NASEO’s Board of Directors met for the Winter Board Meeting on December 3-4, in Arlington, Virginia. State energy officials from 12 states and the District of Columbia, led by Chair Vaughn Clark (OK), reviewed NASEO programs and received an update on energy policy in Washington from Administration officials and Congressional committee and Senate staff. DOE representatives including Colin Bishopp, Deputy Director for Public Engagement in the Secretary’s Office; Gregory Woods, General Counsel; Mike Carr, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, and Jason Walsh, Senior Advisor, within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Anna Garcia, Program Manager with the Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs; and Bill Bryan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Infrastructure Security and Energy Restoration, and Alice Lippert, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy Infrastructure Modeling Analysis, from the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability provided updates on DOE’s priorities in state energy financing, energy assurance and Hurricane Sandy response, cross-cutting energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, and the U.S. State Energy Program and Weatherization Assistance Program. Beth Craig, Director of the Climate Protection Partnership Division with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provided an update on EPA’s relevant state activities, including Energy Star, combined heat and power, and energy-air integration. NASEO Affiliate ASHRAE, represented by ASHRAE Board Treasurer, Tom Phoenix, raised collaborative opportunities in financing and advocacy. A discussion with John Wilson with the Energy Foundation centered on buildings and utility efficiency programs. Judi Greenwald with NASEO’s newest grant partner, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, described the awarded DOE Clean Cities tasks that will analyze and distribute financing, business, and planning models for alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure.
In terms of key action items, the Board plans to provide input on the strategic direction of state-federal coordination in the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs. The Board also suggested that NASEO hold a meeting of state energy office directors with purview over the weatherization program in their states in conjunction with the State Energy Outlook Conference in February 2013 in Washington, D.C.
NASEO’s Board meets quarterly and the meetings are open to all NASEO members. The next meeting will be held in conjunction with the State Energy Outlook Conference on Tuesday, February 5, in Washington, D.C. If you have any questions, please contact David Terry, NASEO Executive Director (Email: dterry@naseo.org).