Facilities: Managing Green
Energy Champion - Kyle Sato
Twenty-First Century Citizenship is being shaped by mechanical engineers like Kyle Sato of the U.S. Geological Survey Western Fisheries Center who - by performing a water consumption investigation; changing autoclave procedures; modifying cooling tower equipment; and improving employee awareness - helped achieve a 63 percent reduction in annual water consumption and savings of $24,000 compared to FY 2004.
USGS Science and the Energy Policy Act of 2005
The USGS Energy Resources Program provides impartial, scientifically robust information to advance the understanding of geologically based energy resources, to contribute to plans for a secure energy future, and to facilitate evaluation and responsible use of resources. The Energy Resources Program has a clearly defined role, and its research portfolio is responsive to national priorities established through legislative directives, internal strategic planning, important and unanticipated global events, customer surveys and needs, and the guiding principles of objective and impartial science.
As one example of the responsiveness of the USGS Energy Resources Program, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 contained new responsibilities for many Federal agencies, including the USGS. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-058) was passed by the United States Congress on July 29, 2005, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on August 8, 2005. This statute marks the first National Energy Plan in more than a decade and contains provisions encouraging energy efficiency and conservation, promoting alternative and renewable energy sources, reducing U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy, and increasing domestic production. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 also calls for scientific research on a number of energy resources to provide a foundation for sound decision making and policy development. A number of provisions contained in the recently enacted Energy Policy Act of 2005 are aligned with the mission and long-term goals of the Energy Resources Program, and thus have a direct bearing on Energy Resources Program research activities.
