Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
september 2015
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energy
House Energy and Commerce Committee approves legislation to undo crude oil export ban
September 17, 2015
On September 17, The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation amending the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (P.L. 94-163) to repeal the restriction on exporting crude oil in the United States.
The bill, H.R.702, was introduced by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) and strives to end the 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports in order to adapt to changing crude oil market conditions. According to the bill, removing the export ban will, “provide domestic economic benefits, enhance energy security, and will provide more flexibility in foreign diplomacy.”
The bill also calls for the repeal of the export restriction of other natural resources, including coal, petroleum products, natural gas, and petrochemical feedstocks. According to the Congressional Research Service, H.R. 702 would also prohibit any federal official from imposing or enforcing restrictions on the exports.
The bill has not yet been considered by the full House of Representatives.
Sources: eenews, Congressional Research Service, congress.gov, house.gov
DOE releases 2015 Quadrennial Technology Review
September 10, 2015
The Department of Energy (DOE) released their second Quadrennial Technology Review (QTR 2015) this September. The QTR 2015, a comprehensive review of the most forward thinking and promising research within the agency, will help inform the DOE’s future decisions.
The report addresses the energy needs and usage of the United States, as well as DOE’s funding decisions, approaches to partnerships, and other actions with respect to the evolving nature of energy technology and scientific capability. It focuses on the technologies that have commercialization potential, including hydropower technology, geothermal power, fast-spectrum reactors, solar power, and marine and hydrokinetic power. It also reinforces DOE’s new push toward de-carbonization. The policies and regulations examined by the DOE are addressed separately in the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER).
The first QTR was released in 2011 in response to a report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Sources: energy.gov, Quadrennial Technology Review, FYI: The AIP Bulletin of Science Policy News
Vice President Biden and DOE announce funding for new SunShot Initiative
September 21, 2015
On September 21, Vice President Joe Biden in coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the creation of a new initiative to fund solar research and development in the United States. The SunShot Initiative within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will receive $102 million in federal funding for new public-private partnerships and projects to make solar energy more affordable and accessible.
Under the new initiative, $52 million will be made available to companies, non-profits, universities and national labs for partnerships to make solar energy more widely available. The rest of the funds will go toward new funding for solar photovoltaic research.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will also receive funds to help implement alternative farming systems for people living in rural areas and communities.
Sources: energy.gov