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A legal update from our colleague Gary Glisson:

United States importers and purchasers of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules (“solar cells”) now face increased prices when sourcing their supplies from China. A recent order issued by the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration imposing an antidumping duty rate of 250% tariff against the…

On Thursday, October 11, our friends at Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) are holding what promises to be a very interesting event on the important topic of clean energy and the military. Stoel Rives is pleased to be hosting this event on the 19th Floor of its offices in Portland, OR, 900 SW Fifth Avenue. 

Click here to register if you’d like to attend as a guest of E2. For those interested in Clean Energy and the Military, especially the Army’s pending $7 billion renewables RFP, please check out Chad Marriot’s postings on the subject.

What: Mission Critical: Clean Energy and the U.S. Military
When: Thursday, October 11, 2012 (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM PDT)
Where: Stoel Rives LLP, 900 SW Fifth Avenue, 19th Floor, Portland, OR 97204

The state of Oregon, on the forefront of advanced energy policy, has a new and powerful partner. The U.S. military has emerged as a formidable leader in the push for clean energy. The Department of Defense says that our current fuel mix is a national security liability, and that global warming is a threat multiplier which will heighten geopolitical instability, creating both military and humanitarian challenges beyond the armed services’ capacity to respond. As a result, DOD is setting aggressive objectives to reduce its fossil fuel dependence and invest in low carbon renewables and energy efficiency technologies. These commitments by the military are stimulating innovation and providing critical support for the emerging U.S. clean energy sector, with significant impacts for Oregon.

Join us to hear from Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes, Brigadier General Mike Caldwell (Oregon National Guard), and E2’s James Marvin (CDR, USN – retired and CEO of Federal Green Solutions) about the link between Oregon’s 10-Year Energy Plan and the military’s transition to clean energy, as well as the potential of this transformation to grow the U.S. economy.Continue Reading Upcoming Event – Mission Critical: Clean Energy and the U.S. Military

Seattle City Light recently issued a request for proposals f(RFP) or up to 150,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy or renewable energy credits per year, starting in 2020.  The projects that generate the RECs or energy must qualify as eligible according to Washington State’s renewable portfolio standard. In addition, City Light will require a minimum output guarantee and credit…

The Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Energy Storage Coaliation (ESC) will be holding an important energy storage conference at the Portland Convention Center on October 8, 2012.  ESC has worked with the Oregon and Washington public utility commissions to bring together a diverse mix of developers, utilities and regulators to share their perspectives on opportunities and barriers…

My colleague Ed Einowski didn’t mince words in a recent article published by The Sindal Report. If the federal production tax credit (PTC) is allowed to expire at the end of this year, there will be a dramatic drop-off in wind installation starting in 2013. And these diminished opportunities will add up to significant…

Last week the White House issued an Executive Order calling for 40 GW of new CHP capacity by 2020:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/08/30/executive-order-accelerating-investment-industrial-energy-efficiency

The Executive Order on Accelerating Investment in Industrial Energy Efficiency (also known as combined heat and power (CHP) or cogeneration) calls for federal agencies (including the Departments of Energy, Commerce and Agriculture), States, industrial companies…

The City of Palo Alto, California, is seeking a minimum of 20 gigawatt-hours (GWh) annually, not to exceed 80 GWh/year, from eligible renewable resources. The City will not, however, consider proposals for the sale of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) alone . The City intends to negotiate and execute one or more power purchase agreements with …

The California Bioenergy Interagency Working Group has released its 2012 Bioenergy Action Plan, with the goal of facilitating the development of bioenergy in California on a variety of levels, including research and development support, streamlining and consolidating permitting, facilitating access to transmission, pipelines, and other distribution networks, and policies and laws to monetize the …

On August 22, 2012, the U.S. Army Engineering & Support Center in Huntsville, AL held a pre-proposal conference to discuss the final multi-award task order contract that was issued on August 7, 2012 (the “Final RFP” or “MATOC”).  My colleague, Lane Tucker, and I attended to hear the Army’s presentations and to engage directly with renewable energy developers, consultants, seasoned government contractors, large energy service contractors (ESCOs), and others. The conference provided attendees a great opportunity to explore the field of potential contractors and subcontractors and start (or continue) conversations about potential teaming arrangements that could result in both a MATOC award and one or more base task order awards. 

For those who could not attend, fear not; all of the presentation materials will soon be available on the Army EITF website and the Huntsville team will post all of the questions presented, along with the Army’s formal responses, to the ProjNet website. Also important is that Tonju Butler, the Procuring Contracting Officer, indicated that the deadline for questions on the Final RFP would be extended from today until September 7, 2012, so that individuals and teams can have additional time to formulate and posit questions that may be important to their proposals.  However, that change has not yet been posted to the FedBizOpps website as an amendment.  It is too early to tell whether this extension foreshadows an extension of the October 5, 2012 proposal deadline. Right now, the Army is holding firm to that date, so individuals and teams that intend to respond should plan accordingly. Keep an eye out for other amendments to the Final RFP, too. Conference attendees were assured that more would be forthcoming to clarify small technical issues and, hopefully, to flush out the structure for proposing prices. All amendments will be posted to the FedBizOpps website for the MATOC.

Here are a few takeaways and a short discussion about some important issues. Be sure to check the Q&A on the ProjNet website for any official responses from the Army on these topics. Continue Reading Army Holds Pre-Proposal Conference in Huntsville on Renewable Energy Procurement