Wednesday, March 12, 2014

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 3/12/14

<> GAO-14-423T, Federal Rulemaking: Regulatory Review Processes Could Be Enhanced, March 11, 2014 - What GAO Found In 2007, GAO found that agencies had conducted more retrospective reviews of the costs and benefits of existing regulation than was readily apparent, especially to the public. Requirements in statutes or executive directives were sometimes the impetus for reviews, but agencies more often conducted these retrospective reviews based on their own discretionary. . .

<> The 2014 Economic Report of the President - The Council of Economic Advisers released the 2014 Economic Report of the President, which discusses the progress that has been made in recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression, and President Obama's agenda to build on this progress by creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity.

<> U.S. Department of Transportation Announces TIGER Discretary Grant Program Focus on Capital Projects - TIGER Discretionary Grant program has up to $600 million available for capital projects related to highways, bridges,public transportation, rail,ports, and intermodal projects. Applications are due April 28, 2014.

<> House Joint Hearing - Science of Capture and Storage: Understanding EPA's Carbon Rules - GOP background, statements and witness testimony

<> 50% Energy Savings in the Residential Sector? Deep Energy Retrofits Are Making it Possible - The need for innovative ways to reduce residential energy use is growing. States are setting increasingly aggressive energy savings targets for utilities and program administrators, as well as longer-term energy reduction goals that call for even greater savings. In California, for example, their goal calls for a 40% reduction in existing homes' energy use by 2020. 

<> APPA Offers New Policy Resolutions - Members of the American Public Power Association's (APPA) Legislative & Resolutions Committee today approved nine resolutions at its annual Legislative Rally, including resolutions in support of fair distributed generation policies, reforms to Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) capacity markets, and critical infrastructure physical security.

<> What are the Realistic Costs and Benefits of the New EPA Tier 3 (Reduced) Gasoline Sulfur Regulation? - The EPA finalized new regulations to further reduce gasoline sulfur and mitigate possible health impacts on the Public. Are the EPA's estimated compliance cost of less than one cent per gallon and primary claimed benefits reasonably accurate? And, are there more cost effective alternatives. . .

<> Bicameral Task Force Releases Third Fact Sheet in Series on Grid-Scale Energy Storage - The Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change released its third fact sheet to examine the progress being made on grid-scale energy storage as part of the Clean Energy Breakthroughs series.  This fact sheet examines the energy storage potential for Primus Power's rechargeable zinc flow battery and Fluidic Energy's rechargeable zinc-air battery.

<> NACAA Comments on EPA's Proposed Residual Risk and Technology Review for Three Source Categories - the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA), comments on the proposed National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Generic Maximum Achievable Control Technology Standards; and Manufacture of Amino/Phenolic Resins, which were published in the Federal Register on January 9, 2014

<> Mapping climate change in the oceans - An interview with Mike Alexander, research meteorologist at NOAA's Earth System Research Lab in Boulder, Colorado, about a new web portal that maps climate change effects in oceans.

<> Cree Accelerates the LED Light Bulb Pricing War - One year ago, LED lighting company Cree introduced a light bulb that set a new bar in price. Today, it's introducing a 100-watt equivalent LED bulb and lowering prices on existing products, in a move that could trigger price cuts from competitors. On Wednesday, Home Depot will begin online sales of Cree's latest bulb, which gives off 1600 lumens, or about the same as a 100-watt incandescent

<> Now You Can Walk Into A Best Buy And Get A Solar System For Your Home - Shutterstock SolarCity and Best Buy have just announced a deal allowing customers to get low-cost and low-hassle solar power for their homes. It's what's called a third party leasing agreement. Rather than purchasing a solar array outright, they lease the system from the provider — SolarCity, in this case. It's just that the system is installed on the roof of the homeowner.