The Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee explored a numebr of bills designed to iomprocve the energy eficiency of the built envboronment at an April 10 hearing.

In his opening statement, Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said that, " A critical piece of infrastructure includes making homes, buildings, cities and manufacturing facilities more energy efficient. Efficiency work supports thousands of good-paying jobs at small businesses in every state. And weatherizing homes or retrofitting public buildings saves money and supports our efforts to address climate change."

Two DOE officials testified: The Honorable Daniel R. Simmons
Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel Simmons and Office of Economic IMpact and Diversity Directior James Campos.

For more on the hearing, click here .

Washington Post
Apr. 3, 2019

The morning after President Trump claimed that noise from wind turbines can cause cancer, a bipartisan group of 19 senators announced a push for “robust” funding of federal programs to support the industry, calling it an “American success story.”

A letter, spearheaded by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), to an appropriations panel noted that the wind industry employs more than 100,000 U.S. citizens and said funding was needed “to ensure America remains a leader in wind energy technology.” More . . .

McClatchy
Apr. 2, 2019

The Trump campaign is seeking a list of “climate change victories” that can be attributed to Donald Trump’s presidency, reflecting a shift in strategy ahead of the 2020 election as polls show growing voter concern over global warming, two sources familiar with the campaign told McClatchy this week.

Their quest comes as the Trump administration considers whether to establish a presidential committee on climate security that would include longtime skeptics of the dangers of climate change. The purpose of that panel would be to scrutinize the most recent national climate assessment, a comprehensive document vetted by 13 government agencies forecasting economic and national security perils in store for a warming Earth. More . . .

Washington Post
Apr.10, 2019

It was a wild March headlined by abnormal warmth in our nation’s coldest state and a destructive and costly “bomb cyclone” in central United States.

By a landslide, Alaska posted its warmest March on record. At the same time, the powerhouse storm in the central United States became the country’s second billion-dollar weather disaster of 2019. More . . .

LA Times
Apr. 8, 2019

By the end of the century, the manifold consequences of unchecked climate change will cost the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars per year, according to a new study by scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Those costs will come in multiple forms, including water shortages, crippled infrastructure and polluted air that shortens lives, according to the study in Monday’s edition of Nature Climate Change. No part of the country will be untouched, the EPA researchers warned. More . . .


R egistration is now open for the 2019 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit July 10-11 in the Washington, D.C. metro area (Arlington, Virginia). Over 50 interactive sessions that address common barriers are now available to view online ; filter sessions by track, sector, or speaker to start planning your Summit experience. Don’t miss this opportunity to join fellow energy and sustainability professionals ready to share their innovative strategies in energy and water efficiency. Attendees will engage in lively discussions focused on emerging technologies, financing projects, workforce development, resilience planning, and more.



NEW IN CONGRESS

Sponsor: Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL)
Introduced: Apr. 8, 2019

Sponsor: Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH)
Introduced: Apr. 4, 2019

Sponsor: Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ)
Introduced: Apr. 4, 2019

Sponsor: Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)
Introduced: Apr. 3, 2019



AGENCY ACTION

EPA
Apr. 10, 2019

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), “EPA's ENERGY STAR Product Labeling” (EPA ICR No. 2078.07, OMB Control No. 2060-0528), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act ( 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through September 30, 2019. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.


DOE
April 2, 2019

On February 13, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment regarding proposals to update and modernize the Department's current rulemaking methodology titled, “Procedures, Interpretations, and Policies for Consideration of New or Revised Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Products” (Process Rule). This notice announces a second public meeting, to be held on April 11, 2019, and an extension of the public comment period for submitting comments in response to the Process Rule. The comment period is extended from April 15, 2019, to May 6, 2019.


DOE
Apr. 2, 2019

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) announces a public meeting for the variable refrigerant flow multi-split air conditioners and heat pumps (VRF multi-split systems) working group. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) requires that agencies publish notice of an advisory committee meeting in the Federal Register.
DOE will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Thursday, April 18, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Washington, DC. The meeting will also be broadcast as a webinar.



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