DOE
May 2, 2019
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a
preliminary determination
of energy savings for the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), preliminarily affirming that the updated code will increase energy efficiency in residential buildings. DOE analysis indicates that buildings meeting the 2018 IECC (as compared to the previous 2015 edition) would result in national energy savings of approximately:
- 1.97 percent energy cost
- 1.91 percent source energy
- 1.68 percent site energy
Interested stakeholders are invited to submit public comments within 30 days from publication of this Notice in the Federal Register. DOE is required to issue its determination following the publication of an updated edition of the IECC. More information, including supplemental energy and cost savings analysis, is available via the DOE Building Energy Codes Program.
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Democrats Criticize Proposed Efficiency, Renewables Budget Cuts
CSBE
May 10, 2019
Congressional Democrats took Energy Secretary Rick Perry to task for proposed cuts to DOE’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programs – as well as the Department’s delays in issuing efficiency standards – during a Thursday hearing.
Denmocrats criticized the administration for its proposal to cut the budget of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) by 86% from current, including $700 million in reductions from energy efficiency programs.
Democrats also expressed concern about the pace at which DOE is publishing new efficiency standards for home appliances and industrial equipment. They noted that in February, a federal judge ordered DOE to publish four outstanding energy efficiency standards within 28 days of the ruling; the administration has appealed the ruling.
In his testimony, Perry said that the proposed FY20 budget for energy efficiency and renewable energy “emphasizes early stage R&D and other activities, which private industry does not have the technical capability to undertake.”
The Hill
May 8, 2019
House Democrats hope to sidestep the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with
a bill
that would ban asbestos within a year.
In a Wednesday hearing before the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, Democrats grilled EPA chemical staff on why the agency hasn’t taken more restrictive actions on the harmful substance three years after passing a law to give the agency more authority to regulate dangerous chemicals.
Chemical Watch
May 1, 2019
The US EPA has again decided against petitioners requesting that the agency expand reporting obligations for asbestos under TSCA.
The development came in response to a 31 January
petition,
submitted by more than a dozen state attorneys general, who had asked that the agency develop an asbestos reporting rule under section 8 of TSCA.
In their TSCA section 21 petition, the state AGs argued that additional information was needed to support the agency’s ongoing risk evaluation of asbestos and potential subsequent risk management actions. And they requested the agency "address infirmities" in existing reporting requirements, such as by applying chemical data reporting (CDR) rule requirements to processors and eliminating certain exemptions.
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NEW IN CONGRESS
Sponsor: Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL)
Introduced: May 1, 2019
AGENCY ACTION
DOE
May 8, 2019
On March 18, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a request for information (RFI) on the measurement of average cycles or periods of use in DOE test procedures in the Federal Register. This document announces an extension of the public comment period for submitting comments on the RFI. The comment period is extended to May 31, 2019.
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