White House Environmental Official

[Chris Santee]

Top White House Environmental Official Visits Vermont:
Shumlin Touts Vermont as National Model for Disaster Recovery & Climate Resilience

RUTLAND -- Gov. Peter Shumlin hosted Michael Boots, Acting Chair of the White House Council of Environmental Quality, today on a tour of Southern Vermont to share the stories of Vermont’s recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. 

The Governor was named as part of the President’s State Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience in December, one of 26 members from across the country tasked with developing recommendations on how the federal government can improve programs to address the need for improving the nation’s preparedness and resilience to the effects of our changing climate.

The Vermont visit was an opportunity for Acting Chair Boots to see both the scars of disaster in the wake of Irene, which devastated parts of the state in 2011, and hear the stories of recovery and resilience – the lessons learned, the challenges encountered, and the opportunities for improving federal response and recovery programs.

“I am so pleased to share our lessons learned with Acting Chair Boots and President Obama, and help lead this national dialogue on what we need to do to be better prepared for the weather of the future,” Gov. Shumlin said. “Vermont was hit hard by Irene, but we pulled together and overcame amazing odds to recovery stronger than Irene found us.  This is our opportunity to highlight was we learned so the President can make changes to improve recovery for others.”

Traveling along the Route 4 corridor, from Hartford to Rutland, Shumlin and Boots stopped at Quechee to see the newly built covered bridge, as well as the sites – now vacant – of homes that were demolished as a result of the Hazard Mitigation program that funds home buyouts.  The tour also stopped at Blackie’s Deli in West Bridgewater, which was devastated by Tropical Storm Irene and has been in the buyout process since.  Adjacent to the site to the east is another house, 13 Cram Trail, that was also damaged beyond repair and will be demolished in May through the buyout program, which combines federal and state funds to help towns purchase properties that are beyond repair, and are in harm’s way.  The goal is to protect people from future storms, given the likelihood that flooding will happen again.

“Under Governor Shumlin’s leadership, Vermont is recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Irene by building more resilient communities,” said Acting Chair Boots. “Climate change is changing the frequency and intensity of flooding, storms, and heat waves, and the Governor’s efforts will be critical to protecting his state from future floods and storms.”

The final stop on the tour was at Green Mountain Power’s Energy Innovations Center (EIC) in Rutland, which is focused on renewable development, technology pilots, and customer education.  Louras described the city’s partnership with GMP, which is intended to make the city the solar capital of New England, with the highest per capital reliance on solar of any city in the northeast.
 
The EIC will play a critical role in GMP’s and Vermont’s efforts to move to a highly renewable energy future across all sectors, from traditional energy uses such as home lighting and appliances to new-frontier opportunities to power vehicles and replace foreign oil as a heat source with super-efficient heat pump technologies. Vermont’s energy goal is to reach 90 percent renewable reliance in Vermont, across all sectors, by 2050.
 
GMP President and CEO Mary Powell outlined a detailed plan to develop energy storage and islanding capability for an entire circuit of Rutland’s electrical grid, which is believed to be among the first such pilots in the country.

“Working with the Department of Public Service, we have expanded our plans for the Stafford Hill Solar Farm to include energy storage and resiliency measures unlike anything we’ve done before,” Powell said.  “This project will allow us to serve the entire circuit around Rutland High School from the solar farm, and provide an unmatched level of resiliency for the school, which can serve as an emergency shelter, and hundreds of local customers.”

Boots, Governor Shumlin, Louras and Powell were joined by officials from the Red Cross, and economic development and business community for the roundtable, where they brainstormed about future resiliency and environmental measures.

Following the tour, the officials held a meeting with a group of stake holders from across the state to have a more detailed discussion of the ideas for improving federal programs, making specific recommendations, and making the state more resilient to future disaster.

[Chris Santee]

Welch and Acting Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality to tour Husky plant: Milton

At Congressman Welch’s invitation, the White House CEQ Chair, Mike Boots, will visit Husky Injection Molding Systems for a briefing on this business’s energy efficiency leadership on the morning of Friday, May 2nd.

[Chris Santee]

Key House Committee Approves Two More Welch Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Bills are part of a series of Welch-authored bipartisan efficiency bills advancing in Congress

Washington, DC (April 30th) – This morning, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved two more bills from a series of bipartisan energy efficiency bills authored by Rep. Peter Welch in the 113th Congress.  Welch is a member of the committee and the House leader on energy efficiency issues.

“I am pleased that the House is taking further bipartisan action in support of energy efficiency.  These two bills will reduce carbon emissions and save taxpayers money by cutting energy use in federal buildings and local schools.  And they will create jobs through the use of American-made energy efficiency products,” said Rep. Welch.  “Energy efficiency is a practical idea that has brought Democrats and Republicans together in Congress to achieve real progress for the American people.”

First, the Energy Savings Through Public-Private Partnerships Act (H.R. 2689), sponsored by Welch and Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO), will cut energy costs in federal buildings  through the use of energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) and utility energy service contracts (UESCs).  The federal government owns or operates nearly 3 billion square feet of building space and annually spends over $6 billion to heat and cool federal facilities. 

Performance contracting involves a public/private partnership where a federal agency enters into a contract for energy efficiency services with a utility or energy services company.  The contractor performing the work is paid for its performance out of the savings it achieves rather than from appropriated funds.  Welch’s legislation eliminates bureaucratic barriers to the use of performance contracting. 

Second, the Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act (H.R. 4092), sponsored by Welch and Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA), will facilitate energy efficiency improvements at elementary and secondary schools across the country.  According to the Department of Energy (DOE), the nation’s 17,450 K-12 school districts spend more than $6 billion annually on energy, more than is spent on computers and textbooks combined.  Welch’s bill creates a DOE information clearinghouse on assistance for schools to develop and implement energy efficiency and distributed generation projects.  Cutting school energy bills will reduce pressure on property tax payers who fund local schools across the country.

Last month, the House of Representatives passed another Welch energy efficiency bill by a vote of 375-36.  That bill is expected to be considered in the near future by the full Senate, where Welch is working closely with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH).

[Chris Santee]

The tour of Husky was very impressive.
Congressman Welch stated "We should clone Husky".
Just downstream from Fairfax, Husky is a great neighbor.

http://www.miltonindependent.com/huskys-energy-efficiency-praised/

[Chris Santee]

At Welch’s Strong Urging, Obama Doubles Energy Efficiency Initiative for Federal Buildings
WASHINGTON, DC (May 9th) –  In Mountain View, CA today, President Obama announced an expanded energy efficiency initiative that Rep. Peter Welch has championed in Congress.  Over the next two years the federal government will double from $2 billion to $4 billion the amount of energy efficiency work being performed in federal buildings around the country. 

The initiative utilizes a public/private partnership known as “performance contracting” to retrofit federal buildings around the country at no additional cost to the taxpayer.   Energy service companies and utilities performing the work are paid out of the savings they achieve rather than through additional appropriations.

Rep. Welch is the leader in the House of Representatives on energy efficiency in federal buildings.  Just last week, the Energy and Commerce Committee, on which Welch serves, passed his legislation encouraging the use of performance contracting in federal buildings.  And in November, Welch, Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), and Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) rallied a bipartisan group of 118 House Members and 28 Senators in support of expanding the federal building efficiency program.  Also, Welch and Gardner founded and co-chair the 35-member House caucus, made up of 18 Republicans and 17 Democrats, that advocated for the expansion of this program announced by Obama today.   

“I appreciate the President’s strong leadership on energy efficiency and applaud him for leading by example.  The federal government is the largest energy user in the country and I’m pleased that he set a high-bar today for energy efficiency savings,” said Welch. “The report on climate change released earlier this week should put to rest the theoretical debate over the existence of climate change and clearly cites energy efficiency as a way to mitigate its impact.”

The federal government owns or operates nearly three billion square feet of building space and annually spends over $6 billion to heat and cool federal facilities.

Last month, the House of Representatives passed another Welch energy efficiency bill by a vote of 375-36.  That bill is expected to be considered in the near future by the full Senate, where Welch is working closely with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH).

[Chris Santee]

The federal government owns or operates nearly three billion square feet of building space and annually spends over $6 billion to heat and cool federal facilities.

While with Congressman Welch, we discussed selling off some of the property and he agreed that would be a good idea.
We'll see how much property the government owns next year.

[trussell]

$6B to heat and cool 3B square feet- That's $2/square foot.  I wish my heating bill was that low!

[Stand Alone Defense]

$6B to heat and cool 3B square feet- That's $2/square foot.  I wish my heating bill was that low!

Really Trevor???  I thought that was high!! I mean my house is 1600sqft and it did not cost me $3200 to heat and cool it this year.  Heat was really pricey this year and I only spent around $2000 bucks....