EREN Network News
May 24, 2000
News and Events
- DOE Announces New Clothes Washer Efficiency Standards
- EPA Proposes New Rules on Diesel Fuels and Emissions
- GreenMountain.com Dedicates New Pennsylvania Wind Farm
- APEC Energy Ministers Set Goals for Clean Energy
- UT Austin Wins Ethanol Vehicle Challenge
Site News
- Association of Electric Road Vehicles of Europe — Dutch Section
Energy Facts and Tips
- EPA: U.S. Electricity Industry Emits 1.1 Billion Pounds
of Toxic Pollutants Each Year
- "Home Again" Examines Alternative Building Materials
About this Newsletter
News and Events
DOE Announces New Clothes Washer Efficiency Standards
DOE yesterday announced a new agreement to improve the
energy efficiency of clothes washers. The agreement sets
tighter efficiency standards and also tightens the standard
for washers to receive the Energy Star label. It also provides
federal tax credits to manufacturers that exceed the minimum
standards for energy efficiency. DOE estimates that the new
standards will save U.S. consumers more than $23 billion
over the next 20 years. The standards will be issued by DOE
by the end of this year and phased in starting in 2004. See
the DOE press release.
See also the press release from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
EPA Proposes New Rules on Diesel Fuels and Emissions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced last week new proposed rules that will slash air
emissions from heavy-duty trucks and buses. The new rules
would require that the sulfur content of all diesel fuels be
reduced by 97 percent by June 2006. The rules would also
institute tight emissions controls for heavy-duty trucks and
buses, phased in between 2007 and 2010.
The low-sulfur diesel fuels will allow heavy vehicles to meet
the tighter standards using technologies similar to the
catalytic converters now on automobiles. The EPA estimates
the proposed new rules would reduce smog-causing
nitrogen-oxide emissions from these vehicles by 95 percent
and reduce the emissions of sooty particulates by
90 percent. See the EPA press release.
If enacted as planned, the EPA's new rules will assist the
goals of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles, a
public/private partnership established by the White House.
U.S. automakers have used hybrid diesel-electric vehicle
designs to strive toward the partnership's goal of a safe,
clean, affordable family car that achieves 80 miles per
gallon. The lean-burn diesel engines used in the prototypes
rely on low-sulfur diesel fuels. See the PNGV Web site.
GreenMountain.com Dedicates New Pennsylvania Wind Farm
GreenMountain.com dedicated its new 10.4-megawatt wind
farm in southwestern Pennsylvania on Monday. The new
wind facility is the second in the state and the largest. Dan
Reicher, DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, helped to flip the switch for the new
facility. "With the development of this wind farm, Pennsylvanians
will be harvesting a new crop for the 21st Century," said
Reicher. See the GreenMountain.com Web site.
APEC Energy Ministers Set Goals for Clean Energy
The meeting of the Energy Ministers from the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum culminated last week
in the signing of three documents that will set the stage for
future cooperation on energy issues in the region. The
documents include a declaration that establishes a voluntary
energy efficiency initiative; establishes broad technology
cooperation programs in energy efficiency, renewable
energy technology, and clean fossil energy; and establishes
an initiative to advance cooperation in the development and
deployment of new and renewable energy technologies. The
Ministers also signed a "Joint Statement on Clean Energy
and Sustainable Development," which "reaffirms a
commitment to the environmentally responsible development
and clean use of energy." APEC includes most of the
countries that border the Pacific Ocean. See the DOE news
release.
UT Austin Wins Ethanol Vehicle Challenge
A team from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin won the
third annual Ethanol Vehicle Challenge last week. The
competition challenges students to re-engineer Chevrolet
Silverado pickup trucks to run on E85, a mixture of
85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The trucks were
judged on emissions, fuel economy, cold-start capabilities,
power, design strategy and handling. For the first time, one
of the competing teams, from the University of Illinois at
Chicago, achieved California's ultra-low emissions vehicle
(ULEV) standard with their truck. See the press release from
DOE's Argonne National Laboratory.
Site News
Association of Electric Road Vehicles of Europe —
Dutch Section
In addition to a general overview of electric vehicles (EVs),
this site provides users with access to a database of articles
on several specific EV topics. Current news and events in
the EV world is also included.
For this and other recent additions see the EREN Web site.
Energy Facts and Tips
EPA: U.S. Electricity Industry Emits 1.1 Billion Pounds
of Toxic Pollutants Each Year
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced early in May that the U.S. electric power industry
produced 1.1 billion pounds of toxic emissions in 1998. The
announcement is the first-ever reporting of total toxic
emissions from the electric power industry. According to the
EPA, the power industry produces 15 percent of all
U.S. toxic emissions. The new data collection and reporting
for the electric power industry is the result of a directive
signed by President Clinton in 1997. See the EPA press
release.
"Home Again" Examines Alternative Building Materials
Continuing our look at Bob Vila's "Home Again," this week's
show returns to the Civano development in Tucson, Arizona,
to view homes built with alternative materials such as straw
bale and adobe brick. For more details about the "Home
Again" show, plus lists of local TV schedules, see Bob Vila's Web site.
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