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Government Affairs News

Week in Review

Mar 24, 2023

DOE opens $200M in Hydropower Funding
More than $200 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is available for upgrades and expansion of hydropower and marine energy. The Hydroelectric Production Incentives program has $125 million available for electricity generated and sold in 2021 and 2022. The Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvements Incentives program has $75 million available for capital improvements at existing dams that make facilities more efficient. DOE also announced $11 million for a suite of efforts aimed at reducing the environmental impact of water treatment facilities and advancing new marine energy technologies, including competition and prize programs.

NECA’s Take: NECA Government Affairs advocated for additional funding for hydroelectric power within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These federal investments into capital improvement projects, grid resiliency, and drinking water projects will produce additional sustainable job opportunities for NECA contractors.


NECA Submits Comments on Clean Energy Requirements
NECA Government Affairs submitted comments to the Department of Energy on Clean Energy for New Federal Buildings and Major Renovations of Federal Buildings. The Department requested comments on how to best implement this new policy, codes and standards recommendations, best practices, monetary thresholds, and other potential requirements.

NECA's Take: NECA advocated to the Department that they should modify their calculation thresholds to reflect the total cost incurred by the developer rather than separate units. NECA also recommended that they require that agencies do not, under any circumstances, attempt to evade this regulation by fragmenting projects. NECA recommended that the Department should update their industry standards to reflect the latest ANSI/ASHRAE/IES/NFPA standards for buildings. Lasty, NECA recommended that the Department following Davis-Bacon Act requirements, enact local hiring provisions, apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship utilization, and should follow federal PLA requirements if cost threshold was met.


NECAPAC Update
Special thanks to Tim Whicker of Electric Plus Inc. for renewing his PLC membership and joining the PLC Plus Program with an additional $5,000 contribution to the Government Affairs Operational Fund!

NECAPAC Total 3/10/23 - $67,424
Operational Fund Total 3/10/23 - $67,600

 

NECA On the Move
NECA's Government Affairs team met with Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT-01), Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03), Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA-02), Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL-04), Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02), and Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY-02).