News: US EPA and Budget Cut

Congress' Failure to Pass Spending Bill Creates Chaos in Agencies
Mar 24, 2011 New York Times

EMILY YEHLE of Greenwire

As federal agencies enter their sixth month without Congress approving a long-term spending bill, some employees are digging into their own pockets for everything from a spiral-bound notebook to an airplane ticket.

Last week, Congress passed the fifth continuing resolution (CR) of this fiscal year, cutting about $6 billion from current spending. Lawmakers say a budget is forthcoming, but concern over a possible shutdown is palpable; 54 Republicans in the House voted against their own party's CR, with many claiming the cuts were not deep enough.

At U.S. EPA, employees say the uncertainty has translated to a decline in morale and a preoccupation with the possibility of staff cuts.

"I am seeing a lot of people frustrated with management and the Agency for not giving more information on what, if any, cuts will be coming and which programs will be impacted," said EPA scientist and union representative Edward Gusterin an email. "A lot of people are fearful of being moved to another position, losing their job or not getting the training they need."

EPA officials have cause to be especially on edge. House Republicans have taken aim at the agency, with many hoping to resuscitate a long-term CR that passed the House last month and would cut EPA's budget by $3 billion. The same bill would cut $1 billion from the budget of the Department of Energy, which Republicans have criticized recently for slow stimulus spending and flawed oversight.

Some Republicans also hope to restrict the administration's authority over key environmental issues, making agencies' future missions even more unclear.

Last week, Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia, the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees Interior Department and EPA funding, said the short-term budget process makes agencies' work "extremely difficult" (E&E Daily, March 14).

"If I were a program manager," Moran said, "I don't know how I would cope with the situation."

Spokesmen from EPA, DOE and Interior declined to comment on how the CR has affected their agencies, currently or in the past. DOE spokeswoman Katinka Podmaniczkysaid in a statement that the department "continues to work with both sides on Capitol Hill to fund the government and keep its vital services and functions operating."

But a 2009 report from the Government Accountability Office provides some insight on how such uncertainty can limit management flexibility and increase employees' workload.

Denise Fantone, a GAO director of strategic issues who worked on the report, said her agency has not studied the current situation. But the report studied data from 1999-2009 to come to some conclusions about the overall effect of continuing resolutions on government operations.

Each agency is affected differently, Fantone said in a recent interview. Regulatory agencies, for example, may collect funding from nongovernment sources and thus feel the effects of a short-term CR less.

But CRs can affect contracts and hiring significantly. Short-term federal budgets can mean short-term agency planning with officials eventually compelled to quickly obligate any remaining funds at the end of a fiscal year. Employees might also have to issue contracts for shorter periods of time, repeating parts of the bidding process under each CR.

Such planning also affects hiring and training, Fantone said.

"Everything gets delayed and pushed back," she said. "You could hire at the end of the year, but that may be out of cycle with training cycle. ... There were certain opportunities that were missed."

EPA employees

John O'Grady, EPA Region 5 president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 238, said EPA has limited travel expenditures to 42 percent of the annual budget, causing employees to miss out on training opportunities.

One employee, he said, told him she would be paying her own way to a free training opportunity because she could not get her travel budget approved in time.

"The impact of this budget mess is that employees either miss out on free training that is of benefit to the government or the employees who need the training have to pay for the travel out of their own pocket in order to get the training," O'Grady said.

"While the training is not immediately mandatory for the employee, it is needed if they employee wants to advance in her profession and be on a level playing field with co-workers who have already received the training."

O'Grady said the CR's effects also have trickled down to mundane supplies. After he was told the agency could not afford to buy an 8.5-by-11-inch spiral notebook for air-enforcement inspections, he bought one himself. A handful of file folders, meanwhile, took more than a month to obtain, he said.

The lack of firm deadlines has also put research projects, regulation implementation and contracted jobs on hold, he said.

But the threat of job loss is what mainly haunts employees, some of whom experienced the government shutdown 15 years ago. Agency officials have been silent on their plans for that possibility, much to employees' chagrin.

"I have been getting questions on if employees can take on another job if they are furloughed, will they still have medical, etc.," Guster said, who is EPA Region 2 president of AFGE 238. "This time could be spent on their program work."

Copyright 2011 E&E Publishing. All Rights Reserved.

Scotts Contracting House Coat Experience

When I first read about the House Coat Project sponsored by Cosign Projects and the Artist's vision.  I thought this could be the next great innovative Green Building product that could possibly spark the Housing Industry and Create Jobs for American workers.

Of course I wanted to get involved.  So I contacted Ms Leeza Meskin and emailed her the info from the About Me web page which highlights my varied construction experience (which was a perfect match for her needs).

She responded in turn and went over the particulars about the Project and the Community involvement with Special Attention on the Safety of the Crew and House.  I listened to her Artistic Vision and pointed out the Basic Safety Issues with working on a Roof and explained that all the Exhaust Vents should remain un-obstructed ( Heater, Plumbing Stacks, Attic Ventilation, etc) for proper air movement.  I said her project was Do-Able and I'd do my best to assist in bringing her vision to Life.

In my prior Community Projects, the Crews always seemed to be made up of too many Bosses and too few of Workers.  (Leaving me one of the few who are actually working.)

To my complete surprise and amazement was how well Her Crew worked together to overcome any and all the Barriers of this One-Of-A-Kind Project to life.

In the following You Tube Video courtesy of Anya Meksin and Cosign Projects is a film full of the snippets of the complete process.  Note: the Dare Devil on the Roof with me is the Artist Ms Leeza Meskin herself.  (she did receive a crash course on roof safety, ropes, knots and hitches Figure 8, Bow-Line, Square Knot, Half  &  Clove Hitch, Snub Hitch, etc)

• See the House Coat Video Here- You Tube

• St. Louis (KSDK) -- An addition to a house on Arsenal is sure to get attention.  A "House Coat" was added to a two-story row house at 2733 Arsenal Street.

It is a fitted semi-transparent spandex garment with a gold chain pattern designed by Brooklyn artist Leeza Meksin.

The official unveiling was on March 18.

Cosign Projects, based in St. Louis, directed the project.

• (KPLR)—St. Louis, MO

New York based artist Leeza Meksin is in St. Louis to wrap a building in art. She sewed together pieces of spandex sporting shiny chains. The South St. Louis home is on the corner of Iowa and Arsenal. The artist says it's her statement about bondage and extravagance. If the material holds up the exhibit will be up for another month.

Another art teacher from Washington University also helped

In a Future Post I will outline the Installation and Removal Process and supply a few more links to  all those who made it the House Coat Project possible.  Stay Tuned. For the Word Press Readers find Scotts Contracting House Coat Experience Here

Scotty, Scotts Contracting, scottscontracting@gmail.com

Find HOUSE COAT on FACEBOOK
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Free Green Denim Insulation

Grant Applications for Free Denim Insulation Being Accepted

Last year, Cotton Incorporated and Bonded Logic Inc. teamed up to launch the Cotton. From Blue to Green.® UltraTouch Denim Insulation Grant Program. Grants are still available and the grant application was recently revised to make it easier for projects to apply.

The grant program helps community projects go green by providing grants of R-13, R-19, R-21and R-30 UltraTouch Denim Insulation. Applications are being accepted through Sept. 30, 2011.

Requests for insulation can be made by filling out the grant application on the www.cottonfrombluetogreen.org website. The request must be made directly by an architect, builder or licensed contractor working on the project or a company with one on staff, and meet the eligibility requirements as outlined on the website.

In 2006, Cotton Incorporated and Bonded Logic partnered for the launch of the Cotton. From Blue to Green.® denim drive program. Donated denim is given new life by converting it to UltraTouch Denim Insulation and provided free to communities in need to assist with building efforts, including Habitat for Humanity and Hurricane Katrina rebuild efforts.

Since the program launched, requests are received daily from groups looking to obtain the insulation for their community building project. The grant program is meant to address the needs of these groups and to help build green communities across America.

Low cost steps to improving urban image | Sustainable Cities Collective

Low cost steps to improving urban image | Sustainable Cities Collective Job Creation thru Beautification for one City While perceptions take a long time to change, steps to start improving Croydon’s image need not cost much. Improvements could be implemented through the Work Program, at the same time easing out-of-work residents back into the labor market.

City Discovers Good Use for UN-Used City Property

solar panel installation that will put once unusable property to work for the city-Construction began this week 574 Solar panels will provide 215,565 kilowatt hours to the city per year unusable land at its wastewater treatment plant, saving more than $36,000 annually  $673,999 project was funded entirely through grants City turns to solar
	Mar 24, 2011	Redlands Daily Facts
	Chantal M. Lovell Mar. 24, 2011 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- REDLANDS -- Construction began this week on a solar panel installation that will put once unusable property to work for the city. The city will install solar panels atop unusable land at its wastewater treatment plant, saving more than $36,000 annually, said project specialist Danielle Garcia. The 574 panels will be spread across an area of contaminated soil that is covered in asphalt and can never be developed and would otherwise go unused. "The piece of property can never be developed, it has to be held in perpetuity, so we're putting panels on this land to generate energy for the city," Garcia said. "This to my knowledge will be the first (solar plant) on city property." The panels will provide 215,565 kilowatt hours to the city per year, Garcia said. In dollars, that translates to an estimated savings of $36,646.05 annually. "Ten years from now, it could be saving us more. As energy prices rise, the savings are going to be more and more. This number is bound to go up," Garcia said. Additionally, the use of the renewable energy will make the city eligible to receive up to $250,000 over five years in rebates, Garcia said. Each month, the city will receive a payment from Southern California Edison (AMEX:SCE.PR.E) (AMEX:SCE.PR.D) (AMEX:SCE.PR.C) (AMEX:SCE.PR.B) (OOTC:SCEDL) based on the amount of energy the panels produce. The money will likely be put back into future solar projects. City spokesman Carl Baker said the project is in line with the recently-adopted Community Sustainability Plan. "If we have the opportunity and the funding to (install more panels), we absolutely will," Baker said. The $673,999 project was funded entirely through grants, Garcia said. Funding sources include the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding source, and the California Solar Incentive Program. Because solar panels have gone down in cost, the city was able to afford about 30 more kilowatts worth than expected, Garcia said. Construction is expected to be completed in early May. E-mail Staff Writer Chantal M. Lovell at clovell@redlandsdailyfacts.com

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New! Building America Website Updates

USA Department of Energy Building America Program

On Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 4:44 PM, <eere@service.govdelivery.com> wrote:

Dear Building America Stakeholders: In case you haven't noticed, the Building America website has a new look! View the new home page: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/building_america/ In addition to its fresh new face, we wanted to point out some new content updates and resources that have been added to the site: The "About" section now sports several new pages that outline the program's goals, research approach, organization, research teams, and contacts: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/building_america/about.html A number of new resources have been added that may be helpful to building energy analysts, including information about: Building energy optimization Efficiency measures and costs House simulation guidelines. You can also find the most up-to-date information about improving energy efficiency of residential buildings in our publications library, as well as climate-specific case studies and Best Practices guides. We invite your feedback about these latest updates, as well as suggestions for other tools and resources that would helpful to you. Please send comments to Building America Webmaster.

This service is provided to you at no charge by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE). Visit the Web site at http://www.eere.energy.gov.

Sent by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy · 1000 Independence Ave., SW · Washington DC 20585 · 877-337-3463

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BREAKING NEWS: 100-Mile Long Oil Slick Spotted Off Louisiana Coast

Another D___ Oil Spill BREAKING NEWS: 100-Mile Long Oil Slick Spotted Off Louisiana Coast