Now to Launch Hot Chili Tour in Support of the NY HEAT Act – Building on this summer’s successful ice-cream cool down tour in the New York City Area, Renewable Heat Now is launching a statewide Hot Chili Tour to join with state legislators in publicizing the NY HEAT Act. This bill is designed to protect ratepayers from overpaying for obsolete gas infrastructure as we start facing this heating season’s escalating gas bills. Click here for details.
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Governors, Biden Push to Quadruple Heat Pumps by 2030 – Isabella O’Malley – Associated Press – “A group of 25 state governors that make up the U.S. Climate Alliance and the Biden administration announced a pledge Thursday to quadruple the number of heat pumps in U.S. homes by 2030, from 4.7 million to 20 million… The governors in the alliance represent approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the country’s population… The governors of Washington, New York, and California formed the U.S. Climate Alliance in 2017 after the U.S. pulled out of the Paris Agreement.” Tip from Allison McMunn at the National Building Electrification Network and Sunstone Strategies. Article link here.
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NYC’s Big Building-Decarbonization Law Faces its First Major Test - Jeff St. John – Canary Media - "Landlords and climate activists are sparring over the future of Local Law 97 — the country’s most ambitious citywide mandate to clean up building emissions." Article Link Here. | |
Esoteric Government Body That Can Unlock Climate Solutions – If They Get it Right – Michael Hernandez, New York policy director for Rewiring America – Empire Report – “As New Yorkers, we pride ourselves on leading the nation when it comes to combating climate change. This year we should celebrate that leadership by taking decisive action to accelerate the transition from inefficient fossil fuels for heating and hot water to cleaner, safer, and more efficient electric appliances. For that to happen, the New York Building Code Council suddenly became crucial to our path. The BCC must ensure multiple electrification mandates regarding efficiency and resiliency are reflected in the new 2024 Building Code.” Article link here. | |
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Michael Hernandez
Biden-Harris Administration Launches American Climate Corps – White House Press Release – “In its first year, the American Climate Corps will put more than 20,000 young people on career pathways in the growing fields of clean energy, conservation and climate resilience.” Release Link Here.
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SANE Energy Peer Review of Proposed Brooklyn Thermal Energy Network – “Sane Energy recently engaged Egg Geo, one of the nation’s leading thermal engineering firms, to consult on an exciting new network planned for Southeast Brooklyn that would help ensure that the state meets its clean energy goals… The purpose is to complete a high-level scoping study to determine what may be done to improve National Grid’s submission so that it may be truly considered a Thermal Energy Network that will take advantage of the thermal capacity of land, surface water, building diversity (and) wastewater treatment facilities” Study link here. |  | |
Climate Friendly Homes Fund Targets 10,000 Units of Electrification Retrofits – “The Climate Friendly Homes Fund (CFHF), administered by The Community Preservation Corporation, provides financing for existing, 5-50-unit buildings in New York State with a focus on replacing older and less energy-efficient systems with all-electric, high-performance heating, cooling, and hot water heating systems. With $250 million in New York State funding, CPC and New York State Homes and Community Renewal aim to finance electrification retrofits in at least 10,000 units of multifamily housing that serve economically disadvantaged communities. These funds will empower small building owners to identify and execute a scope of work to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and decrease their greenhouse gas emissions." For more information.
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STAND.earth Message – STAND.earth has set up a quick and easy way for you to send a message on the importance of getting fossil fuels out of our buildings. Click their link and several of YOUR LOCAL officials will pop up ready to be sent your message. Link here.
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Advocates Share How to Make Electrification More Equitable in Cities – Maria Gallucci – “…at the outset of Climate Week NYC, Canary Media and the nonprofit Rewiring America invited experts onstage to discuss how they’re working to make urban electrification more accessible. Our panelists underscored the need to remove barriers for lower-income residents and communities of color in particular — folks who tend to spend the biggest share of their income on energy expenses and who are disproportionately exposed to harmful air pollution, both indoors and outside.” Article link here.
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Daphany Rose Sanchez, Kinetic Communities Consulting (KC3), executive director, is a member of the Housing and Energy Efficiency Advisory Panel to New York’s Climate Action Council and was one of four panelists.
California’s Landmark Climate Disclosure Bill - Sharon Udison – The Hill – “California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)…announced his intention to sign landmark legislation that would require all major corporations that do business in the Golden State to disclose both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, or SB 253, would require the state Air Resources Board to develop and adopt emissions disclosure rules for companies that operate in California and whose annual revenues exceed $1 billion. ‘That’s over 5,300 businesses,’ Newsom said at a New York City Climate Week opening event…'This legislation will support those companies doing their part to tackle the climate crisis and create accountability for those that aren’t,’ ” said State Sen. Scott Wiener (D), the San Francisco legislator who introduced the bill. Article link here.
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Connecticut’s Hidden Pollution Problem – Fossil Fuels in Buildings – Sierra Club, Save the Sound, RMI & Conservation Law Foundation - “Connecticut’s strategy for curbing harmful air pollution largely focuses on vehicles and industry, but there’s another major source of emissions that’s received far too little attention — space and water heating systems. Many of the state’s 3.6 million residents, particularly low-income people of color, routinely breathe hazardous air due to a persistent failure to meet federal standards for ozone, a major component of smog…Burning gas, oil, and propane in building equipment like heating equipment [also referred to as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (AC) equipment] and water heaters generates a staggering 23% of Connecticut’s total NOx pollution. That’s roughly eight times more than all of the state's power plants combined.” Report link here.
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Blue Hydrogen Analyzed – David Schlissel, Anika Juhn – Institute For Energy Economics And Financial Analysis (IEEFA) - Blue hydrogen is produced mainly from natural gas, using a process called reforming. The output is hydrogen, but carbon dioxide is also produced as a by-product. A new report from IEEFA analyzes data and concludes: “the reality is that blue hydrogen is neither clean nor low-carbon. In addition, pursuing it will waste substantial time that is in short supply and money that could be more wisely spent on other, more effective investments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the immediate future.” Article link here.
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Construction Begins On Hydro-Electric Convertor Station In Queens – Bill Parry - QNS – The station, at the Con Edison Yard just north of the Hell Gate Bridge, will convert 1,250 megawatts of clean energy, transmitted from hydro-electric plants in Quebec via the 339-mile Champlain Hudson Power Express underground transmission line, into power for one million New York City homes. The facility is being built at the location of a since demolished fossil fuel power plant, named as the worst polluter in NYC. Article link here
| UB on AWESome EarthKind podcast. Ron Kamen. The State University of New York at Buffalo (University at Buffalo, or UB) is a leader in empowering youth and creating a greener future for everyone. The AWESome EarthKind podcast interviewed UB’s inaugural chief sustainability officer, Ryan McPherson about the university's sustainability initiatives and how they are moving to implement New York's Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act. Podcast link here. | |
NYSERDA Funds for Multifamily Buildings – “NYSERDA is pleased to announce that the empire building challenge is recruiting its third cohort of program participants. Through this solicitation, NYSERDA is seeking to establish partnerships with owners, developers, managers of multifamily buildings, and solution providers. Participants must be willing to work together to test scalable approaches to decarbonize multifamily buildings, with a focus on holistic, phased approaches to remove on-site fossil fuels and decarbonize thermal systems. Selected empire building challenge partners will be eligible to receive up to $100,000 in technical assistance funding to develop a decarbonization roadmap for their building(s). They will also be eligible to submit proposals to receive up to $3,000,000, for low carbon retrofit project implementation through a competitive funding opportunity expected to be released in 2024.” Article link here. | |
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Managing Prevailing Wage Issues Under the Inflation Reduction Act – Craig Smith, Partner, Wiley - Renewable Energy World – “The Inflation Reduction Act offers once-in-a-generation enhanced tax credits and deductions to encourage clean-energy projects – but there are strings attached. Among..(them) is the requirement that many workers on these projects be paid prevailing wages specified by the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) under a longstanding statutory program for federal construction contracts. Taxpayers, construction and installation companies, and tax-credit investors may perceive risk and uncertainty in these requirements, as their application in a tax context is both untested and underdefined. Full article here.
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Climate Protesters Around the World Call for an End to Fossil Fuels as Earth Heats Up – Associated Press – “From Europe to Africa to Southeast Asia, tens of thousands of climate activists launched protests Friday (9 15) to call for an end to the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels as the globe suffers dramatic weather extremes and record-breaking heat, with plans to continue through the weekend. The protests — driven by several mostly youth-led, local and global climate groups and organizations, including Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future movement — were taking place in dozens of countries and hundreds of cities worldwide.” AP’s estimate of “tens of thousands” is low as organizers estimated 75,000 marched in NY city alone. Oil Change International Counted “600,000 People in 700 actions in 65 countries on 7 continents.” See 80 Pictures Of The NY City March Here. |  |  | |
Earth’s Annual Average Temperatures Set to Breach 1.5°C for the First Time – Jonathan Hahn – Sierra Magazine - “Perhaps no other benchmark for climate action is as sacrosanct as limiting global warming to 1.5°C, or 2.7°F. In 2015, the world’s governments codified the 1.5°C goal in the Paris Agreement as crucial to avoiding the worst impacts from a changing climate… According to analysts at Berkeley Earth, there is a roughly 50-50 chance that global annual temperatures will overshoot 1.5°C this year, with an even stronger possibility of that happening in 2024. A World Meteorological Organization report that came out earlier this year confirmed this analysis and concluded that there is a two-in-three chance that one year in the next five will breach 1.5°C. A single year at 1.5°C does not yet mean a long-term average, and IPCC targets like 1.5°C are defined as average climate thresholds that last over many years, not a single year. But crossing 1.5°C for a single year would represent the first signal that we are on a path to locking in that temperature for the long term. Climate scientists expect to see a single year of global average temperatures exceed 1.5°C up to a decade before the long-term average passes that threshold. We already got a sneak peek this summer.” - Article link here.
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Older Adults are More Vulnerable to the Dangers of the Climate Crisis – Maggie McAden – The Climate Reality Project – “As our bodies age, we are less able to compensate for and cope with environmental hazards, including extreme heat and air pollution. We’re less able to regulate internal heat and maintain core body temperature, less able to sense heat and to sweat, and less likely to feel thirsty and seek fluids when dehydrated. In addition to the physiological effects of aging, older adults are also more likely to have limited mobility and chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and type 2 diabetes, which can be exacerbated due to temperature extremes, stress, and limited resources.” Article link here.
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This Week's Work of Art:
| We thought you might appreciate this image from a vintage 2018 Aztech Geothermal ad that appeared on billboards in NY’s Capital region. | |
Frequent Sources for Just In! briefs:
Green Energy Times
City & State First Read
POLITICO Weekly NY & NJ Energy email)
Canary Media
National Building Electrification Network & Sunstone Strategies
Just in! thanks NY-GEO board member John Ciovacco of Aztech Geothermal for his frequent proofreading contributions to this publication and Paul Maliszewski and John Rath for their work on the briefs.
EVENTS:
*Indicates a New Listing or Updated Information
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*2023 09 26 - How to Get a Job in Climatetech – 2:00 pm ET – Canary Media - "Climatetech companies are hiring across the board for a wide range of roles — in fact, clean energy companies now employ more people than the fossil fuel industry, according to the International Energy Agency. A panel of industry experts will share their insights on the skills and experience that are in high demand in the industry, as well as tips on how to stand out as a job candidate. Viewers will also have the opportunity to ask the panelists questions.” Register here.
*2023 09 27 - NYSERDA's State Energy Financing Fund and DOE's Loan Programs Office: Financing Clean Energy at the State Level - 2:00 pm ET – Clean Energy States Alliance – “Under the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) can provide loan guarantees for projects that support clean energy deployment. This new authority, bolstered with funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, opens up billions of federal dollars to state energy offices, green banks, and other public financing organizations that qualify as SEFIs.” – Register here.
2023 09 27– NYISO’s Reliability Planning Process – 6:30 pm ET - Join United Solar Energy Supporters (USES) to learn about the strategic "Reliability Planning Process" NYISO (The NY Independent System Operator, which manages NY’s grid) is undertaking to ensure grid stability as we transition from fossil fuels to a healthy renewable energy future. Register here.
*2023 10 04 – Continuing our Momentum: The Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package – 6:00 pm ET – NY Renews - “Last year, we won big with the creation of a dedicated climate and EJ fund and the Build Public Renewables Act. On the other hand, this summer has shown how dire the climate crisis is and thus just how important our work is. So for 2024, we're going big again with a revamped Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package and we want to share the details of this exciting news with you!” – Register here.
2023 10 05 – Geothermal Economics: Understanding and Leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act – 2:00 pm ET – Speaker: Joe Parsons, Climate Control Group - ”This session provides an explanation of how to leverage IRA Tax Credits up to 50% for the installation of geothermal systems for commercial building owners and 30% for homeowners. Understand how to maximize accelerated depreciation deductions and government rebates for nonprofit entities.” Register here.
2023 10 11 – IGSHPA Town Hall with Alexis McKittrick – 11:30 am ET – Speaker: Alexis McKittrick of US Department of Energy, GTO Office, Topic: Navigating the U.S. Department of Energy. Register here.
*2023 10 12 - Renewable Heat Now October Power Hour – 7:00-8:00 pm ET – Renewable Heat Now (RHN) is organizing intensively for NY’s transition to clean, fossil-fuel free heating. Join RHN for its monthly Power Hour, a strategy meeting designed to inspire and inform. All are welcome to attend, and if you’re new to the movement for renewable heat, these meetings are a great place to learn and get plugged in! Register here.
2023 10 17-19 – IGSHPA Accredited Installer Training with WaterFurnace – Hampton Inn and Suites – Poughkeepsie – “Learning to install Ground-Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems will keep you competitive in a market forced to deal with rising energy costs and resource depletion. Installer accreditation enables you to open new markets and offers customers a low-maintenance, economical, and environmentally friendly alternative for their space conditioning needs. With more than 35 years of experience teaching these workshops, accrediting thousands of installers, and developing the industry standards, IGSHPA has pioneered training in GSHP installation.” Register here.
2023 10 27 – IGSHPA Dig Deeper - GHP Impact Analysis – 11:30 am ET – Speaker: Jeff Winick & Sean Porse of U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Office, “In Fiscal Year 2022, with GTO support, ORNL and NREL conducted a modeling assessment of the grid impacts resulting from the mass deployment of GHPs. Modeled changes in end use load profiles for the US building stock and their impacts on the bulk power system were analyzed under various carbon policy, electrification, and sensitivity scenarios using capacity expansion modeling (ReEDS) and production cost modeling (PLEXOS). The results demonstrate GHPs’ significant aggregate value to a decarbonizing grid through reduced infrastructure requirements, reduced emissions, and improved grid efficiency.” Register here.
*2023 11 09 - Renewable Heat Now November Power Hour – 7:00-8:00 pm ET – Renewable Heat Now (RHN) is organizing intensively for NY’s transition to clean, fossil-fuel free heating. Join RHN for its monthly Power Hour, a strategy meeting designed to inspire and inform. All are welcome to attend, and if you’re new to the movement for renewable heat, these meetings are a great place to learn and get plugged in! Register here.
2023 12 05 to 07 - IGSHPA Annual Conference – The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) will be holding its annual conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center. IGSHPA is partnering again this year with NGWA (National Ground Water Association). Keynote speaker will be Alejandro Moreno, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. Early bird registration is open now, along with exhibitor, sponsorship, and advertising opportunities. For more information, check out the conference page.
*2023 12 14 - Renewable Heat Now December Power Hour – 7:00-8:00 pm ET – Renewable Heat Now (RHN) is organizing intensively for NY’s transition to clean, fossil-fuel free heating. Join RHN for its monthly Power Hour, a strategy meeting designed to inspire and inform. All are welcome to attend, and if you’re new to the movement for renewable heat, these meetings are a great place to learn and get plugged in! Register here..
2024 08 & 09 – NY-GEO 2024 - We are excited to share there will be two conference events in 2024 with content focused on both the diverse residential and commercial markets in NYS. We look forward to sharing registration, sponsorship, and exhibiting information SOON.
Albany, April 8-9 will open with an exhibitor happy hour on the 8th and a full day of session tracks on the 9th with a focus on Upstate topics.
Brooklyn, October 21-23 includes two full days of sessions (4 tracks), the popular NY-GEO Annual Dinner and planning for a day of local project site tours. It’s NY-GEO’s first conference Downstate and will emphasize content on how to address densely populated areas and large commercial buildings to be sure! NY-GEO Members can attend the conferences at a discounted rate, so now is a good time to renew your membership through 2024.
2024 05 28 to 30 – IGSHPA Research Conference - The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) is pleased to announce that the next IGSHPA Research Conference will be held at Polytechnique Montréal. This is the fourth in a series of research conferences held in Denver (2017), Stockholm (2018), and Las Vegas (2022). Like the previous three conferences, papers will undergo peer-review to ensure quality. Details will follow, but it is anticipated that abstracts will be due on September 18, 2023 and papers due around November 20, 2023. Conference website - https://igshpa.org/igshpa-research-conference/
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Just In! has carried job listings since our inception in 2019. We’re aware of sources that have been doing a better job of compiling and tracking job listings and instead of posting individual jobs this section will now point you to good sources of job information:
NY-GEO Website job listings are here.
The Building Performance Contractors Association (BPCA) Career Center is here
New Yorkers for Clean Power is proud to lead the charge for green jobs through Clean Energy Careers NY, a collaborative initiative to create equitable clean energy careers pathways in New York to help achieve the state’s climate and clean energy goals…”We're excited to launch the Clean Energy Careers New York Newsletter! The newsletter is chock-full of Clean Energy Careers NY resources, event information, job opportunities, and more. If you're a job seeker, a trainer, an employer, or a clean energy advocate, this newsletter is for you! (listed 2023 07 22) Read the newsletter here.
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