ASHRAE Journal - December 2012 - 134

WASHINGTON REPORT

Grassroots Influence
By Mark Ames and Mark Wills

A Great Opportunity

SHRAE leaders kicked off their fall schedule in Washington this year by meeting with the National Association of State Energy

Officials (NASEO). Although ASHRAE has been loosely allied with NASEO in previous years, the Society became an Affiliate Member (reserved for non-state energy office [SEO] organizations) in 2011 and has become much more engaged in NASEO’s activities—particularly as they relate to building energy codes and standards.

NASEO’s membership includes the governor-designated energy officials from each U.S. state and territory. Formed in 1986, NASEO’s mission is to improve the effectiveness and quality of state energy programs and policies; provide policy input and analysis; share successes among the states; and to be a repository of information on issues of particular concern to the states and their citizens. All of these endeavors offer excellent prospects for ASHRAE’s U.S. chapters to provide technical expertise, as well as public policy input. In the coming months, ASHRAE and NASEO staff will be working to establish relationships between their respective members to form a greater connection for future collaboration. Additional cooperative efforts are under way as well.

A subcommittee of a Presidential ad hoc committee charged with crafting the initial structure and resources of the GGAC also has been made responsible for developing guidance for chapters and members as to what issues they should be engaged in with policymakers. Although these priority issues will, in large part, be informed by ASHRAE’s extant overarching policy priorities—energy efﬁciency; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education; water conservation; climate change; and indoor air quality—there will be jurisdictionally speciﬁc issues not under the aegis of the aforementioned priorities. (Note: the Society-wide advocacy priorities are subject to change via approval by the Advocacy Committee and the Board of Directors.)

• Alliance to Save Energy; • National Association of Energy Ofﬁcials; • National Institute of Building Sciences; • Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association; • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Coalition; • U.S. Department of Energy, Ofﬁce of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and • U.S. General Services Administration.

Calm Before the Storm
With members of Congress away from the nation’s capital meeting with constituents and seeking reelection, late October and early November serve as the calm before the storm of legislative activity occurring from mid-November through December, when members of Congress will hastily seek to pass legislation during the lame duck period after the elections. This period is special because it represents the last chance to vote on legislation for members of Congress who lost their reelection bids or are retiring. It is also the last opportunity for legislation to be acted upon for the year. Bills that didn’t make it into law this year will need to be reintroduced next year. A summary of congressional activity during the lame duck and the likely impacts of the elections on ASHRAE interests will be included in the next edition of Washington Report. Mark Ames (mames@ashrae.org) is ASHRAE manager of federal government affairs. Mark Wills (mwills@ashrae.org) is ASHRAE manager of state and local government affairs.
December 2012

ASHRAE Officers Meet with Leaders
In early October, ASHRAE’s president, president-elect, treasurer, and executive vice president met with several technical society and federal government leaders as part of their annual fall sojourn to Washington, D.C., to discuss strategic priorities, explore new opportunities, and keep these relationships productive. Agencies and organizations met with included:
ashrae.org

Grassroots Public Policy Priorities
As reported in previous articles, when the 2013 – 14 Society Year begins, so too does the Grassroots Government Activities Committee (GGAC). Leadership and membership of the committee is already being determined, as well as the development of public policy guidance for chapters and members worldwide.
134 ASHRAE Journal

ASHRAE Journal - December 2012

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