Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies Update

In this Edition:

• Welcome to New Coalition Members
• Coalition Meets with Governor Owens and Top Staff
• Enron Wind Update
• New Gallup Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Renewable Energy Technologies
• Rocky Mountain Renewable Energy Resource Map Available From EIA
• Colorado Agricultural Value-Added Development Fund
• Colorado Commercial Energy Codes Advisory Group Concludes Work
• Interior Department Holds Renewable Energy Summit
• U.S. Senate Energy Bill Introduced
• Agro Management Featured in Front Range TechBiz
• Toyota Releases First Comprehensive North America Environmental Report
• $20 Billion Emission Trading Market Goes Online
• National Research Council Warns of Possible Abrupt Climate Change
• 2002 Wind and Distributed Energy Workshop
• Energy Conference in January at University of Colorado

Welcome to New Coalition Members

All American Energy LLC

www.allamericanenergy.com

Denver

All American Energy LLC (AAE) provides practical solutions that integrate energy, economics, and the environment.  It couples energy efficiency and power control with distributed generation fueled by local resources. AAE also structures the financing of health and infrastructure improvements by raising the productivity, reducing the operating costs, and minimizing the pollution burden of businesses and small-scale industry.  Its principals enjoy the challenge of converting operating cost savings into healthier human resources and more productive assets.

Econergy International Corporation

www.eic-co.com

Boulder

Econergy International Corporation is an international, multi-service consulting and asset management firm specializing in technical, financial, economic and policy services. It provides its clients with the value chain of consulting support that relates to carbon management, energy efficiency, renewable energy, financial services and project development.  Econergy’s Asset Management family of companies is focused on stimulating the development of energy services in Mexico and clean technologies throughout Mexico and South America.

For a complete list of the 58 members of the Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies, contact Craig Cox.

Coalition Meets with Governor Owens and Top Staff

Members of the Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies met on Wednesday, 19 December with Governor Bill Owens and his top advisors to discuss issues of concern to the new energy business community.

In a productive discussion at the state capitol, meeting participants shared ideas on how best to leverage Colorado’s intellectual talent base and its wealth of clean energy resources through public policies and initiatives.  Governor Owens and his staff expressed a readiness to work cooperatively with the coalition in areas of common interest in the coming year.

Enron Wind Update

Enron Wind Corp., a coalition member, continues to thrive despite the troubles being experienced by Enron Corp., according to a recent letter from Adam S. Umanoff, Enron Wind’s President and CEO.  In his letter, dated December 3rd, Umanoff notes that:
 

• "Enron Corp’s Bankruptcy Filing Does Not Include Enron Wind Corp and its Subsidiaries;
• Enron Wind is Independent; and
• Enron Wind is Financially Strong."

Umanoff added that “2001 is proving to be a very profitable year for Enron Wind.  We have a strong balance sheet.  With strong wind power projections for 2002 and with our widely respected technology, we anticipate that 2002 will be an equally strong year.  Most importantly, and notwithstanding any rumors you may have heard to the contrary, we have the ability to meet, and intend to meet, all of our business obligations.”

Finally, Umanoff noted that “We anticipate no changes to our manufacturing and turbine installation schedules for the remainder of this year.  Our global operations remain on track to complete all of our planned business for the year and we look forward to a robust 2002.”

In Colorado, Enron Wind is negotiating with Xcel Energy to build a 162-MW wind farm near Lamar under the terms of a Public Utilities Commission order issued on 22 February 2001.

New Gallup Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Renewable Energy Technologies

Gallup News Service reports that “America’s energy concerns of the past year have been overshadowed by the events of Sept. 11 and the attacks on Afghanistan. However, the memories of electricity shortages, and $2-a-gallon gasoline, apparently remain strong for many. A new Gallup poll shows widespread support for investment in the nation’s energy infrastructure, including the construction of new power generation plants and development of alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar power.”

The Gallup poll, conducted last month, shows that when asked for the best solutions to our nation’s energy problems, 91 percent of Americans polled favor investments in new sources of energy such as solar, wind and fuel cells.  The other solutions reported by Gallup were:
 

• Investing in new power generating plants (81 percent in favor)
• Mandating more energy efficient cars (77 percent in favor)
• Opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for oil exploration (44 percent in favor)
• Increasing the use of nuclear power as a major source of power (42 percent in favor)

For more details on this poll, visit http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr011127.asp.

Rocky Mountain Renewable Energy Resource Map Available From EIA

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released the first in a series of renewable energy resource maps.  This map features the Mountain Census Division and provides an integrated picture of renewable energy resources: solar, geothermal, and wind energy potential; indicators of hydroelectric, biomass, and wood energy potential; and the geographic location of all renewable energy power plants with a net summer capacity of 1 megawatt or more.

This informative map is available in HTML and PDF formats at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/remap/mountain.html.  Other resources specific to Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region are also available at this site, including “Appliance Reports,” which are brief statistical reports that compare long-term trends in market share of about two dozen appliances and electric air-conditioning in the United States to trends in each geographic area.

Colorado Agricultural Value-Added Development Fund

The General Assembly of the State of Colorado enacted legislation in May 2001 creating the Colorado Agricultural Value-Added Development Fund.  The fund is meant to encourage, promote, and stimulate agriculturally based economic development and employment in rural Colorado.  To that end, the purpose of the fund is to facilitate the processing of agricultural products and commodities within the state to further stimulate the economy and employment in rural Colorado and to serve as a resource for the state's agricultural industry.

The Board provides or facilitates tax credits, grants, extensions of credit, and equity investments for eligible rural agricultural projects.  Such financial assistance is limited to two million dollars per project. Any moneys in the fund that are unexpended at the end of any given fiscal year remain in the fund.

More information on the program can be obtained from the Department of Agriculture's web page, www.ag.state.co.us.  Once at the site, click on "Colorado Agriculture Value-Added Development Program" or call Rosemary Kehl at 303-239-4122.

[Thanks to Lee Boughey of NREL for this information]

Colorado Commercial Energy Codes Advisory Group Concludes Work

Coalition member E-Star Colorado, funded by a U.S. DOE grant through the Governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC), has concluded its Commercial Energy Codes Advisory Group meetings.  The group’s final report, including its recommendations, will be a public document available both on www.coloradoenergy.org and on www.e-star.com.  It should be available by the end of January 2002.

For more information, contact Megan Edmunds at 303-297-7380.

Interior Department Holds Renewable Energy Summit

—Secretary Norton Calls for Expanding Renewable Energy on Public Lands

U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton and DOE co-sponsored a conference on 28 November that examined ways to increase the production of renewable energy on U.S. public lands.  Secretary Norton and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham will present recommendations to the President and Vice President based on the conference.  Secretary Norton noted that the President's National Energy Policy specifically directs her to reduce delays in geothermal lease processing.  “Our shared mission is both simple and noble,” said Norton to the conference attendees.  “We must explore ways to better capture the sun's light, the sky's winds, the land's bounty, and the earth's heat to provide energy security for America's families.”

David Garman, DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, attended the meeting, as well as representatives from the President's Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  Senator Byron Dorgan, who co-chairs the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, and Congressmen Zach Wamp and Mark Udall, co-chairs of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, also attended.  Panels on renewable energy technologies were chaired by leaders in the fields of geothermal, wind,

solar, biomass and hydropower energy.  For more details, see the Department of Interior’s press release at http://www.doi.gov/news/011128.html

U.S. Senate Energy Bill Introduced

—Democratic Energy Bill to be Considered Early in 2002

The U.S. Senate will consider comprehensive energy legislation entitled the “Energy Policy Act of 2002” early next year.  Introduced by Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, this legislation [S. 1766] contains a number of renewable energy and energy efficiency provisions, including a renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which uses a program of flexible and tradeable credits to require retail electricity suppliers to provide a certain percentage of power from renewable energy sources, starting at 2.5 percent in 2005 and ramping up to 10 percent in 2020.

In a floor statement, Senator Bingaman says that this bill will boost future use of renewables in five ways:

Bingaman’s floor statement and more information about this legislation is available at http://energy.senate.gov.

Agro Management Group Featured in Front Range TechBiz

Coalition member Agro Management Group was featured in a recent article by Rod Franklin in Front Range TechBiz, “the Journal of Colorado’s Innovation Economy.”  Franklin notes that the company has been running small field trials with the U.S. Postal Service to prove that their product is a “more durable, cleaner burning and more slippery option to additive-heavy, petroleum-based motor oils.”

The full article is available at http://www.frtechbiz.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=52591

Toyota Releases First Comprehensive North America Environmental Report

—Increases Prius Allotment for U.S. by Over 40%

Coalition member Toyota North America released its first comprehensive North America Environmental Report last week, detailing the company's progress and plans in the design, manufacture, sale and recycling of vehicles.

The report was released at Toyota's second environmental seminar, held in conjunction with the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas (EVAA) Electric Transportation Industry Conference in Sacramento, California.  “As a core philosophy, Toyota continuously strives to better tune its automotive products to the needs of the earth,” said Toshiaki “Tag” Taguchi, president and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, Inc., who spoke at the seminar.  “The release of our environmental report and the Prius allotment increase are the latest signs of our commitment to environmental responsibility and continued progress towards sustainable development.”

To review the full North America Environmental Report, visit http://www.toyota.com/environment

EPA’s $20 Billion Emission Trading Market Goes Online

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the latest innovation in air emissions trading:  the Online Allowance Transfer System (OATS). This time-saving, online system will enable participants in the sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) markets to record trades directly on the Internet instead of submitting paper forms to EPA for processing.

“EPA expects this online system will streamline and accelerate emission trading, saving industry and government time and money,” said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. “The cap and trade approach has already proven to be extremely successful in air pollution control, and today's online breakthrough will make it even better.”

Emissions cap and trade programs ensure that environmental goals are met, while providing companies an alternative to the installation of costly pollution control technologies in complying with the law.  Additional cap and trade programs have been proposed by Congress to reduce electricity industry emissions in the United States, and dozens of countries around the world are considering implementing such programs.

For more information on this online trading program, see the EPA press release at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/headline_120401.htm.

National Research Council Warns of Possible Abrupt Climate Change

—“Research and Attention” Needs to be Devoted to Topic, Council Reports

A new report from the National Academies' National Research Council says greenhouse warming and other human alterations of the climate system may increase the possibility of large, abrupt, and unwelcome regional or global climatic events.  Researchers do not know enough about such events to accurately predict them, so “surprises are inevitable,” the report concludes.  The report urges research into the causes, patterns, and likelihood of abrupt climate change as the best way to reduce its impact.

For a full description of this report and to download a full copy, visit http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309074347?OpenDocument.

Upcoming Events:

2002 Wind and Distributed Energy Workshop

—“Colorado Wind and Distributed Energy:  Renewables for Rural Prosperity”

The Colorado Governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will present “Colorado Wind and Distributed Energy:  Renewables for Rural Prosperity” on 8-9 April 2002 at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver.

At this workshop, participants will learn how to reap benefits for rural Colorado through reaping the wind and using distributed generation opportunities available today.  Experts will provide the latest in technology, applications, markets, economics, financing, tools, and policy.  Farmers, utilities and manufacturers will discuss real world applications and costs of wind, solar water pumping, methane digesters, microturbines, biofuels and more.

For more information call OEMC’s Bitsy Broughton at 303-894-2383 or DOE’s Steve Palomo 303-275-4838.

Energy Conference at University of Colorado

—Event to Examine "Fundamental Choices in our Energy Future"

The University of Colorado will host a conference from 24-26 January entitled “Thinking Ahead: Energy in a Changing Climate-Opportunities On and Off Campus.”  Featuring a number of prominent speakers, this event will take a look at the “fundamental choices in our energy future.”  Organizers note that “students, staff, faculty, administration members and broader community members are encouraged to attend.”

Interested parties can register online at http://www.Colorado.EDU/ecenter/.  For more information, contact the CU Environmental Center at 303-492-8308 or by e-mail at ecenter@colorado.edu.

This newsletter is circulated to members of the Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies and other interested parties.  Please let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from the distribution list.

Additional member-only updates are provided to coalition members as events warrant.  If your business or non-profit organization is interested in coalition membership, I would be happy to provide information upon request.

The Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies is preparing to launch a web site in the near future and looks forward to providing links to other appropriate web sites.

Please continue to keep in touch on any matters related to energy issues and let me know if I can provide any help or information to you.

Craig Cox

Executive Director

Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies

303-679-9331

coxcraig@att.net