U.S. Sen. Corker praises Lipscomb conservation during talk on energy bill
Janel Shoun |
For more details on Lipscomb's "green" initiatives, click here.
“There is no better place for us to be talking about conservation that this university,” he said during the press conference held in Burton, a 61-year-old building recently renovated into a model of energy conservation.
Burton is now temperature-controlled by a geothermal system using sub-surface ground temperatures to heat and cool the building. In addition, Lipscomb has applied for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for Burton, which would officially designate it as one of 11 buildings in Tennessee certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
For more "green" details on Burton, click here.
Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy, nursing department and Institute for Sustainable Practice are housed in Burton, which was renovated using recycled building materials, low-emission products and low energy- and water-efficient fixtures and appliances.
As part of a bi-partisan group of senators informally known as the Gang of 10, Corker was one of the senators to announce the New Energy Reform Act of 2008, which the senators hope will end congressional roadblocks to passing comprehensive energy legislation. The senator spent today in Chattanooga, Nashville and Memphis to promote the bill, which would dedicate $20 billion over the next 10 years to transition the American economy to run off of alternative fuels.
Speaking before representatives from all the major local media outlets, Corker outlined the Energy Reform Act’s three main parts: an intensive effort to transition vehicles to non-petroleum based fuels; a federal commitment to conservation and energy efficiency; and targeted, responsible domestic production of energy resources.
Conservation incentives included in the bill are consumer tax credits of up to $2,500 to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles; extending the $2,500 tax credit to purchase hybrid electric vehicles; $500 million for research and development of new materials; and technology to improve vehicle fuel efficiency and tax incentives for installation of alternative fueling stations.
“The real fruit of this bill is in conservation, like that being displayed here at Lipscomb University,” Corker said. “I believe the future of this country is in conservation.”
In his introduction, Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry noted that most of Lipscomb’s senior officers now drive hybrids, dubbing the parking circle in front of Crisman Administration Building “hybrid row.”
Lowry also thanked the federal government for the initial grants to allow Lipscomb to begin installing geothermal systems on campus. Geothermal heating and cooling systems are now operating in the Ezell Center, the Burton building and the Village at Lipscomb, a new four-building student housing complex to open this fall.
The geothermal system in Ezell, opened in fall 2006, cost $1.2 million to construct and paid itself off in energy savings in 16 months. The Burton geothermal system cost $565,000 to construct and given the rising energy costs and the overall improved energy efficiency of the renovated Burton, is expected to result in energy cost savings of more than 50%.
“My hope is that we will change the dynamic that exists in our country around energy,” said Corker, noting that he hopes to make the New Energy Reform Act a centerpiece of discussion in Congress when the legislators return in September.