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June 24, 2021
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Welcome to ASHRAE's Government Affairs Update! This bi-weekly publication features information on government affairs-related activities of interest to ASHRAE members and others interested in the built environment. Archives of previous updates are available from the ASHRAE Government Affairs Updates webpage.
This information may be shared with interested colleagues who may subscribe from the ASHRAE Government Affairs Updates webpage by clicking here.
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ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force Schools Team Lead Participates in Congressional Briefing Hosted by the USGBC
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Corey Metzger, ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force member and lead of the Schools Team, participated in a panel for Congressional members and their staff on schools and air quality. The briefing focused on results from a survey of schools and how they responded to COVID-19 with respect to indoor air quality and ventilation. Metzger reviewed ASHRAE’s guidance for school indoor air quality and responded to multiple questions. Click here to view the briefing.
| June 23 is International Women in Engineering Day
| International Women in Engineering Day is an international awareness campaign which raises the profile of women in engineering and focuses attention on the career opportunities available to girls. More information on International Women in Engineering Day can be found here.
| June 26 is World Refrigeration Day
The coolest day of the year is World Refrigeration Day, celebrated on June 26. The purpose of this day is to raise the profile of the refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heat-pump sector through an international awareness campaign and to focus attention on the significant role that the industry and its technology play in modern life and society. This year’s campaign will focus on careers in the refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heat-pump industry. More information on World Refrigeration Day can be found here.
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ASHRAE urges elected officials to recognize these annual events with official proclamations and resolutions. ASHRAE staff can help you draft a proclamation to recognize this day; please email [email protected] for assistance. If an elected official in your city, state or province has issued a proclamation, please send a copy to [email protected] so that it can be featured in an upcoming Government Affairs Update. These proclamations can also be found on the ASHRAE website here.
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ASHRAE Government Affairs Committee Update
ASHRAE’s Society Year ends June 30, which brings a turnover in committee membership and leadership. As the leading source for expertise in the built environment, members of ASHRAE’s Government Affairs Committee (GAC) serve as a resource for policy makers in the development of legislation and regulations affecting the public, the HVAC&R community, and the engineering profession. Over the last Society Year, ASHRAE members have held more than 65 Government Outreach Events around the world!
Thanks to the following members who are rolling off the GAC for their contributions and service:
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- Terry Townsend, GAC Chair
- Robert P. Hoadley, RVC Region II
- Kinga Porst Hydras, RVC Region III
- Nate Heffner, RVC Region V
- Matthew S. Jesson, RVC Region VI
- Eduardo José Conghos, RVC Region XII
- Dr. Sam C.M. Hui, RVC Region XIII
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- Dunstan Laurence Macauley, III, BOD Ex-Officio
- Farooq Mehboob, Coordinating Officer
- Roger K. Jones, Communications Coordinator
- N. Eileen Jensen, Members Council Representative
- Larry J. Fisher, Publishing and Education Council Representative
- Steven J. Emmerich, Technology Council Representative
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| The GAC welcomes the following new members:
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- Darryl Boyce, GAC Vice Chair
- Mike Wolf, Member-at-large
- Mike Genin, RVC Region II
- RJ Hartman, RVC Region III
- Louis Van Belle, RVC Region V
- Beth Tomlinson, RVC Region VI
- Tim Theriault, RVC Region XII
- Albert Sin, RVC Region XIII
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- Ken Fulk, BOD Ex-Officio
- Ginger Scoggins, Coordinating Officer
- Sonya Pouncy, Communications Coordinator
- Bryan Holcomb, Members Council Representative
- Cindy Callaway, Publishing and Education Council Representative
- Billy Austin, Technology Council Representative
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If your ASHRAE chapter would like to highlight a specific issue or participation in local meetings with government officials in a future GAU, please share those stories at [email protected].
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| Global Government Affairs
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G-7 Commits to Climate Action
Last week, the leaders of the G-7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union) met to discuss a variety of topics, including strategies to combat climate change. The group committed to meeting its past pledges of $100 billion per year from the developed world to help poorer countries reduce carbon emissions. They also reiterated their goals to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Additionally, they pledged to stop direct government support of international unabated coal projects. The G-7 nations did not commit to stopping or phasing out use of fossil fuels in their own countries. Discussions on climate are expected to continue at the G-20 summit in October.
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US Congressional Activities
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Update: Infrastructure Negotiations
The prospect of a bipartisan infrastructure package gained steam over the past couple weeks as a group of 21 senators from both parties endorsed a trillion-dollar infrastructure blueprint. The bipartisan group, led by Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Rob Portman (R-OH), released a draft framework that would commit $1.2 trillion over 8 years to infrastructure projects, including $579 billion in new spending. The plan would provide $110 billion for bridges and roads, $65 billion to expand access to broadband, and $48.5 billion to public transit, among other spending. The proposal funds this spending with 11 potential sources of revenue, including increased IRS tax enforcement, using unspent COVID relief funds, and indexing the gas tax to inflation. Progressive senators, frustrated with the limited scope of the emerging bipartisan infrastructure framework, began their own discussions to introduce a $6 trillion budget reconciliation package. That dollar amount would include much of President Biden’s two key spending proposals (the American Rescue Plan and the American Families Plan) and go beyond them by including a historic expansion of Medicare. Such a large package would not receive any Republican support.
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Federal Government Affairs
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Register Now for the DOE’s 2021 National Energy Codes Conference
The U.S. Department of Energy will be hosting its virtual National Energy Codes Conference July 20-22, 2021. The event will focus on the evolving needs of states and local governments, and the building community at large to meet their energy and climate goals. This free event includes discussion panels and interactive breakout sessions on net-zero energy, decarbonization, workforce development, and increased equity in the built environment. The registration link and schedule can be found here.
| Dept. of Education Releases COVID-19 Handbook for Higher Education
| DOE Releases Request for Information on Electric Vehicle Grid Integration
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), and DOE’s Office of Electricity (OE), announced a request for information (RFI) seeking feedback from stakeholders on issues related to integrating electric vehicles (EVs) with the grid. This RFI is part of an effort to fulfill provisions in the Energy Act of 2020 which directed DOE to submit to Congress a "Vehicles to Grid Integration Assessment Report." The deadline to submit information is July 23. Click here to learn more.
| FEMA Expands Hazard Mitigation Policy for Individuals
On June 10, FEMA created a new policy that enables homeowners to get thousands of dollars more in FEMA disaster aid. This funding can be used for flood protection measures that involve elevating furnaces, water heaters and electrical panels off the floor or above levels at which they are exposed to floodwaters. The new policy is meant to comply with executive orders President Biden issued on climate change that call for federal agencies to take action to strengthen the nation's resilience. The policy takes effect with disasters that occurred after May 25.
| Webinar on EERE FY22 Budget Request for Energy Efficiency
- Mike McKittrick, Acting Director, Advanced Manufacturing Office
- David Nemtzow, Director, Building Technologies Office
- Hayes Jones, Supervisor, Federal Energy Management Program
- Amy Royden-Bloom, Acting Director, Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office
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Webinar on EERE FY22 Budget Request for Sustainable Transportation
| State and Local Government Affairs
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New Jersey Proposes Rules Addressing Emissions of Methane and Halogenated Gases
The New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection has proposed new Air Pollution Control rules to address greenhouse gas emissions statewide. The proposed rules include three major components to the requirements for sources to monitor and report their emissions of methane and halogenated gases. Facilities that emit 100 tons or greater per year of methane will be required to report their methane emissions as part of the Emission Statement program. Also, facilities that use 50 pounds or more of high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants in refrigeration systems will be required to register and report their equipment and use of refrigerants. Finally, natural gas public utilities with local distribution lines in the state will be required to report information regarding their lines, advanced leak detection, and blowdown events. A public hearing will be held regarding this proposal on July 22. Comments are due by August 20. More information can be found here.
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New York Legislature Passes Bill Requiring Use of Low-Carbon Concrete and Cement
The New York legislature passed a bill designed to encourage the use of low-carbon concrete and cement that is aimed at addressing the climate impact of the construction industry. The bill, S-542A, requires guidelines to be set for procuring low-carbon concrete for state construction projects. Future contracts would be awarded to companies based on climate performance as well as price, based on standards set by a group of expert stakeholders. The bill will soon be delivered to the Governor for signature. A New York City law passed in 2019, the Climate Mobilization Act, requires that large buildings in the city cut their climate emissions by 80% by 2050. The state’s Building Congress also issued recommendations earlier this year on how the construction industry can meet the state’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The full Building Congress report can be found here.
| New Survey of Local Government Leaders Shows Infrastructure Priorities
A recent poll conducted by Stanford University and Route Fifty of over 400 mayors and other local government leaders across the country indicates their priorities and needs for infrastructure funding, which may include federal funding from a potential infrastructure bill currently under discussion at the federal level. The poll indicated typical high support for funding for roads and bridges, but there was also a significant focus on water and wastewater infrastructure, with 93% and 83% support, respectively. Funding for the electricity grid and broadband also had high levels of support, with 73% each. A majority of local policymakers also favor a bill that would include funding for public buildings, clean energy, affordable housing, and homecare and elderly care. The full results of the poll can be found here.
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Two Upcoming Webinars Feature Report on School Indoor Air Quality and Reopening
The Healthy Schools Network has announced a webinar titled "CDC says It’s Airborne: What Schools Can Do Now to Boost Ventilation and IAQ." Dr. Paula Olsiewski will share a new Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Center for Health Security report on the options available to improve ventilation and reduce the viral load indoors. Dr. Bill Bahnfleth, the Chair of ASHRAE’s Epidemic Task Force formed to address the COVID-19 pandemic, is also a co-author of this report. A link to the report can be found here.
The Healthy Schools Network webinar will take place on Thursday, June 24, from 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST/10:00 - 11:00 PM PDT. Click here to register for this webinar.
Another webinar regarding the findings of this report will take place on Thursday, July 8 at 11:00 AM PDT, hosted by Northern Arizona University. Click here to register for this webinar.
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Webinar: International Review of Trends in Energy Codes and Performance Standards
On Tuesday, June 29 (5:30 PM -7:00 PM EDT), the Energy Efficiency Council will present a webinar that will summarize the findings of a report commissioned by the Australian Department for Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, which examines building energy codes and mandatory performance standards from around the world. Click here to register and learn more.
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For additional information on government affairs issues, please contact [email protected].
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