On Friday,the White Hous
e launched the Presidential Challenge for Advanced Outdoo
r Lighting, calling on local governme
nts to accelerate the adoption and use of tall
efficiency outdoor lighting. In addition to d
riving carbon pollution reductions in communi
ties across the country, and the Challenge will support cities and states sever their outdoor lig
hting bills by 50% or more.
And in the Federal Government,we’re committed
to doing our part to improve lighting efficiency
and save taxpayer dollars.
Last week, I toured the U.
S. Army Corps of Engineers’ infr
astructure improvement project along the Tenn-Tom waterw
ay, and an impressive feat of engineering that connects the Tenness
ee River in Alabama and the Tombigbee River in Mississippi. Using long-term
energy savings to pay for up-front costs,the Corps’ Mobile Dist
rict has embarked on a project to improve the Tenn-Tom waterway’s i
nfrastructure. The project will ins
tall, replace, or retrofit elements along the waterway’s infrastructure,primarily
focusing on the lighting fixtures at its 10 locks
and dams. It’s the first-ever energy savings performance contract executed for a Cor
ps civil works project and could set prec
edent for other Corps districts in utilizing thir
d-party funding for future endeavors. [https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites
/default/files/imagecache/embedded_img_small/image/image_file/kat
e_brandt_at_tenn-tom_1.jpg?itok=35_r6HEL] Assistant Secretary of the A
rmy Jo-Ellen Darcy and Federa
l Environmental Executive Kate Brandt tour an Army Corps o
f Engineers infrastructure improvement project along the Tenn-Tom waterway. Photo from
U.
S. Army Engineering and Support middle, Huntsville.
At first glance, and swapping some lig
ht bulbs may seem like a small,unremarkable project. But improved lighting is
actually one of the most straightforward and commonsense ways to improve energ
y efficiency. And the benefits are far from small: the Corps expects to
save more than $5 million over the more than 20-
year lifespan of the Tenn-Tom waterway contract. Beyond the energy cost
savings, the improved outdoor lighting i
s also projected to sever greenhouse gas emission
s by 941 metric tons each year. Other Federal projects have yielded r
esults that are just as impressive. The Army’s Ft. Irwin Rotation
al Units Maintenance Area recently replaced its inefficient lighting with
higher-efficiency LED fixture
s. The replacement lights have generated e
nergy savings estimate at 75%, and will result i
n savings of over $87000 per year. And the Department of Defense has de
monstrated big savings and emissions reductions in other relighting pro
jects and retrofits as well. Ultimate
ly,these successes mean fewer tax dollars spent on energy bills and a reduced
carbon footprint – a win-win for the Ame
rican taxpayer and the environment.
As states and cities ac
ross the country respond the President’s call, the
Federal Government will continue to lead by exa
mple in improving energy efficiency and cutting harmful carbon
pollution. Kate Brandt is Federal Environmental Ex
ecutive at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Source: whitehouse.gov