U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions Declined 2.8% in 2008 – Hooray!
Despite a 1.1% increase in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels declined by 2.8% in 2008, according to preliminary estimates by DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). The record decline was caused in part by a 5.2% decrease in emissions from transportation. Sky-high fuel prices in the first part of the year, followed by economic woes in the fourth quarter, contributed to a record-breaking decline in vehicle miles traveled in 2008 and an upsurge in the use of public transportation.
Carbon dioxide emissions from industries also fell by 3.2%, following a five-year trend of falling industrial emissions, according to the EIA. While overall industrial output fell by 2.2% in 2008, the drop in output from energy-intensive industries-such as chemicals, primary metals, and non-metallic minerals-was much larger, in the range of 5.8%-7.8%.
While lower energy use in the transportation and industrial sectors partly contributed to the drop in carbon dioxide emissions, that’s not the full story. The EIA notes that U.S. energy demand fell by 2.2% in 2008, which is less than the drop in carbon dioxide emissions. That means that some of the energy shifted to a source that produces lower carbon dioxide emissions.
In fact, the electric power sector, which generates 41% of the carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, decreased its power generation by 1% in 2008, but decreased its carbon dioxide emissions by 2.1%. In other words, the power sector decreased its emissions intensity by 1.1% in 2008. The EIA attributes that accomplishment to a decrease in the use of all fossil fuels at power plants, a feat credited in part to an increase in electricity generated from wind power. See the EIA press release and preliminary report.
Editor’s Note: Last week’s newsletter announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation plan to initiate a joint rulemaking for new vehicle standards, which will address both fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions. Sure enough, the agencies issued a notice of the upcoming joint rulemaking in the May 22 edition of the Federal Register. The notice provides some additional information about the planned rulemaking, including the credits that are being considered. The EPA also published its notice of proposed rulemaking for the revised Renewable Fuel Standard program in the May 26 edition of the Federal Register.
DOE and World Energy Leaders Launch Partnership for Energy Efficiency
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu met with energy leaders from around the world this weekend to launch the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC), a high-level forum for facilitating improvements in global energy efficiency and encouraging market implementation of energy efficiency jobs and technologies. By promoting the exchange of information, best practices, policies, and measures that support energy efficiency efforts, this partnership will offer opportunities for participating countries to create green jobs domestically while helping to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
The signatories included the entire Group of 8 (G8), which consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as key emerging economies, including Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and the Republic of Korea. The International Energy Agency will host the IPEEC Secretariat in Paris, France.
The IPEEC partners agreed on an initial set of tasks for the draft work plan, which include the establishment of a Sustainable Buildings Network that will promote efficiency in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings; a compilation and summary of national energy efficiency action plans; an inventory and review of international energy efficiency initiatives; and improved methods for measuring and verifying progress toward domestic energy efficiency goals.
The launch of the IPEEC was part of this weekend’s three-day G8 Energy Ministers Meeting in Rome, where G8 members and other interested countries discussed new clean energy and energy efficiency technologies, ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and investments countries can make to grow their economies and promote global security and development. See the DOE press release and the Web site for the G8 Energy Ministers Meeting.
The members of the IPEEC, as well as the energy ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, also issued a joint statement endorsing a comprehensive approach to addressing global greenhouse gas emissions. The joint statement calls for close international cooperation on research, development, demonstration, and deployment of clean energy technologies. It also calls for improving the policy and regulatory frameworks to boost investments in renewable energies and to promote their deployment and diffusion throughout the globe. In addition, it calls for measures that address the financial dimension of widespread renewable energy deployment, including the possibility of designing dedicated international financing mechanisms for renewable energy. The joint statement also addresses nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage technologies. See the joint statement (PDF 33 KB).
Federal Agencies Team Up to Foster Growth in Green Jobs
The White House announced on Tuesday that DOE and other federal agencies have committed to new agency partnerships that will help encourage green jobs growth for a new green economy. DOE is responsible for distributing much of the clean energy funding included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, so the agency has agreed to notify the Department of Labor as funding commitments are made and jobs are created. The Department of Labor will, in turn, provide that information to local One-Stop Employment Centers, which will connect unemployed workers with jobs, training, and education opportunities, while the Department of Education will help identify the educational resources needed for worker training.
DOE will also work with the departments of Education and Labor to help create green career development opportunities in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy. In addition, DOE will conduct outreach to employers and industry-related organizations to help the departments of Education and Labor identify standards, assessments, best practices, accreditations, and certifications needed for careers in the energy sector. The three agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize the agreement; see the MOU (PDF 2.0 MB).
The Labor Department also announced plans to release $500 million from the Recovery Act for grants that will help prepare workers for careers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors. The grants will help underserved communities, including $50 million to assist communities affected by restructuring in the auto industry. The Labor Department expects to open the grant competition in June, with the first round of applications due in late summer. In addition, the Labor Department will work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to bring green jobs training and employment to public housing residents. See the White House press release and the "Green Jobs Update" (PDF 489 KB) from the Middle Class Task Force, which is being led by Vice President Joe Biden.
All the green jobs announcements were made at a meeting of the Middle Class Task Force in Denver, Colorado. At that meeting, Vice President Biden called on the White House Council for Environmental Quality (CEQ) to prepare proposals to expand green job opportunities and energy savings for the middle class, building on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act.
The Obama Administration wants to identify and advance policies that will facilitate the continued growth of the U.S. energy efficiency sector, powered by private funds. The CEQ has three months to prepare its report. To that end, the CEQ will also head up a "Recovery through Retrofit" Interagency Working Group, which will include DOE, HUD, the General Services Administration, and the departments of Labor, Education, and Treasury. The White House Office of Energy & Climate Change, the Office of the Vice President, and the Domestic Policy Council will also participate in the working group. See the White House press release.
"Climate Positive" Urban Projects Slated for California and Florida
The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched a new Climate Positive Development Program last week, with the aim of developing large-scale urban projects that are "climate positive," that is, their on-site greenhouse gas emissions are actually less than zero. For instance, an energy-efficient building with significant on-site renewable energy generation could be a net producer of renewable energy, bringing the building’s net greenhouse gas emissions below zero. Such buildings would tend to lower the total greenhouse gas emissions of the community where they are located, and if entire communities are built that way, they can serve as a model for a future "low-carbon" economy. The CCI program will initially tackle 16 climate positive projects in 10 countries on six continents. See the CCI press release.
The new program’s initial 16 projects include two in the United States: one on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco, California, and one in Destiny, Florida. The Treasure Island Redevelopment Project will start with 450 acres of land from a former naval station on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island in the San Francisco Bay and convert it into a new mixed-use, sustainable community. The islands are currently home to more than 3,000 residents and are accessible by car and bus; the redevelopment project will add an intermodal ferry terminal to Treasure Island, and it will also expand and upgrade an existing marina.
In contrast, Destiny is a planned sustainable city to be located in central Florida. The city’s founders bought 41,300 acres of undeveloped land for the project, and as they develop it, they plan to achieve a 50% reduction in energy demand relative to similar developments, with on-site renewable energy sources meeting at least 50% of the city’s energy demands. See the press release from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome, the Web site for the Treasure Island Development Authority, and the Destiny press release.
Interior Department Awards $15 Million for Forest Thinning on Public Lands
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced last week that it will award $15 million to 55 projects that will thin overgrown forests and remove potential fuels for wildfires on public lands. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will create jobs in rural communities in 12 states, and many of the projects will produce biomass that can be converted into energy.
The so-called "hazardous fuels reduction" projects include efforts to remove accumulated deadwood and dense underbrush from forests near communities that are susceptible to wildfires. The wood removed during such projects is generally of a poor quality that is not wanted by lumber mills, but it can serve as an excellent source of biomass energy.
The 55 projects are being carried out under the Interior Department’s Wildland Fire Management program, and 23 of them are specifically designated as biomass utilization projects. Those 23 biomass energy projects are located in eight states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. See the Interior Department’s press release and list of projects.
Virtual Energy Forum Offers a Free, Two-Day Clean Energy Conference
The world’s largest online conference for renewable energy and energy-efficient practices in businesses is coming in late June, and to attend, all you need is a computer. The Virtual Energy Forum will be held for free on June 24 and 25 and will feature such speakers as Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund, and Mark Ginsberg of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
The forum replicates a typical conference experience online, including keynote speeches, industry-specific presentations in five parallel tracks, "Meet the Expert" live video chats, and an emerging technology showcase. DOE will host a Global Green Cities track during the event. And if you tire of the presentations, you can also visit the virtual exhibit floor, which allows you to chat with the exhibitors, exchange contact information, and collect materials in a virtual briefcase. All the presentations will also be available on demand after the conference. See the Virtual Energy Forum Web site.
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Kevin Eber is the Editor of EREE Network News, a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
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