SOTU Analysis: Leading the way in energy innovation

In this series of blog posts, Senator Coons’ legislative staff shares their analysis of the President’s State of the Union address with Delawareans.

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama emphasized the importance of scientific research and development, praising innovation and declaring that “we need to invest in the best ideas.” Senator Coons is a passionate believer in the importance of basic and applied science and is a strong supporter of innovative products being developed in Delaware.

President Obama called attention to innovative 3D printing that “has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything.” In Delaware, the revolution has already begun. At the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, scientists such as Tariq Rahman and Whitney Sample have used 3D printing to create customizable assistive devices to help children overcome mobility challenges. These cutting edge innovations gave five-year-old Emma Lavelle plastic appendages that allowed her to play and hug her mother for the first time.

Last night, President Obama called for “a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race.” He specified that today, no area holds more promise than investments in American energy. Delaware is once again leading the way, with energy research that is truly paradigm-shifting.

The University of Delaware was named as an Energy Frontier Research Center by the U.S. Department of Energy. An award of more than $17 million dollars will be used to find more efficient ways to convert complex molecules from biomass into chemicals and fuels. UD is also at work fueling innovation in partnership with Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation with transformational projects like super-strong magnets and hydrogen-fuel cells.  As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a leading champion of ARPA-E, Chris will continue to support these game-changing initiatives.    

During a recent visit to the University of Delaware’s STAR campus, Chris test-drove a car built by a joint project between the UD and NRG Energy. The car allows rechargeable battery-operated vehicles to also serve as a source of power to the electrical grid. With scientists such as UD professor Willett Kempton leading the way, Delaware at the forefront of realizing the President’s vision. 

SOTU Analysis: Investing in energy efficiency

In this series of blog posts, Senator Coons’ legislative staff shares their analysis of the President’s State of the Union address with Delawareans.

Last night in his State of the Union address, President Obama identified a key driver of economic growth that is both powerful and straightforward to implement: increasing the energy efficiency of our homes and businesses, where over 40% of our nation's energy is used.

President Obama announced he is setting a new goal of cutting in half the energy wasted by our nation’s homes and businesses over the next twenty years. Energy efficiency saves money, creates jobs, protects the environment and promotes energy independence.

Senator Coons has been a leading voice on energy efficiency in the Senate. In the last Congress, he co-sponsored the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act with Senators Shaheen and Portman to promote energy efficiency, as well as legislation to raise the standard for energy efficiency in our household appliances. In the current Congress, he will work with his colleagues to to ensure that a strong program to maximize energy efficiency becomes law.

Chris is a congressional vice chair of the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit organization that promotes energy efficiency. A recent report released by the Alliance outlined policies that can double how effectively our economy uses energy by 2030. Doing so will bring a 100% return on investment, add 1% to the nation’s GDP, save the average household $1000 per year and create 1.3 million jobs around the country.

ICYMI: Sec. Chu endorses Sen. Coons’ proposal to spark investment in renewable energy projects

The Hill published an article on Wednesday on Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s support for Sen. Coons’ legislation that would open a financial structure for renewable energy.

The Obama administration lent its support Wednesday to a congressional effort that would open a financing structure for renewable energy.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu called on Congress to approve legislation that would let investors utilize master limited partnerships for renewable energy, which he said would spur development.

“It’s a world of difference and it will have a profound effect on capital private investment,” Chu said during an Energy Department event on wind energy.

Master limited partnerships are financing structures that are taxed like a partnership and traded like a stock. The arrangement reduces capital costs by spreading it among a greater number of investors, and by taxing the entity at one level instead of two.

Currently, the mechanism is available only to coal, gas and oil projects. It has been instrumental in funding pipeline construction across the country.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) is leading the congressional push to expand master limited partnerships to renewable energy. The concept has picked up bipartisan support in the Senate, and he predicted it will pick up more backers from both sides of the aisle next Congress.

Coons said last week that he had raised the issue with senior administration officials, and that he hoped the White House would advocate for the change.

It appears that message has reached Chu.

He said Wednesday that opening master limited partnerships would “level the playing field” for renewables, such as wind, with other energy investments.

“If the cost of financing goes down — guess what — the cost of wind goes down,” Chu said.

Senator Coons leads bipartisan, bicameral letter to President Obama on MLPs, REITs

The sponsors of the Senate and House versions of the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act will hold a press conference on Wednesday morning to discuss a letter they and more than two-dozen of their colleagues are sending to President Obama this week calling for Master Limited Partnerships and Real Estate Investment Trusts to be a priority in the federal government’s “all of the above” energy strategy. 

Their letter is below:

December 12, 2012
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Over the past four years, the renewable energy sector has seen major reductions in technology costs, including a 75 percent decline in the price of solar panels and about a 25 percent decline in the price of wind turbines. But even as technology costs have dropped, the cost of capital required to deploy those technologies has remained stubbornly high – inflating overall project costs and presenting a major barrier to wider deployment.

Minor changes to the federal tax code could provide the renewable energy industry access to large pools of low-cost private capital. Already, oil, gas, and coal infrastructure projects raise cheap capital by selling shares of Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), as do energy transmission projects using Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). Wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects cannot use these investment tools and, therefore, suffer from high costs of capital.

Opening MLPs and REITs to renewable energy would level the playing field by giving renewables the same access to low-cost capital enjoyed by oil, gas, coal and transmission infrastructure projects. Small tweaks to the tax code could attract billions of dollars in private sector investment to renewable energy deployment, reduce the cost of renewable electricity by up to one third, and dramatically broaden the base of eligible investors. In fact, bipartisan legislation has already been introduced in both the House and the Senate (H.R. 6437 and S. 3275 respectively) to allow renewable energy projects to raise low-cost capital through the MLP structure. In the case of REITs, a straight forward ruling by the Treasury Department would allow access to this investment vehicle for renewable energy projects.

We strongly support moving America towards energy independence using an “all of the above” energy strategy. Renewable energy can play a critical role in accomplishing that goal. We ask that your administration move to unlock capital markets for broad-scale investment in renewable energy and help move our country towards cleaner, more efficient energy. We stand ready to work with you to accomplish this goal.

Sincerely,

Senator Coons (D-DE)
Senator Moran (R-KS)
Representative Poe (R-TX-2)
Representative Thompson (D-CA-1)
Representative Welch (D-VT)
Representative Carney (D-DE)
Representative McCollum (D-MN-4)
Representative Moran (D-VA-8)
Representative Garamendi (D-CA-10)
Representative Schakowsky (D-IL-9)
Representative Clay (D-MO-1)
Senator Begich (D-AK)
Senator Harkin (D-IA)
Representative Kissell (D-NC-8)
Senator Murkowski (R-AK)
Senator Bennet (D-CO)
Senator Tester (D-MT)
Representative Lujan (D-NM-3)
Senator Brown (R-MA)
Representative Grijalva (D-AZ-07)
Representative Capps (D-CA-23)
Representative Connolly (D-VA-11)
Senator Franken (D-MN)
Representative Matsui (D-CA-5)
Senator Shaheen (D-NH)
Representative Watt (D-NC-12)
Representative Carson (D-IN-7)
Representative McIntyre (D-NC-7)
Representative Carnahan (D-MO-3)

Senator Coons speaks on importance of heating assistance

At the Delmarva Power Low Income Energy Assistance Summit on Tuesday, Senator Coons spoke about the importance of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP. The event, held in Dover, was designed to help non-profits, social service agencies and government entities better understand the types of services available for low income households.  

With winter weather fast approaching, Chris discussed his commitment to protecting funding for LIHEAP, as well as investing in other energy efficiency programs, such as weatherization, that can keep heating costs down for Delaware families.

 “In Delaware alone, LIHEAP took a cut of 25 percent – literally leaving thousands of our seniors out in the cold,” Chris said.  “Last winter, a number of families who were struggling to heat their homes called my office. We were able to work with Catholic Charities to get them the support they needed, but it just underscores how vital these programs really are.”

Click here to learn more about applying for heating and cooling assistance. If you are in need of assistance to heat your home this winter, please call Chris’ constituent services representatives at 573-6345.

Senator Coons stands behind President’s call for accelerated investments in industrial energy efficiency

U.S. Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Energy Committee, expressed strong support on Thursday for President Obama’s plan to speed up investments in America’s industrial energy efficiency, including combined heat and power. The Executive Order will enhance American manufacturing competitiveness and create jobs, while also improving our nation’s energy system and reducing harmful emissions. 

“Continuing to develop our industrial energy efficiency standards will better ensure American manufacturing remains competitive in today’s international market,” Senator Coons said. “Our manufacturing sector is the backbone of our economy, and it’s imperative that we do all we can to help our businesses succeed and create jobs. President Obama’s proposal is an investment in our economy, our environment, and our energy security. I applaud President Obama for this Executive Order and look forward to continuing to advocate for the development of clean, safe, reliable energy sources.”

The Executive Order will:

• Set a national goal of 40 GW of new combined heat and power installation over the next decade;
• Direct DOE and EPA to convene stakeholders through ongoing regional workshops to foster a national dialogue to identify, develop, and encourage the adoption of best practice policies and investment models;
• Direct all Federal agencies to use existing federal policies to support investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP, provide public information on the benefits of unlocking investment in industrial energy efficiency, and support manufacturers and states to share best practices and access technical assistance.

Investments in industrial energy efficiency, including combined heat and power, offer significant benefits to manufacturers, utilities and communities across the country, including: Improving U.S. manufacturing competitiveness; creating jobs now through investments upgrading our manufacturing facilities; offering a low-cost approach to new electricity generation capacity to meet current and future demand; significantly lowering emissions; and enhancing grid security.

For more details on the President’s plan, click here.  

To learn more about Senator Coons’ work towards clean, sustainable energy, click here.

###

Senator Coons visits Baltimore Aircoil's Milford plant

MILFORD — Senator Coons toured Baltimore Aircoil Company in Milford on Tuesday. Chris, a member of the Senate Energy Committee and a member of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, learned how this 70-plus year old company makes large commercial-size heating and cooling units like cooling towers, closed circuit cooling towers, evaporative cooling or ice thermal storage for commercial and industrial buildings.  

Chris was also very interested in a new product the company has developed that is extremely water efficient and perfect for arid climates like in Africa and the American Southwest.

“I was impressed to get a first-hand look at how Baltimore Aircoil Milford is working hard to make a quality product while keeping an eye toward energy conservation,” Chris said. “Baltimore Aircoil’s Milford plant has grown significantly since it was first built in 1974 — this is a testament to its quality workforce and product and to its investment in the surrounding community.”

In the past decade, domestic export sales for Baltimore Aircoil Milford have quadrupled. The facility spans 180,000 square feet and currently employs just over 400 people. Manufacturing capabilities include sheet metal fabrication, coil fabrication, thermoforming, powder coating and assembly. The Milford facility used 18.3 million pounds of steel and 3,000 miles of PVC last year.

Baltimore Aircoil has offices and facilities around the world, and the Milford facility is one of their largest production centers.

You can read more about the visit here in the Milford Beacon.

Senator Coons joins Secretary Chu at DSU to talk energy efficiency

On Monday, Senator Coons joined United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu on the campus of Delaware State University. Secretary Chu’s visit marked DSU’s participation in President Obama’s national Better Building Challenge, a public-private partnership that will save billions of dollars in energy costs, promote energy independence and create tens of thousands of jobs in the hard-hit construction sector.

“We’re grateful to have Secretary Chu back in Delaware for the second time in just a few months,” Senator Coons said. “Energy efficiency is one of the most straightforward and effective ways we can save money and conserve energy.”  

As a Better Buildings Challenge partner, DSU aims to reduce energy consumption by 25% in about two million square feet of building space by 2015. To do that, the university will decrease energy usage and update vital facility systems using a new and innovative financing option. New Castle County and the State of Delaware are also partners in the Better Building Challenge.

Chris is a longtime advocate of energy efficiency programs, dating back to his work on former Governor Ruth Ann Minner’s Energy Taskforce. He is currently a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Researches and is a co-chair of the Alliance to Save Energy.

To learn more about Chris’ work on energy issues, click here.

ICYMI: News Journal praises Senator Coons’ “daring” energy-finance bill

The News Journal featured an editorial on Sunday endorsing Senator Coons’ new legislative proposal to level the playing field by giving investors in renewable-energy projects access to a decades-old tax advantage now available only to investors in fossil fuel-based energy projects.

We have witnessed a lot of talk about energy, “green jobs,” climate change and renewable sources. We have heard calls for America to be energy independent, to be innovate and to be steady in lowering the volatile energy sources. The most sensible proposal has been to go for “all of the above” when it comes to types of energy.

…

Last week, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware introduced a bill that would create a new partnership structure for would-be investors in renewable energy. The structure would offer tax advantages that would spur investors to support companies that will meet the tests of the energy market.

The idea holds promise.

The bill is called the Master Limited Partnership Parity Act — “parity” being the key. It would give renewable energy companies the same opportunities now available to other energy industries.

Click here to read the full editorial on the News Journal’s website.

Click here to learn more about the bill.

Video: Senator Coons introduces bill to spark investment in renewable energy projects

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) took to the Senate floor on June 7, 2012 to discuss legislation he introduced with Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) to give renewable energy projects access to a tax incentive available now only to oil, gas, and coal projects. Their bill, the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act, brings fairness back to the tax code and helps level the playing field for investors in alternative energy projects.

Click here to read more about the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act.