U.S. Department of Energy/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Model Predicts Wet Winters, Dry Summers for Northwest
Farming and snow skiing may not be the same in the Northwest if carbon dioxide levels double as projected by 2080, according to a scenario produced by a new regional climate change model. The model, created by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), indicates the Northwest will have significantly warmer and wetter winters in 80 years unless carbon dioxide emissions are reduced greatly. PNNL scientists tested the new regional climate model on the Northwest--Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana. Assuming carbon dioxide levels will double in the next 80 years as many experts predict, the model shows that in 2080 there will be:

• a 50 percent decrease in snow cover over the entire state of Washington;
• a 50 to 90 percent decrease in snowpack near the existing snowline in Washington state;
• an increase in winter precipitation in the form of rain;
• an average increase of winter temperatures of 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit; and
• an average increase of summer temperatures of 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

The impacts to water resources could be significant, say PNNL project managers. Less winter snow would mean less snowmelt in the spring. As a result, there would not be enough stream flow for irrigating crops in June or July, the months when stream flow is most important.

"By bringing the issue to a regional level, we help people to understand how a global problem could impact them directly," said Ruby Leung, principal investigator. "It's easier to understand if you know your crops could suffer from lack of irrigation water or your favorite ski resort has to scale back operations."

The information compiled from this regional climate model is being supplied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA also will use the regional climate change data to estimate how these predicted changes in water resources could impact vegetation. PNNL's new regional climate model is a more accurate way of determining global warming's effects on targeted areas. PNNL scientists begin by using a global climate model to determine the environmental influences in a specific region, such as the Northwest. Influences include surface temperatures, precipitation, and snow cover. Then the model merges environmental information such as soil conditions, existing vegetation, and surface elevations from subareas within that region to create a more detailed picture of global warming's impacts. This method is similar to that used in other regional climate models developed in the United States.

However, the PNNL model uses a novel approach that utilizes surface topographic information in the model's analysis. Therefore, PNNL's regional climate model can provide climate change data at higher resolutions, which are needed to assess local impacts. The laboratory's regional climate model incorporates environmental data from areas as small as one square kilometer. Other regional models typically generate climate change data at resolutions between 40 and 120 square kilometers.

Development of the regional climate model began in 1992. PNNL funded the first three years of research through $300,000 of internal funds. The EPA funded further development with $500,000 over three years, ending in October 1998. The model can be applied to other regions throughout the United States.

In June, Leung began a three-year contract with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to use the new regional model to predict climate variability and the impact on water resource management of seasonal changes such as El Niño. Pacific Northwest is one of the nation's leaders in climate change research. The laboratory is a participant in the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement project, DOE's largest global climate change program, and the international Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic, or SHEBA, project. Pacific Northwest researchers also have been key contributors to the United Nations' panel of scientific experts assessing the impacts of climate change.

Pacific Northwest is one of DOE's nine multiprogram national laboratories and conducts research in the fields of environment, energy, health sciences, and national security. Battelle, based in Columbus, Ohio, has operated Pacific Northwest for DOE since 1965.

Contact: Staci West, (509) 372-6313, or send e-mail.

Arizona
Energy-Efficient Schools
Schools around the nation are faced with problems where school building conditions have deteriorated, and districts have not been able to raise enough revenue for much-needed improvements or to provide adequate classroom space. The Arizona State Legislature is responding to this problem by providing $350 million in capital to renovate existing facilities as well as provide funding for additional and new facilities. The Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office is participating on a committee that is working on developing quality standards and taking the opportunity to help save energy dollars when either renovating or constructing buildings. Measures being addressed include the efficiency of lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, the use of controls, and envelope measures.

Contact: Jim Westberg, (602) 280-1434, or send e-mail.

Connecticut
Steam Plant Efficiency Improvement Workshop to be in April
The Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) is co-sponsoring a two-day workshop on Steam Plant Efficiency Improvement on April 7 and 8, 1999, conducted by the Boiler Efficiency Institute. The workshop is for industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities. The workshop teaches participants how to recognize cost-saving measures in a steam plant and then to implement necessary changes. Cost-saving measures include low up-front cost, operations and maintenance procedures, fast payback heat recovery, and cogeneration projects. As a special benefit to Rebuild America communities, OPM will subsidize the cost for municipal officials who wish to attend.

Contact: John Ruckes, (860) 418-6384.

Iowa
LeMars, Harlan, and Pella Join Rebuild Iowa
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is proud to announce the addition of LeMars, Harlan, and Pella to Rebuild Iowa, a program to assist communities in achieving energy efficiency in the public and private sectors.

LeMars will focus on retrofitting 18 buildings on the Westmar College campus this year. The city recently assumed ownership of the buildings and hopes to make them useful to the community. After one year, the city will expand its energy efficiency efforts by targeting government-owned buildings and the private sector.

Harlan plans to increase economic development by improving energy savings. The municipal utility will serve as the local coordinator and has identified 19 local businesses and public buildings that can benefit from energy efficiency improvements.

Pella will help area businesses become financially stronger through energy savings by targeting 34 buildings for improvements. Pella is also focusing on education by establishing opportunities for elementary and high school students to develop a marketing campaign and monitor school energy use.

These communities join Webster City, Des Moines, Waterloo, and Cedar Falls in the Rebuild Iowa program. To date, Rebuild Iowa communities have implemented $6,000,000 in energy efficiency improvements, saving $477,000 annually.

Contact: Kimberly Baxter, (515) 281-6486, send e-mail,
or visit the Web site.

Two Iowa Schools are Geared-Up for Green Power, Forest City CSD and Akron Westfield CSD
The community school districts of Forest City and Akron-Westfield have decreased their dependence on fossil fuel-generated electricity by each installing a 600kW wind turbine generator. With the development of newer, more reliable equipment, the number of school districts in Iowa looking toward wind energy and energy efficiency is increasing. Both school districts view renewable energy and energy efficiency as a cost-effective way to offset their electrical needs while being environmentally conscious and creating an opportunity for their students to study first-hand the benefits of energy efficiency.

Being energy-efficient is nothing new for the Akron-Westfield Community School District, which installed energy-efficient lights and windows throughout the school in 1996. After making these improvements, the district investigated the viability of a wind turbine. The 600kW wind turbine will be on-line and in operation by February. The procurement and installation of this turbine was made possible through a $250,000 interest free loan from the Iowa Energy Center (IEC) and $455,000 loan through the Iowa Energy Bank Program.

With a $325,000 loan through the Energy Bank Program and a $250,000 interest free loan from IEC, the Forest City Community School District was able to complete both energy management improvements to their facility and install a 600kW turbine. This turbine will also be on-line in February.

Contact: Chad A. Stobbe, (515) 242-5851, send e-mail,
or visit the Web site.

Nebraska
Energy Office Revises Financing Guide
The Nebraska Energy Office has revised its popular financing guide, 40 Ways to Finance Your Improvements. The enlarged 1999 guide summarizes numerous financing opportunities available from the state and federal governments, as well as others. The guide focuses on financing options for making energy-efficiency and pollution-prevention improvements. The guide examines four financing methods: self-financing, direct borrowing, alternative-financing techniques, and community-based financing. To aid users, the guide is divided into sections that focus on building or operation types: commercial, manufacturing, and industrial; multi-family housing; all types of buildings; and community-based financing. Financing sources are profiled according to eligibility, amount limits, and other features. Web site addresses and information contacts are also listed.

Contact: Jack Osterman, (402) 471-2867.

Maryland
Clean Cities Program Offers Rebates on CNG Vehicles
Maryland local and municipal governments as well as private companies are eligible for rebates of $4,000 on purchases of dedicated original-equipment compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. Two thousand dollars in rebate money also is offered for purchases or original-equipment CNG bi-fuel vehicles. The rebates will pay the cost difference between the purchase of a gasoline or diesel powered light- or medium-duty vehicle and a CNG-powered vehicle. Rebates are offered through the Metropolitan Baltimore and Washington Clean Cities Programs.

In addition to the rebates:

• the State of Maryland offers tax credits of $800 or more which can be used in combination with the rebates to further decrease the cost of purchasing new CNG vehicles.
• Clean Cities offers training for drivers on operating and maintaining CNG vehicles.
• Clean Cities offers information on the locations of CNG fueling stations in central Maryland.

For further information on this program, contact Dale Baxter at the number listed below, or contact George Nichols in Washington, D.C., via e-mail or call (202) 962-3355.

Contact: Dale Baxter, 1-800-72-ENERGY, or send e-mail.

Oklahoma
Commerce Department, Bethany Kick Off Cool Communities Program
As the heat wave crashed down across Oklahoma last summer--the state's hottest summer on record--one city decided to do something about it. Bethany, Oklahoma, is the first non-pilot community to participate in a national program called "Cool Communities." The program is an action-oriented energy and environmental improvement program initiated by American Forests in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); USDA Forest Service; and other agencies and organizations. The program aims to literally "cool" communities by strategically planting trees to create shade and wind blocks; and lightening the colors of parking lots, roofs, and buildings so that heat-generating solar radiation is reflected.

The program was first piloted in eight communities across the United States, beginning in 1993, including Dade County, FL; Tucson, AZ; Frederick, MD; Springfield, IL; Austin, TX; Atlanta; Davis-Monthan Air Force Base; and Oceana Naval Air Station. Bethany is the first community to participate in the program since American Forest, EPA, and DOE identified the pilot cities.

The effort, which involves organizing a demonstration project and public awareness campaign, is being funded by a $60,000 grant from the Oklahoma State Energy Program, housed at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC).

"This is an excellent opportunity for Oklahoma," said Loren James, co-director of the program. "We are excited about the possibilities for economic development that will be realized as a result of the project." James is co-principal of Blue Planet Advocacy Communications, Inc., a local company he and his wife, Jennifer, created. The company provides program coordination, public relations, marketing, and grant writing support to a variety of worthy causes, particularly energy and environmental programs managed by local, state, and federal government agencies, non-profit organizations, and other entities.

James worked for almost three years before securing funding for the Bethany project, and hopes to take the program statewide next year through the establishment of Oklahoma Cool Communities--a non-profit organization.

"We will hopefully be the first state to implement a statewide Cool Communities program," he said. "Our hope is that our efforts will be so outstanding we will set an example for other states, and they'll call and say, "Hey, how'd you do that?"

The aim of the Cool Communities program is to transfer the program's "low-tech" solutions to energy problems to communities all across the Sooner state and beyond--even rural towns, which are often overlooked when it comes to energy and environmental matters.

A local advisory committee guides the establishment of the Bethany Cool Communities project. The committee has selected a proposed location for a demonstration project where strategic tree planting and light-colored surfacing will be implemented. The area is considered an "urban heat island"--an area without an urban forest where the sun beats down on barren sidewalks and black asphalt. The Westside YMCA, private businesses, Bethany City Hall, and private residences are all located within the proposed demonstration site.

Special "City Green" software was used to identify the unique area. The software helped with analyzing aerial photography to determine the hottest and coolest locations in the city. A special "block party" to inform citizens, businesses, organizations, and city leaders is being planned.

Other members of the Cool Communities Committee include American Forests, the oldest conservation organization in the United States; Bethany Chamber of Commerce; Blue Planet Advocacy Communications, Inc.; City of Bethany; OG&E Electric Services Oklahoma; Department of Agriculture, Forestry Division; Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality; private citizens of Bethany; Sheehy & Associates, a real estate agency; Southern Nazarene University Biology Department; The Tree Bank Foundation; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Western Lawns, a local landscape company.

For more information, visit the Cool Communities Web site.

Contact: Gordon Gore, (405) 815-5365 or fax (405) 815-5377.

Wisconsin
State Launches New Energy Efficiency Program
The state Department of Administration (DOA) has launched a pilot program, Focus on Energy, to improve energy efficiency, increase electric reliability, save utility customers money, reduce the need for fossil fuels, improve the economy, and reduce the possible negative environmental effects of energy use. The program was officially launched in October when DOA Secretary Mark Bugher and Green Bay Packer President and CEO Bob Harlan signed up their organizations for the federal Energy Star Buildings program.

The $16.75 million program is being made possible through the joint efforts of the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS), the State Public Service Commission, and DOA. Focus on Energy is funded by WPS ratepayers, and will meet most of the corporation's demand-side management obligation.

Private sector firms, selected mainly through a competitive bidding process, will be responsible for the specific design and delivery of the energy efficiency programs. Wisconsin Energy Bureau will administer the renewable energy component of the program as a modified Renewable Energy Assistance Program.

Contact: Michelle New, (608) 261-7754, send e-mail.

CONSERVATION UPDATE is a free monthly publication prepared by the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, Division of Energy, with funding from the United States Department of Energy, to facilitate the transfer of current State Energy Program (SEP) and technical information among the states and territories. Please submit short articles that describe successful programs, solicit ideas, share reports, studies or evaluations, or announce new publications, personnel changes, office address changes, conferences, seminars and workshops. Submittals are due by the seventh of each month. Please send submittals, address corrections, or name changes to: CONSERVATION UPDATE, Division of Energy, 663 Teton Trail, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, phone (502) 564-7192, facsimile (502) 564-7484, email landry@nrepc.nr.state.ky.us. Past issues are available upon request. For more information, contact Karen W. Landry, Editor, or John M. Stapleton, Director.

Visit the Division's Web site at http://www.nr.state.ky.us/nrepc/dnr/energy/dnrdoe.html

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