Source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Washington, D.C. - To facilitate the smooth implementation of key air programs, EPA is proposing a draft rule to ensure the New Source Review (NSR) program is more compatible with current air pollution control programs that protect public health and the environment. Through the Clean Air Interstate Rule, the Clean Air
Visibility Rule and the Acid Rain Program, EPA has set a permanent cap on power plant emissions. Today's proposal provides the nationally consistent regulatory framework to assure NSR complements the programs that achieves these significant emissions reductions.

Source Newhouse News Service

BY CHUCK McCUTCHEON

WASHINGTON -- If the government is serious about energy conservation, it needs to put its money where its mouth is in talking it up to the public.

That's the view of some activists and lawmakers, who urge President Bush and Congress to launch the comprehensive $90 million public information campaign authorized in the massive energy bill signed into law last summer. Such an effort "is probably the most important step that can be taken to address tight energy markets and the high prices they are causing," the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a non-profit advocacy group, said last month in addressing Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.

Source boston.com

By Jeremy Rifkin
PANIC HAS set in. With the price of oil hovering at more than $60 a barrel on world markets and forecasters predicting that we will soon see oil selling for $100 a barrel or more as worldwide oil reserves dwindle, politicians and business leaders are running scared. The global economy is beginning to slow, and there is talk about a new and sustained long-term global recession -- some economists are even talking about a global depression -- that could last for decades.

We are quickly waking up to the fact that the whole world runs by oil. We are an oil civilization. We grow our food with the help of petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides. Our plastics, pharmaceutical products, and clothes are for the most part derived from oil. Our transport, power, heat, electricity, and light are all dependent on oil.

Source FutureStone, Ltd

FORT WORTH, Texas. Nationwide, home owners brace for higher utility bills as energy companies predict an increase of up to 50 percent or more for natural gas this winter and up to 24 percent or more for electricity. Despite the spike in utility costs, some Texas residents are finding themselves with extra cash on hand thanks to dramatically reduced electricity bills.
Their secret? They own homes built with insulted concrete forms (ICFs), a
building technology that is sweeping both the home and commercial construction

Source U.S. Newswire

ANN ARBOR. NSF International announced today that it has been awarded a research and development contract by the United States (U.S.) Department of the Air Force. Under the terms of the contract, NSF will test and evaluate microbiological treatment claims for several handheld water purifiers being considered for field use by military personnel.

The Air Force Field Water Medic Program conducted a market survey in 2004 that identified commercially available handheld water purification devices with possible applications for military use. NSF Protocol P231 (NSF P231): Microbiological Water Purifiers was identified as the preferred protocol to evaluate the performance of these devices, and NSF was selected as the organization of choice to conduct the third party, independent testing.

Source BUSINESS WIRE

PHOENIX. According to a new study by PinnacleOne, one of the nation's leading construction consulting firms, a majority (60%) of public owners in the United States have implemented construction projects with energy efficiency designs in the past year. Yet, less than a third (29%) of the owners currently use or plan to use LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building standards in the coming year. Surprisingly, almost half (49%) of the study participants were unfamiliar with the standards.

Source Owens Corning

TOLEDO, Ohio. According to a report released today by the Energy Information Administration, the statistical agency of the U.S.
Department of Energy, 55 million U.S. homes heated with natural gas can expect heating costs to rise as much as 61 percent this winter. Owens Corning is helping homeowners reduce the impact of rising energy prices through education about simple home-improvement projects that can play an important role in keeping families warmer and utility bills lower during the coming winter months.

Source Green Building Press

It seems that as part of the Revisions To Part L of the Building Regulations, The Government intends to introduce a 'carrot' in the form of capital allowances tax relief against many energy efficient technologies and environmentally beneficial plant and machinery assets. This is in addition to the 'stick' of maximum carbon emissions. A free 'healthcheck' review of possible tax savings is available by contacting info@e3consulting.co.uk.

Controlling heat losses or excessive solar gain as well as wider un-controlled heat gains or losses from pipes, ducts, etc is the principal aim of the revised Part L. The government is expecting the impact to the substantial, and estimates that annual reduction in carbon emissions in 2010 resulting from Part L revisions will be 0.98 million tones (MtC).

Source Department of Energy

Houses Arriving in Washington, D.C. for Oct. 7-16 Solar Decathlon

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In advance of the DOE Solar Decathlon, a “solar village” has taken shape on the National Mall. Solar powered and highly efficient houses from across the country and as far away as Spain, Canada and Puerto Rico are arriving in Washington, D.C. for the start of the 2005 Solar Decathlon. The Solar Decathlon brings together cutting-edge architecture, engineering, and technology in homes that generate as much, or more, energy than they consume.

Source American Lung Association

October Designated National Home Indoor Air Quality Action & Awareness Month

The American Lung Association Health House program today launched a nationwide public information campaign
to help make the air Americans breathe inside their homes cleaner and
healthier. "Fall is a time of year when many of us are preparing our homes
for winter," said Steve Klossner, American Lung Association indoor air quality
expert. "As we do, we need to consider the quality of the air we'll be
breathing at home since most of us spend 90 percent of our time indoors."