The last issue of NEEP Notes highlighted the efforts of the Northeast Energy Efficiency Standards Project to increase energy efficiency through new and updated minimum appliance and equipment efficiency standards. Since the publication of that article, energy efficiency standards legislation has continued to make news in the Northeast and at the federal level. The following is a brief review of the major developments in the Standards Project for the second quarter of 2005.
Rhode Island
On June 16, 2005 the Rhode Island State Senate unanimously adopted energy efficiency legislation. This action came a few months after the House of Representatives approved efficiency standards by a vote of 41-17. When the bill is signed into law by the Governor, Rhode Island will become the seventh state to adopt energy efficiency standards. The Rhode Island legislation covers 11 efficiency standards that will lower electricity consumption by almost 200,000 megawatt-hours by 2020 (the equivalent to the electricity use of 25,000 homes), 350,000 million BTU's of natural gas (equivalent to the gas use of 4,500 homes) and reduce carbon emission by about 25,000 metric tons (the equivalent of removing 18,000 cars from the road). The legislation will place new efficiency standards on torchiere lamps, commercial refrigerators and freezers, commercial clothes washers, low-voltage dry-type transformers, unit heaters, traffic signals, exit signs, large packaged commercial air conditioners, commercial ice-makers, pre-rinse spray valves, external power supplies and mercury vapor lamp ballasts.
Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) advocate, Matt Auten led the effort to pass the bill, and Narragansett Electric, a division of National Grid, was also a very important contributor.
Maine
The Maine House of Representatives was unable to pass the efficiency standards legislation that it had been considering during the first half of this year. Although the legislation was passed in the state Senate by a vote of 25-10 and in the House of Representatives on first reading by a vote of 72-69, industry lobbyists were able to convince a handful of Democrats to subsequently oppose, and effectively block the legislation.
Nevertheless, the campaign for energy efficiency standards in Maine has made considerable progress over the past year. State advocates formed a diverse and powerful coalition that included the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the Governor, and environmental groups including Environment Northeast and Environment Maine. Maine advocates are confident that this year's legislative outreach and education will pave the way to a final victory for standards in the next session.
Massachusetts
On June 7, 2005 the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy held a public hearing that considered several bills concerning energy efficiency. Energy efficiency standards legislation (Senate Bill S.1821 and House Bill H.3328) was included and was the subject of a significant amount of testimony. Groups testifying against the legislation included the Retail Association of Massachusetts (RAM) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). Home Depot provided written testimony in opposition to the bill. Supporters included: Sen. Robert O'Leary (D-Barnstable), MassPIRG, the National Consumer Law Center, National Grid, KeySpan Energy Delivery, the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, the Conservation Law Foundation and Clean Water Action. In addition, NEEP and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) provided technical comments on the benefits of the legislation.
Prior to the hearing, advocates organized a press conference in support of the efficiency standards. Speakers included the two chief sponsors: Sen. O'Leary and Rep. Matthew Patrick (D-Falmouth). Others speakers included Tim Stout, Vice President of National Grid, Charlie Harak of the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), Frank Gorke of MassPIRG and Isaac Elnecave of NEEP.
New York
On June 23, the New York State Assembly joined the State Senate in overwhelmingly approving energy efficiency standards legislation.
The legislation passed by New York includes an expanded product list similar to that passed in Rhode Island, Washington, Arizona and Oregon. The bill gives the New York Department of State general authority to set the specific standards for each product, with the exception of commercial air conditioners, commercial refrigerators, automatic ice makers and metal halide lamp fixtures. In other states, the standards have been written directly into the legislation. In addition, the legislation instructs the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to conduct a study on whether a standard should be set on incandescent reflector lamps.
The New York bill also includes standards for two products that have not been widely approved by other states: ceiling fan light kits (previously passed only in Maryland) and consumer electronics (previously passed only in California). Commercial clothes washer standards adopted in other states did not make New York's final legislation.
Standards legislation in New York will reduce the state's electricity consumption by 3,800 gigawatt-hours, (the equivalent of about 550,000 households), saving consumers and businesses about $500 million by 2020. The standards will also lead to a reduction of 425,000 metric tons in annual carbon emissions, which is equivalent to removing about 350,000 from the road. Finally, the implementation of efficiency standards will lower peak electricity demand by over 1,000 megawatts by 2020.
Kit Kennedy of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Jason Babie of the New York Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) assembled a formidable coalition of supporters that helped advance this bill, including: Niagara-Mohawk, Carrier Corporation, the City of New York, KeySpan Energy Delivery, Con Edison and several environmental and energy groups.
Federal Developments
Home Depot continues to lobby for an amendment to the federal energy bill that would preempt state standards for ceiling fans and ceiling fan lights with a meaningless federal standard. They were successful in adding their amendment to the House version of the bill, but have eased their pressure for an amendment in the Senate. If the amendment is not added in the Senate, the committee charged with reconciling the two versions of the bill will face three choices: approve Home Depot's requests as passed by the House, approve the Senate bill which permits a rulemaking, or select another action entirely.
To listen to National Public Radio's (NPR) coverage of Home Depot's efforts to gain preemption of state energy efficiency standards, please click here.
For more information about The Northeast Energy Efficiency Standards Project, please contact Isaac Elnecave, Standards Project Manager at 781-860-9177, ext. 23 or ielnecave@neep.org .
