DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Energy & Climate has announced that the Energy Efficiency Investment Fund (EEIF) is no longer accepting new applications for the prescriptive portion of the funding program, and that custom applications will be considered on a modified basis. In addition, Energy Assessment Grant applications will no longer be accepted.

Established in 2011, the EEIF was created to help Delaware businesses make strategic investments in capital equipment and facility upgrades to help lower operating costs, reduce energy consumption and improve environmental performance. The fund was intended to be capitalized annually with the first $5 million in public utility tax receipts. The program was fully funded for its first two years of operation, and continued with reduced funding for two additional years. For fiscal year 2016, no new funding was appropriated, necessitating the suspension of select portions of the program.

All prescriptive and custom applications received prior to July 1, 2015 will continue to be reviewed and approved accordingly. However, prescriptive applications – including prescriptive lighting and lighting controls, vending misers, and natural gas heating and water heating equipment – that were received on or after July 1, 2015 will not be considered. Custom applications received on or after July 1, 2015 will be considered on a modified basis, as the custom portion of the program is still accepting modified custom applications for process and manufacturing improvements, compressed air systems, pumping systems and variable speed drives.

“The EEIF program has experienced a significant increase in the number of applications resulting from the prescriptive application process that was introduced with the re-launch of the program in July of 2014,” said Energy Program Administrator Robert Underwood, Division of Energy & Climate. “In the first three years of EEIF through Fiscal Year 2014, there were 56 applications awarded. By comparison, 322 applications were awarded in Fiscal Year 2015 alone.”

“We understand that these changes will affect our valued business partners and contractors in the short term, but we continue to work on innovative ways to reestablish funding for the program that will allow us to fully open EEIF in the future,” Underwood added.

For more information the EEIF, please visit the Energy Efficiency Investment Fund pages.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 51

DOVER – The Recycling Public Advisory Council (RPAC) will meet from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, at the DNREC-Lewes Facility, 901 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958.

Topics on the agenda include:

• Call to order, introductions
• Public comments (20-minute cap, priority given to written comments)
• Approval of minutes from Dec. 9, 2015 meeting
• James Seif: “EcoHub” presentation
• Annual report status
• Next Recycling Grant cycle
• Council bylaws
• Recycling market update
• Old/new business
• Additional public comments
• Scheduling future meetings: February thru June 2016
• Adjourn

The Recycling Public Advisory Council was enacted into law by Senate Bill 234 in May, 2010, and charged with advising the Governor’s Office, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and the Delaware Solid Waste Authority on all aspects of recycling, including: development of grant criteria and selection of applications; a methodology for measuring recycling rates; and possible outreach activities designed to achieve higher recycling rates.

For more information on the Recycling Public Advisory Council, please visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov/whs/awm/Info/Pages/RPAC.aspx.

For more information or for directions to the meeting location, please contact Bill Miller, Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Section, at 302-739-9403.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 44

DOVER – The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance (NWA) seeks enthusiastic, energetic volunteers to join the 2016 Nanticoke Creekwatchers Citizen Water Monitoring Program, which is set to launch its ninth season with a volunteer training and kickoff event Saturday, March 12 at Trap Pond State Park’s Baldcypress Nature Center in Laurel. This year’s kickoff will be held as part of the Reclaim Our River Program, which is cosponsored by DNREC and the Division of Watershed Stewardship to provide opportunities for Delawareans to learn about water quality and techniques that can be used to improve it.

Creekwatchers must attend the season kickoff for training or go to an alternate training session Sunday, March 20 at the NWA office in Vienna, Md. Training will provide an in-depth look at the program’s water quality monitoring protocol and an opportunity for hands-on experience with water quality monitoring equipment. Further, the training offers insight into the Creekwatchers program and its history, water quality issues and indicators. Since the inception of the program, more than 90 citizen scientists have participated, acting as the eyes and ears of the Nanticoke River and its connected waterways. No previous experience in water quality monitoring is required to become a Creekwatcher.

Every other week from late March through early November, Nanticoke Creekwatchers visit their adopted sites, make observations about sites and weather conditions, take measurements such as water clarity and dissolved oxygen, and obtain three water samples, which they deliver to designated drop-off locations. Samples are processed by Envirocorp Labs Inc. and Horn Point Lab. Envirocorp is a key program partner and provides $70,000 in free lab analyses each year.

Other 2016 program partners include DNREC, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science’s Integration and Application Network, Town Creek Foundation, Salisbury University’s Bacterial Source Tracking Lab, Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth, Delaware Technical Community College, RSVP Lower Shore and Delaware 50+. The NWA provides training, all water monitoring equipment and ongoing support for volunteers.

Data collected by Nanticoke Creekwatchers is used to produce an annual report card that details the health of the river and its tributaries and examines steps residents can take to reduce pollution. The 2015 Nanticoke River Report Card will be released in July 2016 at the annual Nanticoke River Wade-In. In addition, Creekwatchers data helps the NWA pinpoint water quality issues and informs outreach and restoration activities.

Interested volunteers may register for Nanticoke Creekwatchers training at creekwatchers2016.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Beth Wasden at bethwasden@nanticokeriver.org or call 443-944-1175.

The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance is a consensus-building organization that works through partnerships to conserve the natural, cultural and recreational resources of the Nanticoke River Watershed. Partnership representation includes academia, industry, agriculture, development professionals, conservation groups, government and more.

The Reclaim Our River – Nanticoke Series is devoted to bringing monthly events, workshops and recreational activities to the Nanticoke River Watershed. The series offers participants fun opportunities to connect with Delaware’s waterways and provides important information on water quality that can help in protecting aquatic resources.

Media Contact: Phil Miller, DNREC Watershed Assessment and Management Section, 302-739-9939, philip.miller@delaware.gov

Vol. 46, No. 45

DOVER – Delaware’s Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish will hold its monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23 in DNREC’s auditorium at the Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901.

Agenda items are:

• Approval of minutes
• Sea duck harvest reductions
• Base migratory bird seasons
• Public request for council’s support regarding:
  • Sunday hunting for deer
  • Pistol calibers for deer
  • Straight-walled rifle pistol cartridges for deer
  • Carrying a concealed weapon while hunting
• DNREC Director of the Division of Fish & Wildlife update

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 42

Despite CPP setback from Supreme Court stay, DNREC to host listening session and public workshop March 1 on path forward

DOVER – The State of Delaware will continue preparing for implementation of the Clean Power Plan, undeterred by a Supreme Court stay of the EPA’s proposed rule issued Feb. 9. DNREC has scheduled a public workshop and listening session for March 1 in Dover to discuss the state’s strategy toward meeting the objectives of the Clean Power Plan, and to gather input from citizens on this essential part of the fight against climate change and its impacts on Delawareans.

The EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions from power plants while encouraging clean and renewable energy across the country, was temporarily suspended on Tuesday in the face of legal opposition. Delaware Governor Jack Markell was “disappointed in the Supreme Court’s action, but optimistic that the Clean Power Plan will be upheld when the courts review the merits of the case” and followed by declaring that, “We remain determined to move forward in responding to the issue of climate change.”

“As a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) state, Delaware has led the country in working to curtail greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector,” Gov. Markell said, “and we will continue to do so regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the Clean Power Plan rule. As a coastal state, we are acutely aware of the serious threats of climate change and sea level rise, and the Clean Power Plan represents a sensible and flexible approach for states to make the changes required to protect our economy and quality of life.”

Without the significant reduction of heat-trapping greenhouse gas pollutants, Delaware faces projected increased days of extreme temperatures, stronger storms, rising sea levels, and costly damage to agriculture, industry, and public health and resources.

“We understand that the legal issues of the Clean Power Plan need to work themselves out, but we must continue the strong actions we have taken through our participation in RGGI, the Delaware Climate Change Impact Assessment and Executive Order 41, which has directed agencies to identify steps we can take to further reduce emissions and adapt,” said DNREC Secretary David Small. “Along with many other states, we will continue to develop our plans to comply with the Clean Power Plan – and gathering feedback from stakeholders in the energy sector, conservation organizations and the public is an important part of that process. ”

Sec. Small noted that as of 2014, RGGI states including Delaware have seen carbon pollution from the power sector decrease by over 40 percent, and have benefitted from lower energy costs and positive job creation.

DNREC’s March 1 workshop and informal listening session will provide an opportunity for public input on methods for reducing carbon pollution from power plants, and how Delaware can achieve the goals of the Clean Power Plan in ways that are both environmentally and economically sustainable, while also maintaining the integrity of the state’s and region’s electrical infrastructure. The session will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. in the DNREC Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. More information can be found on the Division of Air Quality’s website.

For more information on the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, visit http://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan.

For more information on climate change impacts and action in Delaware, visit http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/energy/Pages/The-Delaware-Climate-Impact-Assessment.aspx.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 41