Since Northeastern and Midwestern states lack abundant supplies of oil and natural gas, and typically pay higher energy prices than those in energy-producing states, the development and deployment of energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies are particularly important. The Northeast-Midwest Institute works on a variety of fronts to advance innovative technologies and improve the region's efficiency. It seeks to overcome policy and regulatory barriers to such technologies, including combined heat and power (CHP) and other forms of clean distributed generation. The Institute also works with states and industries on integrated approaches to manufacturing modernization that focus on both productivity and efficiency.

The Institute builds coalitions and bridges among stakeholders to achieve common goals of energy security, energy reliability, increased productivity, and a cleaner environment.  The staff works with the federal government, including the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency, as well as power companies, manufacturers, regulators, and other nonprofits.

Federal policies that encourage residents, businesses, governments, and other entities to upgrade and improve the efficiency of energy use represent a way to mitigate the impact of high fossil fuel prices, carbon emissions, and their impact on the economy.  The development and deployment of innovative efficiency and energy technologies offer an opportunity to spur manufacturing, create jobs, and reduce environmental impacts.

The Institute pursues changes to federal policy that will reduce dependence on imported energy, increase the efficiency of energy use, promote renewable energy use, and stimulate the development, production, and deployment of innovative technologies that will reduce the cost and environmental impact of energy use.

The Northeast-Midwest Coalitions--bipartisan Congressional and Senate Coalitions that advance federal policies to enhance the region's economy and environment--have led the efforts to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), address regional energy market issues, and promote an array of energy efficiency initiatives.  In order to help low-income families afford soaring fuel costs, the Coalitions continue to ensure adequate funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. In the past, they helped create a Northeast Heating Oil Reserve, advanced a swap within the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and expanded the weatherization program.

The Institute is unique among policy centers because of its ties to Congress through the Northeast-Midwest Congressional and Senate Coalitions.  Northeast-Midwest Coalition members try to remove the regulatory and market barriers to innovative electricity technologies that could meet the needs of a thriving economy and still reduce pollution.

The Institute staff informs and educates members on the potential remedies to energy problems.  The Coalitions and Institute have led efforts to support work by the Offices of Industrial Technologies and Distributed Resources within the Department of Energy, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership within the Department of Commerce, and other federal programs that advance clean onsite power, electric reliability, industrial modernization, and efficiency.

Congress currently contemplates energy legislation and greenhouse gas emission legislation designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the nation’s energy use, and spur renewable and energy efficiency development.  Furthermore, the Surface Transportation Act is up for reauthorization, and Congress faces choices that will impact on the availability of more energy-efficient transportation choices that could dramatically reduce fossil fuel consumption.

In 2005, Congress enacted energy legislation that established a loan guarantee program within the U.S. Department of Energy designed to spur private sector financing of “innovative energy projects.”  In 2009, as part of the Administration’s “stimulus bill” (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), Congress broadened that program with $6 billion to be used as capital to build conventional renewable energy generation and transmission projects, as well as the facilities that would manufacture the hardware necessary for these projects.  It is estimated that $1 million invested in this way would result in two to three times as many jobs as comparable fossil fuel fired generation.  There also would be a substantial reduction in carbon emissions, as well.

The Institute identified this program as having major potential for providing the older industrial cities of the northeast and the midwest with job-creating revenue to move into the new, green economy.  We held several webinars to explain the program to community leaders from our region and, in addition, studied the structure of the legislation and determined that a few rather minor modifications to it would greatly enhance its stimulative benefits.

The result of that analysis was a comprehensive white paper that the Institute provided to the Northeast-Midwest Congressional and Senate Coalitions.  A copy of that white paper can be found here.

On July 1, 2010, the House of Representatives included in its version of the 2010 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill most of the changes recommended by the white paper.  The text of that legislation can be found here.

Links:

Northeast-Midwest Institute White Paper

Legislative Text