2013 Residential Energy Efficiency Awards

We started the Residential Energy Efficiency Awards five years ago to recognize the efforts of those who have successfully leveraged government funds to make U.S. homes healthier, more durable, and more efficient.

LIHEAP Purchasing Power Continues to Decline

The average grant to a homeowner from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the most comprehensive federal program for helping low-income families pay their energy bills, will cover about 43.4% of the cost of home heating next winter, according to estimates. This number is down from 46% last year and almost 50% during the winter of 2010–11.

Energy Round Table with Congressmen Paul Tonko and Ben Ray Luján

This spring, we are happy to welcome to the Energy Round Table two former state energy officials, U.S. Congressmen Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), both of whom joined the House Committee on Energy & Commerce this year. We are excited that a former member of the National Association of State Energy Officials…

Obama_Energy_Team

Obama’s Second-Term Energy Team

The major energy-related events of President Barack Obama’s first admin¬istration included passage of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus package, an unprecedented federal investment of $831 billion that allocated money for both energy efficiency implementation and renewable energy deployment. And in 2010, the administration responded to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

Yucca Mountain

The Problem with Yucca Mountain

No one wants nuclear waste. We all want the energy that comes from splitting a uranium atom, but we don’t want its waste product, and we certainly don’t want it in our backyards. The uncomfortable question of where to put the waste has been plaguing American policy since we figured out how to harness nuclear power.

Charge Station

ChargePoint Brings First of 80 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations to New York

In March, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded $3.6 million to 14 organizations, among them ChargePoint, the world’s largest network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. With more than 200 charging points already in New York, ChargePoint will use its $1 million award to install an additional 80 stations throughout the state by the end of September.

ron_wyden

Energy Round Table with Senator Wyden

In each issue of State & Local Energy Report, we ask a prominent energy leader a handful of questions and publish the interview in this section. For our current issue we expanded that format to an Energy Round Table, bringing together top state officials to ask a national leader about the most pressing issues in…

Beltway Roundup

Since we last wrote, Congress and President Obama agreed to some revenue increases on the wealthiest Americans, continued the Bush-era tax cuts for more than 98% of Americans, and avoided the first “fiscal cliff” at the start of the New Year. Congress and the president have also agreed to avoid the debt ceiling fight until May 19, tying congressional pay to action by each chamber of Congress on a FY2014 budget…

News & Notes

Congress’s $1 trillion omnibus spending bill, passed in December, included a provision that prevents the Department of Energy (DOE) from enforcing the so-called 100-watt ban on incandescent lightbulbs until March 2013. Nonetheless, many manufacturers are moving forward with products that meet the new standards.

s1

Moving In and Moving Up: The New Faces of Energy Policy in 2013

To help our readers get up to speed on electoral changes at the state and federal levels, State & Local Energy Report has put together this report on the new faces in Congress and in governors’ mansions in 2013. Though the November elections were not as disruptive as two years ago, they did result in…

SIGN UP

State & Local Energy Report In Your Inbox

aja_rail
Looking Back on Weatherization

State & Local Energy Report is proud to present the documentary film Filling the Gaps: The History of the Weatherization Assistance Program. Produced in partnership with the National Association for State Community Service Programs, it tells the complete story of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Through interviews with the pioneers of WAP, the film shows how a modest plan to put people back to work grew into a sophisticated, technologically driven program that's played a major role in advancing building science.

Kimberly Williams
Faces of LIHEAP: Kimberly Williams

Kimberly Williams was finishing school and working full time when she found out that there was an outstanding balance on her family’s energy bill that she was not able to pay right away. LIHEAP helped her develop a plan to help pay for the balance, allowing her to focus on getting her degree and continue…

tate_cron
Faces of LIHEAP: Tate Cron

When Tate Cron lost his construction job during the economic crisis, he needed to find ways to help support his daughter in a safe environment. He called on LIHEAP to help him pay his heating bills and replace a broken heater during the winter months as he continued to look for work. They also provided…

Untitled-1
Success Stories of Weatherization: Veterans Green Jobs

The Weatherization Assistance Program continues to deliver on its promise of creating jobs while significantly reducing home energy costs for low-income households. To highlight the continuing achievements of the hardworking men and women of weatherization, we created a series of video shorts called Success Stories of Weatherization. The first installment, Veterans Green Jobs, tells the…

aja_rail
Faces of LIHEAP: Aja Rail

Upon moving to Montana, Aja Rail became very ill while pregnant with her first child. She was forced to stop working in order to recuperate. LIHEAP provided her and her family assistance so that she would not have to worry about not having heat and electricity as she recovered.

Mary Dykstra
Faces of LIHEAP: Mary Dykstra

Mary Dykstra is a hard-working single mother and student. She needed LIHEAP’s help after her sister unexpectedly moved out. While Mary balanced three jobs and school work, LIHEAP gave her assistance in paying her energy bills as she adjusted to the changes in her household.