Issue 37
Message from CEA President David Holt
Spring greetings from all of us here at Consumer Energy Alliance! This month as nature bursts forth in new growth, CEA is focused on spreading our message of a balanced energy policy for America to more and more people throughout the nation.
To help us achieve this effort, this month CEA asks you to forward this newsletter to five friends on your email list. If you’d prefer to share CEA with more than five – go for it! The more the merrier.
Along with our newsletter, send your friends and family a short message explaining why balanced energy for America is important to you and how CEA is making a difference. Encourage them to become subscribers, too.
As all CEA members and current newsletter subscribers realize, a robust energy policy responsibly utilizing all of the nation’s resources is vital to ensuring stable prices for consumers, maximizing energy security and developing the country’s economy. Isn’t it time to share this knowledge with those you care about?
In showing your support for CEA by forwarding this email to five contacts, you can be a part of the change. As CEA grows in membership and subscriber numbers, the potential impact that we can make to encourage an “all of the above” approach to energy policy increases greatly. Help CEA get the message out – we need it all & we need you!
If you received this email as a forward, please sign up to become a CEA member. It’s free!
Thank you for all that you do. Together, we can make balanced energy for America a reality.
David Holt
President
Support the Cape Wind Renewable Energy Project!
The Cape Wind Energy Project, which would install a renewable energy facility off of New England’s coastline that could meet approximately 75 percent of the electricity demand for Cape Cod and surrounding islands, is currently being considered by the federal government. The project will create hundreds of new jobs during its construction and provide electricity consumers in the area with stable energy prices for the next 20 years.
Join CEA in supporting this renewable energy project and moving forward with a balanced energy policy for America. Send in your comments today!
Support Solar Power in the California Desert!
The Rice Solar Energy Project would install a solar-powered electricity generation facility in a remote desert location in California. The project will create 150 megawatts of stable renewable electricity, while generating a significant number of jobs to construct the facility and to operate it.
Join CEA in supporting renewable solar energy – another step toward a balanced energy policy for America! Send in your comments today.
Help Defeat Efforts to Ban North American Energy and Increase Prices at the Pump!
The Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is being sold to the American public as a way to blend transportation fuels with low-carbon alternatives so that tailpipe CO2 emissions can be reduced. But the fact is that affordable and reliable lower-carbon fuel options are not yet available. As a result, an LCFS simply will increase the cost of diesel fuel and gasoline and will place certain domestic supplies of transportation fuels off limits. Increasing the cost of transportation fuel and U.S. dependence upon foreign sources of petroleum is simply unsound energy policy.
Join our effort to defeat these measures, which would put an economic stranglehold on America and leave U.S. consumers stuck with higher prices at the pump. Send in your comments today!
Visit the CEA Store – Show your support!
CEA recently launched an online store complete with CEA and domestic energy development-themed merchandise. We’ve included many unique items that will appeal to every taste and budget, such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, yard signs, buttons, mugs and even a doggie-sized T-shirt for your four-footed friend. Help CEA spread the word regarding the necessity of a balanced energy policy for America! Visit the CEA Store today.
CEA Welcomes New Affiliate Members
CEA is proud to announce the addition of new affiliate members who have joined our alliance: the International Window Film Association, Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor Coalition and Caterpillar Global Petroleum Group. For a complete list of CEA’s valued affiliates, click here.
Caterpillar Global Petroleum Group Joins CEA
Since the 1930s, Caterpillar has manufactured engines for the oilfield and today provides premier power solutions in diesel and gas generator sets. As a champion for sustainable development globally, Caterpillar has long been committed to technologies and organizations that promote progress without sacrificing the protection of the environment. Aligning with Consumer Energy Alliance more closely ties Caterpillar with similarly minded organizations to promote fair policies and clear communication with consumers.
According to its mission, the Consumer Energy Alliance is looking to align with organizations and corporations to expand the dialogue between the energy and consuming sectors to improve overall understanding of energy security. The Global Petroleum group currently manufactures the most comprehensive product line in the oil and gas industry, ensuring the safe and reliable creation of energy for millions around the globe. By serving the entire oil and gas industry – drilling, gas compression, production and well servicing – Caterpillar Global Petroleum is committed to not only a durable product to customers, but also working with industry leaders to ensure energy resources are available for years to come.
For more information on Caterpillar Global Petroleum Group, visit http://catoilandgas.cat.com/.
CEA Blog: A Big Step in the Right Direction
Check out CEA’s recent blog entry about President Barack Obama’s recent speech on opening large swaths of U.S. offshore areas to drilling. Join the conversation at CEA’s website. Read blog…
Consumer Corner: Home Landscaping to Maximize Energy
Did you know that the landscaping around your house can help you maximize energy efficiency and cut costs? In the U.S., there are four approximate climatic regions: temperate, hot-arid, hot-humid and cool. Depending on your region, there are numerous tips you can put to use to reduce your energy bills.
For instance, if you live in Alaska, you’re located in the cool region. In this region, dense windbreaks, such as tightly-planted evergreen trees, should be put in place to block winter winds. Those of you located in Florida are in the hot-humid region. In this region, homeowners should channel summer breezes to the home through planting positions.
Click here to discover landscaping tips for energy efficiency in your region.
Source: Energy Savers, U.S. Department of Energy
High-Efficiency Hydraulic Hybrid Car Could Get 170 mpg
INGOCAR is a developmental concept for a 5 passenger car with a hydraulic drive system in place of a conventional power-train. Read article…
Putin Urges Qatar to Coordinate Gas Trade with Russia
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Russia and Qatar, both major producers of natural gas, should coordinate their efforts as the two nations seek to invest in each other’s projects. Read article…
CEA Special Coverage: ENERGY STAR Program Unveils New Efforts to Enhance Certification Process
In the effort to become more mindful energy consumers, the ENERGY STAR program has greatly aided the quest for energy efficiency. Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, the public-private partnership program certifies products that are least 25 percent more energy efficient than similar products on the market. The popularity of ENERGY STAR is so widespread that over 75 percent of Americans recognize the brand. In 2009 alone, American consumers saved nearly $17 billion on their utility costs thanks in part to ENERGY STAR products.
However, the proliferation of green standards and subsequent ‘greenwashing’ has caused increased scrutiny of the ENERGY STAR ratings. In an attempt to attract energy-conscious consumers, some manufacturers have labeled their products as ENERGY STAR certified when, in fact, these products fail to save sufficient amounts of energy. After investigative reports uncovered these abuses, the EPA is now developing initiatives aimed at ensuring brand quality.
On March 25, 2010, EPA representative, Kathleen Vokes, spoke to various stakeholders at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce regarding these new initiatives. ENERGY STAR’s proposed approach centers on bolstering both the qualification process for new products and the verification process for existing ENERGY STAR products. These proposals will be open for comment through April 30, 2010, and EPA projects a finalized version by the end of summer 2010.
The new qualification process focuses on ensuring products meet all efficiency standards prior to labeling. Previously, manufacturers could label products as ENERGY STAR certified while they awaited EPA approval. Manufacturers will still be required to use an EPA-accredited laboratory to test the efficiency of their products. But, lab accreditation requirements will be more stringent with the new guidelines.
The biggest change will occur in the verification process that takes place after ENERGY STAR products hit the market. Oftentimes, a change in the production process of an item can affect its energy efficiency. Therefore, ENERGY STAR is expanding its audit program to ensure all certified products continue to meet efficiency standards. The Dept. of Energy will now anonymously select products for verification based on specific criteria. The manufacturer of the product will then pay for an accredited third-party to retest the item, thus defraying the cost away from DOE. Any product that fails testing will be delisted and forced to remove the ENERGY STAR logo.
In total, the proposed changes seek to instill consumer confidence in the ENERGY STAR brand. Holding manufacturers accountable to stricter standards will ensure that we are saving energy and money. To learn more about the ENERGY STAR program, please visit www.energystar.gov.
Affiliate Spotlight: Air Transport Association
Submitted by John Heimlich, Vice-President and Chief Economist, Air Transport Association
The Air Transport Association of America, Inc. (ATA) was founded in 1936 and is the nation’s oldest and largest airline trade association. The association’s fundamental purpose is to foster a business and regulatory environment that ensures safe and secure air transportation and one that enables U.S. airlines to flourish, stimulating economic growth locally, nationally and internationally. ATA works closely with its members in the technical, legal and political arenas. ATA leads industry efforts to fashion crucial aviation policy and supports measures that enhance aviation safety, security and well-being.
During its more than 70-year history, ATA has seen the airline industry grow from the small, pioneering companies of the 1930s into indispensable facilitators of the global economy. ATA and its members continue to play a vital role in shaping the future of air transportation – both passenger and cargo.
The mission of ATA is consistent with its founding principles: assisting the airline industry in continuing to provide the world’s safest system of transportation; transmitting technical expertise and operational knowledge to improve safety, service and efficiency; advocating fair airline taxation and regulation worldwide to foster a healthy, competitive industry; and developing and coordinating industry actions that are environmentally beneficial, economically reasonable and technologically feasible.
ATA goals include championing the world’s safest transportation system; protecting airline passengers, crew members, aircraft and cargo, working collaboratively with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); modernizing the U.S. air traffic management system via the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); challenging government policies that impose unwise regulatory burdens or impinge on marketplace freedoms; reducing the disproportionate share of taxes and fees paid by airlines and their customers; improving the industry’s ability to attract the capital necessary to meet future demands; and shaping international aviation policy to ensure that U.S. and foreign carriers can compete on equal terms.
ATA supports a truly comprehensive, meaningfully balanced U.S. energy policy that enhances a secure, environmentally-responsibly produced supply of energy characterized by increasingly stable costs. In particular, the exploration and development of cleaner burning fuel sources continues to be an ATA priority. Beyond the numerous, diverse, successful measures that U.S. airlines have taken and continue to explore to conserve fuel, the single biggest advance in fuel conservation and emissions reduction will come from modernization of our nation’s air traffic control system. More direct routings enabled by next-generation air traffic management solutions could improve system fuel efficiency by as much as 10 to 15 percent. Meanwhile, ATA airlines are actively pursuing the deployment of alternative aviation fuels that are safe, environmentally beneficial, operationally reliable and economically viable.
The ATA commitment to continuous improvement encourages the pursuit of commercially viable, environmentally friendly alternative fuels to enhance the security of our energy supply and, potentially, to reduce emissions typically associated with fossil fuels – including greenhouse gas emissions. ATA work has been strongly supported and facilitated cooperatively with the Consumer Energy Alliance, where ATA is an affiliate member. Together we share professional, scientific, operational and economic expertise to help positively shape our country’s energy policy, ultimately benefitting every American and every company that does business in the United States.
For more information on the Air Transport Association, visit http://www.airlines.org/.
