So what about those White House solar panels?
June 22nd, 2011 | Energy Energy management Facilities | Posted by Andy Medici
Last year Energy Secretary Stephen Chu announced with much fanfare at a green government symposium that the White House will have solar panels on it – by the end of spring no less.
Well, that day has come and gone. But instead of solar panels, there is just a June 20 statement on the Energy Department’s blog that says the following before highlighting areas of success:
The Energy Department remains on the path to complete the White House solar demonstration project, in keeping with our commitment, and we look forward to sharing more information — including additional details on the timing of this project — after the competitive procurement process is completed.
When I asked the Energy Department why the project was not completed on time, I only got the return answer to just see that statement. Inquiries to the White House were directed back to the Energy Department, since they were in charge of procurement.
But why the project was delayed or for what reasons is not clear. The only thing that we know is that there are no solar panels on the White House.
Rep. Paul Broun: Get rid of Energy, Education departments
May 23rd, 2011 | Education Energy | Posted by Andy Medici
Rep. Paul Broun, R-G.A., has one demand to get his vote to raise the federal debt ceiling: eliminate the Education and Energy Departments.
In a townhall meeting with constituents Ma 19 that was captured in video on YouTube, the congressman makes his demand to the cheers of his constituents.
Survey: Many agencies still sluggish on FOIA changes despite White House push
March 13th, 2011 | Commerce Defense Education Energy HHS Justice | Posted by Sean Reilly
Two years after President Obama pledged a new dawning of governmental sunshine, barely half of 90 federal agencies say they’ve made concrete changes in their handling of Freedom of Information Act requests, according to survey findings released Sunday.
While 49 agencies reported changes to their FOIA processes, the remainder either said they had no information or did not respond to the Knight Open Government Survey.
In a similar round-up last year, only 13 agencies reported changes, so this year’s numbers reflect a large uptick. Still, “at this rate, the president’s first term in office will be over by the time federal agencies do what he asked them to do on his first day in office,” said Eric Newton, a senior adviser at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which paid for the study.
The results were released by the National Security Archive, a private research organization based at George Washington University that helped carry out the survey. The findings could offer grist for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on FOIA scheduled for this Thursday.
For the survey, researchers filed FOIA requests asking agencies for copies of changes in their FOIA regulations, manuals, training materials or processing guidance resulting from a 2009 memo from Obama favoring disclosure or from follow-up instructions issued last year.
While several large agencies—including the Defense, Interior and Health and Human Services departments—reported changes, other heavyweights did not. Among them were the Commerce, Energy, State and Education departments. And, oh yes, the Justice Department, the lead agency for carrying out FOIA policy.
Tags: Eric Newton, Freedom of Information Act, George Washington University, Knight Open Government Survey, National Security Archive
Government responses to shutdown questions UPDATE
February 23rd, 2011 | Commerce Energy White House | Posted by Nicole Johnson
The Energy, Commerce and Defense departments seem to be on the same page, at least when it comes to handling media inquires about a possible government shutdown.
As a matter of course, here is what the Defense Department sent over:
As a matter of course, the Department of Defense plans for contingencies. In fact, since 1980, all agencies have had to have a plan in case of a government shutdown, and these plans are updated routinely. We will do everything we have to do to continue to support the deployed troops. The Department must also continue many other operations necessary for the safety of human life and protection of property. These types of activities will be “exempt” from cessation. All other activities would need to be shut down in an orderly and deliberate fashion.
Federal Times received similiar responses from other agencies…
Here is a response from the Energy Department (Emphasis added).
As a matter of course, our agency plans for contingencies, but this is besides the point since, as the bipartisan congressional leadership has said on a number of occasions and as the President has made clear, no one anticipates or wants a government shutdown. The Department is working with both sides on Capitol Hill to fund the government and keep its vital services and functions operating.
Here is the response from the Commerce Department:
As a matter of course, the Commerce Department plans for contingencies. In fact, since 1980, all agencies have had to have a plan in case of a government shutdown, and these plans are updated routinely. All of this is beside the point since, as the bipartisan congressional leadership has said on a number of occasions and as the President has made clear, no one anticipates or wants a government shutdown. The administration will work with both sides on Capitol Hill to fund the government and keep its vital services and functions operating.
Tags: government shutdown
Government responses to shutdown questions eerily similar
February 22nd, 2011 | Agencies Agency Management Commerce Energy Uncategorized White House | Posted by Andy Medici
The staff over here at Federal Times are getting a sense of deja vu from agency responses to our questions about a possible government shutdown.
Here is a response from the Energy Department (Emphasis added).
As a matter of course, our agency plans for contingencies, but this is besides the point since, as the bipartisan congressional leadership has said on a number of occasions and as the President has made clear, no one anticipates or wants a government shutdown. The Department is working with both sides on Capitol Hill to fund the government and keep its vital services and functions operating.
Here is the response from the Commerce Department:
As a matter of course, the Commerce Department plans for contingencies. In fact, since 1980, all agencies have had to have a plan in case of a government shutdown, and these plans are updated routinely. All of this is beside the point since, as the bipartisan congressional leadership has said on a number of occasions and as the President has made clear, no one anticipates or wants a government shutdown. The administration will work with both sides on Capitol Hill to fund the government and keep its vital services and functions operating.
Somehow I doubt that these two public affairs people at these two agencies came up with the exact same phrasing and punctuation.
I will post questions to each of these agencies and will update if I get a response.
Teenage mutant ninja rabbits?
November 5th, 2010 | Energy | Posted by Stephen Losey
This rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide. It's a killer!
The Tri-City Herald in Washington state this morning reports about a sticky situation emerging at an Energy Department facility. A radioactive rabbit has been caught at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Richland, Wash., and state health workers are now combing nearby grounds for — yes — radioactive rabbit droppings.
The scary thing is, this isn’t the first time this has happened. Hanford had another mutant bunny emergency last year, and flew helicopters above the grounds to locate the radioactive poop, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
And in much less cute news, the Seattle Times reported in 2009 that Hanford was trying to clean up radioactive wasps’ nests. (You couldn’t pay me enough to go toe-to-toe with angry, radioactive wasps.)
Hanford was the site the government used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons during the Manhattan Project. It is now one of the most contaminated nuclear sites in the country, and Congress set aside about $2 billion from last year’s stimulus bill to help clean up Hanford.
As the video below shows, exercise all caution when approaching deadly killer rabbits. They may seem cute, but looks can be deceiving…
Tags: Friday Fun, Monty Python, radioactive rabbits, squee
Energy Department steps up efficiency enforcement
September 14th, 2010 | Energy | Posted by Andy Medici
The Energy Department announced $3.5 million in proposed penalties against 27 companies and manufacturers of products that have not complied with energy efficiency certification requirements.
The latest proposed penalties are part of a new effort to enforce compliance on energy efficiency, according to the Energy Department.
Scott Blake Harris, the Energy Department’s general counsel, wrote on the agency blog that that when he arrived in his position, the agency was not enforcing 35-year old energy efficiency standards.
He said that these standards are a critical part of future national energy plans. He also said that stepped-up enforcement is a minimum of what the agency can do.
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has said that when it comes to remediating climate change and promoting energy independence, improved energy efficiency is not just low-hanging fruit—it’s fruit lying on the ground.
He said strong enforcement and compliance will result in roughly $250 to $300 billion in savings to taxpayers through 2030.
Energy Department embraces Web 2.0
July 20th, 2010 | Energy | Posted by Tim Kauffman
The Energy Department today expanded its digital outreach efforts by launching a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter account.
The department already has a You Tube channel and a Flickr page, and Energy Secretary Steven Chu has more than 13,400 fans on his own Facebook page.
Expanding its social networking efforts is part of a larger attempt to increase transparency, make the department more accessible to average Americans and better engage with citizens, Chu wrote in the inaugural blog post.
Our goal is to use the Energy Blog and our other social media outlets to show you who we are, what we do, and why it matters to you, while allowing you to connect with us in new and creative ways.
Tags: technology, Web 2.0
Massive Livermore lab laser to create tiny star
April 28th, 2010 | Energy | Posted by Stephen Losey
The Livermore lab's laser may look something like this.
File this story under “cool things the government does.” The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory plans to use the world’s largest laser to create a controlled fusion reaction it hopes will eventually result in “nearly limitless” energy.
Livermore this summer will fire a mile-long laser beam, split it into 192 smaller beams, and focus the beams on a pinpoint of deuterium and tritium — two reactive hydrogen isotopes that can be extracted from seawater. CNN reports that the fusion reaction is expected to be so intense it will actually create a tiny star.
If the experiment works – and proves lasers can create the same type of controlled fusion reactions that take place in the sun – Livermore said it could pave the way for commercial fusion power plants. One gallon of seawater could provide the same energy as 300 gallons of gasoline, according to the lab. But that won’t happen for at least another 20 years.
Livermore says there’s no danger from this experiment. The tiny, 100 million-degree-Celsius star they will create will die in 200 trillionths of a second. And spokeswoman Lynda Seaver says there’s no way it can explode: ”The [worst possible] mishap is, it doesn’t work.”
That reminds me. Large Hadron Collider, we’re still waiting for that planet-killing black hole. Don’t leave us hanging.
Tags: clean energy, geek, laser, Lawrence Livermore, science
Getting the 411 on cutting energy use
February 17th, 2010 | Agencies Energy Energy management Facilities | Posted by Tim Kauffman
The Energy Department’s Federal Energy Management Program is offering free online training sessions to help federal energy and environmental professionals learn the basics about cutting energy consumption in their facilities and operations.
The sessions, held the first Thursday of each month, will discuss requirements to report greenhouse gas emissions, install advanced electrical meters on facilities, cut water consumption and make existing buildings more energy efficient, among others.
The 90-minute sessions will be offered live via satellite or through streaming video at your desktop. Registrations are now being accepted online.
The first session was an overview of the executive order President Obama issued in October on greening the government’s operations. It’s already occured, but an archive of the webcast is available here.
Tags: environment, green government, training