News
Bipartisan Bill to Boost Economy, Create Jobs
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan energy bill aimed at boosting the economy and creating jobs was introduced to the Senate earlier in February, and is currently undergoing review the by Subcomittee on Energy and Environment.
H.R. 4017, known as the Smart Energy act, was introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee members Reps. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah), and is also commonly referred to as the Bass-Matheson bill.
Motor-Related Efficiency Requirements Lack Oversight
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — While motors that run heating, ventilation and air conditions are the largest users of energy in buildings, motor-related efficiency requirements are ‘relatively lax,’ according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside.
“Electric motors are by far the largest energy user in any building but get very little attention regarding efficiency and energy use,” said Sadrul Ula, research faculty at the university’s Bourns College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology.
Crosstown Rivalry: Two Planned NFL Stadiums in LA Each Boast Greenest Stadium Design
LOS ANGELES — Two proposed stadiums, each claiming to be the greenest stadium in the country, are in the works in Los Angeles County.
Upstate New York Companies Receive $250,000 in Sustainability Grants
PULASKI, N.Y. — Five upstate New York companies received a total of nearly $250,000 as part of a program to promote the commercialization of innovative green and clean technologies.
The Syracruse Center of Excellence and CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity awarded the grant part of its Commercialization Assistant awards.
The program, which aims to keep environmentally focused businesses in the region, has awarded more than $1.3 million to 26 upstate New York companies since 2001.
President’s Budget Proposes $27.2 Billion to DOE, $8.3 Billion to EPA
WASHINGTON — The president’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 includes $27.2 billion in discretionary funds to the Department of Energy and $8.3 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency, making up 15 percent and 22 percent of the total $3.8 trillion budget proposed budget, respectively.
The Department of Energy’s proposed budget is 3.2 percent more than last year’s, while the EPA’s proposed budget was 1.2 percent below the 2012 level.
Wind Power Investments Increase, Report Finds
AUSTIN, Texas — Global venture capital funding for wind energy added up to $369 million in 14 deals in 2011, a nearly $100 million increase from the previous year, according to a report released Jan. 11 by clean energy consulting firm Mercom Capital Group.
That total marked an increase from $277 million in 11 deals made in 2010 and $189 million in 20 deals in 2009, the report said.
MGM Selects Gensler to Design Massachusetts Resort
BRIMFIELD, Mass. — MGM Resorts has selected San Francisco-based design firm Gensler to oversee the design of its Rolling Hills Resort project in Brimfield, Mass.
In early January, the company signed a contract with Rolling Hills Estates Realty Trust to option 150 secluded acres of land on which to develop a world-class resort.
ANSI Updates Standard for High Performance Green Buildings
WASHINGTON — A newly revised American National Standard has raised its benchmarks for evaluating the energy efficiency of high-performance commercial green buildings.
The revision updates the standard introduced in 2009, the first code-intended commercial green building standard in the U.S.
Guidebook Released for Updated Green Construction Code
WASHINGTON — The International Code Council and Delmar, the health care and technology arm of teaching services provider Cengage Learning, recently published the construction industry’s first guide to the 2012 International Green Construction Code, which will be available in the spring.