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Around the Circuit
New Orleans City
Council
Streamlines Inspection Process
At its meeting on Jan. 19, the New Orleans City Council
passed several ordinances to streamline recovery efforts in the city.
For one year Baton Rouge, La.-based Shaw Group, Aliso Viejo,
Calif.-based Fluor Corp., and Englewood, Colo.-based CH2M Hill will be
allowed to inspect and approve electrical connections to FEMA trailers.
Also for one year Atlanta-based Cox Communications may certify that
connections to its cable TV and other communications equipment were
done
by certified, licensed electricians and in compliance with the city's
building code.
For the duration of emergency procedures, any
licensed electrician or electrical contractor may conduct electrical
inspections on commercial and residential properties and certify that
the work was done properly. Finally, the council eliminated the
requirement that the city's Housing Conservation District Review
Committee must review the proposed demolition of any buildings that
have
been determined by the Department of Safety and Permits to be
substantially damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- and where the
damage is defined as 50% or more of the replacement value prior to
hurricane damage.
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Louisiana's
Governor Blames Wait for FEMA Rules for Delay in Rebuilding
In a statement made Jan. 24, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen
Blanco blamed the wait for federal standards for home building for
hampering the state's hurricane reconstruction efforts. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is developing a new set of
recommended standards for rebuilding in hurricane- and flood-prone
areas. The guidelines may suggest that damaged homes must be rebuilt at
higher elevations and with further protection against flooding. The
first new preliminary set of standards won't be out until March or
April, with the final guidelines not available until August. In
addition, Blanco's administration was informed that the Bush
administration would not support a home buyout bill that many in
Louisiana see as crucial to post-hurricane rebuilding. The bill,
sponsored by Louisiana Rep. Richard Baker, would create a federal
corporation that would borrow money to buy tracts of hurricane-damaged
homes, repair, and then resell them. Homeowners and lenders would
receive mortgage relief. Blanco estimates that 800,000 to 900,000 of
the
1.3 million people who evacuated before Hurricane Katrina have returned
to their home parishes.
ESFI Provides
Information on New UL and CSA Requirements for GFCIs
The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI),
Arlington, Va., recently joined with the Canadian Standards Association
(CSA), Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL), the National Electrical
Manufacturers Association (NEMA), and the Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC) to disseminate information on new requirements for
ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). The new requirements are
being set by the CSA and UL and apply to the harmonized standard, US
943, "Safety Standard for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters" and CSA
C22.2 No. 144.1 "Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters."
The new UL
and CSA
requirements include: End of Life Provision, meaning that when a GFCI
receptacle is incapable of passing its internal test function (it can
no
longer provide ground fault protection) it will either render itself
incapable of delivering power, or indicate by visual or audible means
that the device must be replaced; and Reverse Line-Load Miswire,
meaning
that a GFCI will deny power to the receptacle face if it is miswired.
In
the United States, manufacturers must stop producing old versions of
GFCIs on July 28, and must introduce new, redesigned GFCIs after that
date. Distributors may sell and contractors may install old GFCIs until
their supplies run out. In Canada, the selection of the effective date
has not yet been determined.
U.S. Wind
Energy Ends Year with
Record Installation Rate
According to the Washington, D.C.-based American Wind
Energy Association (AWEA), the U.S. wind energy industry broke earlier
annual installed capacity records in 2005, by installing nearly
2,500MW,
or more than $3 billion worth, of new generating equipment in 22
states.
In addition, AWEA expects 2006 to top 3,000MW. The final tally for 2005
boosted the cumulative U.S. installed wind power fleet by more than
35%,
bringing the industry's total generating capacity to 9,149MW. There are
now commercial wind turbine installations in 30 states. The previous
record capacity was set in 2001 when 1,697MW of new capacity was
installed.
Study Traces
California's Solar
Photovoltaic Cost Trends
According to a study released recently by the Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif., solar photovoltaic (PV)
costs in California have declined significantly in recent years. The
report presents an analysis of grid-connected PV cost trends in
California, the largest PV market in the United States and the third
largest in the world (behind Japan and Germany). The report's findings
are based on a statistical analysis of the installed cost of nearly
19,000 installed or waiting-to-be installed PV systems in California,
totaling 254MW.
These solar systems have been supported by one
of
the
state's two largest solar rebate programs, overseen by the California
Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Public Utilities Commission
(CPUC). The report finds that costs under the CEC program have dropped
by an average of 7.3% a year, while the larger (30kW and more)
CPUC-funded systems have had average cost declines of around 4%. The
report comes on the tails of the announcement that the state will
establish an 11-year, $3.2 billion incentive program for customer-sited
solar installations.
IEEE Launches Web
Site Redesign
Piscataway, N.J.-based IEEE has recently added several
updates to its Web
site. The changes are the first of several planned enhancements,
which include additional search capabilities, a new design, shorter
URLs, and migration toward a more streamlined navigation using
information portals. The organization encourages visitors to tour the
revamped site and to share feedback as the site evolves.
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Project Watch
Sacramento County
Solicits Firm
for Electrical and I&C System
The County of Sacramento is seeking bids for the
furnishing, installing, testing, documenting, and assistance with
starting up the electrical and I&C system located on the two protective
fenders of the Freeport Bridge for the Sacramento River on the River
Flowmeter Replacement Project. Deadline for proposals is 3 p.m. PST on
Feb. 15. To download the Request for Bid, visit the county's Web
site.
South Carolina
County Seeks Bids
for Ball Field Lighting Project
The Beaufort County Purchasing Department, located in
Beaufort, S.C., requests bids for improvements made to the lighting at
its Dale Ball Field. A pre-bid conference will be held at 10 a.m. EST
on
February 9 at the office of the Beaufort County Engineer, 102
Industrial
Village Road, Building #3, Beaufort, SC 29901. The deadline for
proposals is 3 p.m. EST on March 2. To download a pdf of the proposal
information, visit the county's Web
site.
Web Exclusives
Buildometer
The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that
construction spending during November was estimated at a seasonally
adjusted annual rate of $1,146.3 billion, a 1.2% increase from the
previous month. The increase was led by new residential spending, which
experienced a 1.8% spike, topping out at $641.9 billion, while
non-residential spending jumped 1.0% to $250.4 billion.
Business Briefs
Englewood, Colo.-based CH2M was recently awarded an
engineering, procurement, and construction contract for a new 514MW
combined cycle facility. The contract, awarded by Sierra Pacific Power,
Reno, Nev., is valued at more than $200 million. The generating station
will use a two-on-one gas-fired combined cycle configuration, with
combustion turbines, a D11 steam turbine, two heat recovery steam
generators, and an air-cooled condenser. Construction will begin in
March. At construction peak, the project may employ as many as 500
skilled workers.
For more business briefs, visit EC&M's Web
site.
Eye on Safety
OSHA Resumes
Enforcement
OSHA says it will resume regular enforcement of job
safety and health standards throughout much of the hurricane-ravaged
Gulf Coast. As of Jan. 25, normal enforcement will be conducted
throughout Florida and Alabama, in Mississippi north of Interstate 10,
and in Louisiana except in seven parishes in and around New Orleans.
Following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, OSHA exempted a number
of
counties and parishes in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana
from regular enforcement status. OSHA says the exemption allowed agency
staff to provide faster and more flexible responses to hazards facing
workers involved in the cleanup and recovery. Thousands of crews and
individual workers received job safety and health technical assistance,
according to OSHA. The agency limited inspections to cases involving
fatalities, catastrophic accidents, or complaints.
Shows and Events
Electric West
2006
Electric West 2006 is returning to the Las Vegas
Convention Center from March 1-3. Electrical contractors, consultants,
engineers, plant managers, and other electrical professionals may
attend
free sessions; participate in a low-voltage wiring challenge; tour the
Exhibit Hall containing presentations from more than 250 exhibitors;
and
learn the latest information regarding the NEC, power quality,
renewable
energy, and home technology integration. For more information and to
register, visit the Electric West 2006 Web site.
2006
NFM&T Conference and Expo
The 2006 National Facilities Management & Technology
(NFM&T) Conference/Expo is scheduled to take place in at the Baltimore
Convention Center in Baltimore from March 7-9. Spotlight sessions
featured at this year's event include "Selling an Energy Management
Project to a CFO," "Onsite Generation Systems: Optimizing ROI," and
"Solving the Abandoned Cable Problem." For more information on events
and to register, visit the NFMT Web site.
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