IEEE-USA Eye on Washington No. 6 2009

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Vol. 2009, No. 6 (17 April 2009)
125 Years of Innovation and Ingenuity

CAPITOL HILL ACTIVITY

Labor Movement Unites Behind Immigration Proposal

EXECUTIVE ACTIVITY

Vice President Biden Outlines Funding for Smart Grid Initiatives

EPRI to Lead Effort to Develop Roadmap for the national Smart Grid

REPORTS & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE

Cyberstates 2009

U.S. STATES WATCH

N.J. approves $956 million for projects: Money For Energy Systems Will Add More Than 1,000 Jobs

UT gets $30 million Gates Foundation Grant for Computer Sciences

AWARDS & GRANTS

CompTIA Educational Foundation IT Merit Award Scholarship Open for Spring Nominations

USPTO Announces Call for Nominations for National Medal of Technology and Innovation

LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

IEEE-USA Energy Fly-In 15-16 June 2009

IEEE-USA Stimulus Webpage

IEEE-USA Workshop, "STEM Measures for Innovation and Competitiveness"

CAPITOL HILL ACTIVITY

Labor Movement Unites Behind Immigration Proposal

The AFL-CIO and Change to Win are jointly promoting a draft proposal for comprehensive immigration legislation; they form an an unprecedented unified front that members hope will boost the chances that Congress considers a bill this year. The labor movement was divided in its approach to immigration laws in past years.

In 2007, when the Senate last tackled an overhaul bill, unions representing the service sector, such as the Service Employees International Union, an affiliate of Change to Win, championed adopting sweeping changes to immigration laws. But the AFL-CIO, representing industrial unions, lobbied against attempts to expand temporary worker programs or legalize the status of the estimated 11-12 million illegal workers already residing in the U.S., citing concerns that allowing more workers into the economy would artificially depress wages across the board. The proposal is a compromise that appears to take into account not only the concerns of former critics of immigration legislation within the labor movement, but also the changed circumstances in the economy since immigration's last full-scale public vetting.

Chief provisions include:

--the formation of an independent commission to manage the future levels of immigration based on economic indicators. The commission would be charged with assessing the particular, targeted needs of the labor market, and adjusting visa quotas — of both the temporary and permanent variety — to respond to those needs;

--legalization for the undocumented workers currently in the country, which a Pew Hispanic Center study estimates comprise 5.4 percent of the total labor market;

--adoption of a worker verification program;

--institution of a fair and firm border security presence; and

--emphasis on creating a flexible, reactive immigration regime, a departure from the current system which is based on static quotas.

How much sway their labor proposal will have with lawmakers is yet to be determined. Some members of Congress acknowledge there is a need to adopt certain changes going forward, many are also quick to point out that the exploratory path on immigration is stale, but several bills from the 110th Congress exist as potential vehicles to reintroduce the reforms — a comprehensive immigration overhaul sponsored by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and another in the House sponsored by Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). However, the effects of recession on the economy are likely to result in changes to these proposals such as limiting programs that enable future flows of immigration and putting a special focus on E-Verify, the government's Internet-based worker verification program, which some have long wanted to make mandatory for all employers.

EXECUTIVE ACTIVITY

Vice President Biden Outlines Funding for Smart Grid Initiatives

Vice President Joe Biden, along with with newly appointed Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, announced Department of Energy plans to create a smart, strong and secure electrical grid. Developing the Smart Grid will create new jobs and help deliver reliable power more effectively with less impact on the environment to customers across the nation. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the agency will distribute more than $3.3 billion in smart grid technology development grants and an additional $615 million for smart grid storage, monitoring and technology viability.

"We need an upgraded electrical grid to take full advantage of the vast renewable resources in this country – to take the wind from the Midwest and the sun from the Southwest and power areas across the country," said Biden. "By investing in updating the grid now, we will lower utility bills for American families and businesses, lessen our dependence on foreign oil and create good jobs that will drive our economic recovery – a strong return on our investment."

Secretary Locke also announced plans to co-chair, along with Energy Secretary Steven Chu, a mid-May Smart Grid meeting in Washington, D.C. The meeting will provide a forum for industry leaders to move toward an industry standards agreement critical to developing the Smart Grid. Leaders from key stakeholders' organizations, largely from private industry, will discuss developing industry-wide standards that will make the Smart Grid a reality. Additionally, industry leaders will be expected to pledge to harmonize industry standards critical to developing the smart grid, commit to a timetable to reach a standards agreement and abide by the standards devised. Additional meetings of industry staff on May 19-20 are planned to make further progress on a standards agreement.

"A smart electricity grid will revolutionize the way we use energy, but we need standards in place to ensure that all this new technology is compatible and operating at the highest cybersecurity standards to protect the smart grid from hackers and natural disasters," Locke said. "The Recovery Act will fund the development of those standards so the exciting technology can finally take off."

Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is responsible for assisting with the development of a framework for standards associated with Smart Grid systems and devices. (See next item below.)

As part of Biden's announcement, the Department of Energy released a Notice of Intent (NOI) for the DOE Smart Grid Investment Grant Program, as well as a draft Funding Opportunity Announcement from the Department for a smart grid regional demonstration initiative. Together these efforts will help implement technologies aimed at transforming how electricity providers operate their systems, offer options for increased energy storage and accelerate the integration of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power with the electrical grid.

These investments will help implement the necessary digital upgrades in the home and on the electric grid, enabling it to be more efficient, resilient, and secure. Upgrades will also help make the grid capable to effectively integrate renewable supplies, plug in electric and hybrid vehicles, and energy management technologies, ultimately reducing energy infrastructure requirements and our dependence on foreign oil.

$3.375 billion for Smart Grid Investment Grant Program - DOE's Smart Grid Investment Grant Program will provide grants ranging from $500,000 to $20 million for smart grid technology deployments. It will also provide grants of $100,000 to $5 million for the deployment of grid monitoring devices. This program provides matching grants of up to 50 percent for investments planned by electric utilities and other entities to deploy smart grid technologies. The program will use a competitive, merit-based process to select qualified projects to receive funding.

Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, electric utilities, companies that distribute or sell electricity, organizations that coordinate or control grid operations, appliance and equipment manufacturers, and firms that wish to install smart grid technology. There is a 20-day public comment period on the Notice of Intent; the closing date is 6 May 2009.

$615 million for Smart Grid Demonstration Projects - The draft Funding Opportunity Announcement is for smart grid demonstrations in three areas:

--Smart Grid Regional Demonstrations will quantify smart grid costs and benefits, verify technology viability, and examine new business models.

--Utility-Scale Energy Storage Demonstrations can include technologies such as advanced battery systems, ultra-capacitors, flywheels, and compressed air energy systems, and applications such as wind and photovoltaic integration and grid congestion relief.

--Grid Monitoring Demonstrations will support the installation and networking of multiple high-resolution, time-synchronized grid monitoring devices, called phasor measurement units, that allow transmission system operators to see, and therefore influence, electric flows in real-time.

Each demonstration project must be carried out in collaboration with the electric utility that owns the grid facilities. An integrated team approach that includes, for example, products and services suppliers, end users, and state and municipal governments, is encouraged. The projects require a cost share of at least 50 percent of non-federal funds. The draft announcement will be open for comment for 20 days and can be found HERE.

EPRI to Lead Effort to Develop Roadmap for the national "Smart Grid"

7 APR: NIST announced it awarded a $100m contract to the Electric Power Research Institute to develop an interim "roadmap" for determining the architecture and initial key standards for an electric power Smart Grid. Congress assigned NIST "primary responsibility to coordinate development of a framework that includes protocols and model standards for information management to achieve interoperability of Smart Grid devices and systems." Congress has also directed NIST to seek input from IEEE and other interested Smart Grid standards stake-holders. NIST is expected to announce a three-phase plan shortly that will lead to an end-of-year submission for approval of standards to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has jurisdiction over interstate distribution and sales of electric power. For information on how IEEE-USA is participating in the energy issues debate, read our new National Energy Policy Recommendations.

REPORTS & DOCUMENTS OF NOTE

Government Accountability Office

Small Business Administration's Implementation of Administrative Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvesment Act GAO-09-507R, 16 April 2009 Summary (HTML) Full Report (PDF, 17 pages)

Nuclear Security: Better Oversight Needed to Ensure That Security Improvements at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Are Fully Implemented and Sustained GAO-09-321, 16 March 2009 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 41 pages)

Cyberstates 2009

TechAmerica (formerly AeA and ITAA) has released Cyberstates 2009: A Complete State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry. The 128-page report provides new 2008 national data on high-tech employment. Cyberstates 2009 also includes the latest available state data on employment, wages, establishments, and payroll. Additionally, for the first time in Cyberstates 12 year history, TechAmerica provides a free supplemental fourth quarter update that shows job losses in the tech industry occurred at a slower pace than U.S. private sector in Q4 2008.

US STATES ACTIVITIES

If you like to keep up with what's going on in state politics, StateLine.org provides a good overview of the activities in all 50 state legislatures.

N.J. approves $956 million for projects: Money For Energy Systems Will Add More Than 1,000 Jobs

This week, the Board of Public Utilities approved spending nearly $1 billion on energy-infrastructure projects that will create more than 1,302 jobs for employees and contractors. The projects include replacing aging underground cables and electrical transformers and installing more energy-efficient streetlights at a total cost of $956 million. Regulatory approval comes at a time when New Jersey's unemployment rate has reached 8.3 percent. The board estimates the projects also will also generate more than 12,000 indirect jobs.

UT gets $30 million Gates Foundation Grant for Computer Sciences

Fourteen months ago, Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft Inc., visited the University of Texas to encourage students to pursue studies in computer science and related fields. This week the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has agreed to reinforce that message with a $30 million grant for a computer science complex planned for the heart of campus.

AWARDS & GRANTS

CompTIA Educational Foundation IT Merit Award Scholarship Open for Spring Nominations

The CompTIA Educational Foundation announced that they are currently is taking nominations for its spring awards. The CompTIA Educational Foundation offers job training and certification programs, aimed at bringing new workers into the high-tech workforce and presents IT Merit Award Scholarships to 25 students across the country each spring and fall who are pursuing careers in the IT industry. The IT Merit Award Scholarship program recognizes outstanding accomplishments by students and adult learners in both the CompTIA Education to Careers (E2C) and CompTIA Learning Alliance (CLA) programs who have trained for and received CompTIA certification. Scholarships of $250 are presented to selected students. The Foundation has granted more than 400 of these scholarships since 2001.

To be eligible for an award, students must have received their training from, or currently be enrolled in training offered by a CompTIA educational member organization, such as a high school; community, technical or vocational college; not-for-profit; or government training program. The student nominee also must have received a CompTIA certification recently. Organizations and instructors can nominate an eligible student for the scholarships at: http://www.comptiaeducationalfoundation.org/it_merit_awards.aspx. Nominations must be submitted on or before May 15 for the spring and on or before November 15 for the fall.

AAAS GrantsNet Express - A weekly American Association for the Advancement of Science listing of science funding opportunities from private foundations and organizations, and new U.S. government grant announcements in the sciences. AAAS will send GrantsNet by e-mail to AAAS member subscribers.

Grants.gov - The President's 2002 Fiscal Year Management Agenda established grants.gov as a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs. The site provides access to approximately $400 billion in annual awards. Most agencies, such as the DOE's Office of Science, use only grants.gov to list all funding opportunities. Other funding opportunities of interest include the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and NASA.

National Science Foundation - For information on all NSF Engineering Active Funding Opportunities, visit: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?org=ENG

USPTO Announces Call for Nominations for National Medal of Technology and Innovation

Nominations Also Now Accepted for Medal Nomination Evaluation Committee - The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking nominations for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The Medal, presented each year by the President of the United States, is the nation's highest honor for technological achievement. The nominations can be made for an individual, a team of up to four individuals, a company or a division of a company. The honorees are selected for their outstanding contributions to the nation's economic, environmental and social well-being through the development and commercialization of technological products, processes and concepts; technological innovation; and development of the Nation's technological manpower. The deadline for nominations is 29 May 2009. To make a nomination, go to http://www.uspto.gov/nmti/.

LATEST IEEE-USA & IEEE ACTIVITIES

IEEE-USA In The News

Public Policy Priority Issues - 111th Congress, 1st Session (2009)

Position Statements - IEEE-USA position statements identify important technical and/or engineering career-related aspects of specific public policy issues deemed to be of concern or affecting IEEE's U.S. members. The statements make specific public policy recommendations and provide recommended approaches for the consideration of the U.S. Congress, Executive Branch officials, the Judiciary, representatives of State and Local Government, and other interested groups and individuals, including IEEE members.

Recent Policy Communications

IEEE-USA Energy Fly-In 15-16 June 2009

IEEE-USA invites any IEEE member with an interest in Energy Policy to come to Washington on 15 and 16 June for our First Annual Energy Fly-In. This unique event will give IEEE members an unparalleled opportunity to directly influence the direction of Energy Policy in Washington. Qualifications for participation in the IEEE-USA Energy Fly-In are as follows: You must live in the United States and be an IEEE member, and you must care about energy policy issues.

IEEE-USA Stimulus Webpage -The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (Public Law 111-8) appropriates significant federal funding for technology-related programs in areas identified by IEEE-USA as being of high priority for strengthening the nation's innovation infrastructure and ensuring its long-term economic competitiveness. To stimulate the economy, funds are being distributed as quickly as possible, using existing federal programs as funding outlets where possible. This webpage provides information and links on these funding opportunities as a resource for IEEE members and their companies. Additional information is available on-line at Recovery.Gov. Members should also look to funds distributed through their respective state governments

IEEE-USA Workshop, "STEM Measures for Innovation and Competitiveness" - IEEE-USA is organizing a workshop, "STEM Measures for Innovation and Competitiveness," at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. (Thursday & Friday, 22-23 October 2009). We encourage experts in these areas to participate and submit papers for presentation. The science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) enterprise includes the research & development (R&D) activities of the federal, academic and private sectors, both nationally and globally. It is accepted as the driving force for worldwide economic and social advancement. National policies and planning influencing the health and productivity of this enterprise should be derived from basic incorruptible, unbiased data and measures.

Some of the questions we wish to address include:

* Is the workforce data on the number of workers that are employed, unemployed and underemployed
complete, nonexistent, or questionable and controversial?

* Should earmarks in any federal agency allotment be counted as part of the R&D budget? What is the amount of the industrial input to the R&D budget and its contribution to basic, applied and develop-mental research? What are the return on investment of R&D and its impact on society and quality of life?

* How can we measure and assess the STEM outcome/productivity? Is bibliometric data sufficient to measure this, both in quantity and quality? What data exists to follow interactions among federal, academic and private STEM entities?

* Finally, can there be a federal, for-profit, non-profit or academic body that can produce unbiased reports and recommendations for national STEM enterprise policy employing the products mentioned above?

The IEEE-USA STEM workshop is constructed and organized to address these important questions and work toward viable solutions. We believe STEM policy should be based on arguments fully supported by concrete data and rigorous analysis.

Former IEEE-USA Government Fellows Available to Speak to Sections - Several former IEEE-USA Congressional Fellows including Tom Fagan, Marty Sokoloski, Emily Sopensky and George Hanover are available to speak to your section meetings or other IEEE meetings in the United States. The fellows provide recounts of their experiences as IEEE-USA's Congressional and State Department fellows. For example, George Hanover discussed the innovation and competitiveness issues that he worked on while serving as an IEEE-USA congressional fellow on the staff of the Environment, Technology and Standards Subcommittee of the House Science Committee. George also served on the personal staff of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), a member of the House Science Committee. George discussed an engineer's perspective on the "government process" and the IEEE-USA's involvement in that process. If your section is interested in having one of the former government fellows speak to your group about the program, how the legislative process works in Washington, and how IEEE-USA is influencing it, please contact Erica Wissolik at e. wissolik @ ieee. org. For more information on the IEEE-USA Government Fellows Program, please visit: http://ieeeusa.org/policy/govfel/default.asp

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What's New @ IEEE-USA's Eye on Washington highlights important federal legislative and regulatory developments that affect U.S. engineers and their careers. In addition to this biweekly newsletter, subscribers receive legislative bulletins and action alerts on IEEE-USA priority issues, including: retirement security, employment benefits, research & development funding, computers and information policy, immigration reform, intellectual property protection and privacy of health/medical information.

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