CHUCK HAGEL - RESIGNATION or STAND

The question of whether anyone can make the leap from a senator’s office—with an average staff size of 34 people, to the Pentagon, the world’s largest institution, which employs about 26,000 personnel on site, plus about a half million overseas, plus an active military of about 1.5 million men and women. In general, transitions from Capitol Hill to a cabinet office, in either party, haven’t been markedly successful. The Pentagon has been a sinkhole of failures. 

Hagel came from the moderate wing of the Republican party. He openly broke rank with his fellow party members in saying that he regretted his vote for the Iraq War, in 2002. In 2007 he voted with Senate Democrats to call for a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq within 120 days, and in 2011, after he left the Senate, he said it was time to find an exit from Afghanistan. Hagel’s mentality matched that of Brent Scowcroft and Colin Powell: don’t venture where you don’t know what you’re getting into (which could largely characterize US ventures in the Middle East). This happened also to be the philosophy of Barack Obama originally. 

Though Hagel and Obama thought quite alike and respected each other, Hagel was probably not cut out for what the Obama administration evolved into. He chafed at the White House’s governing style on national security policy. He believed that national security adviser Susan Rice is in over her head. And Rice’s admittedly abrasive style put off a large number of people. But she is close to the president from the 2008 campaign, and that appears to be what matters most to him.

We’ve seen past administrations in big trouble throw overboard an inconvenient major figure. Whether it was the right one has always been a question. Most of the time a White House staff hasn’t been as eager as this one to make it clear, right away, that the officer didn’t resign but was pushed out. This is not a good sign. All the talk coming out of the White House that Hagel’s confirmation performance is still a problem and other complaints are mainly padding on a ruthless if necessary decision. But this won’t help them fix their terrible problems in Iraq and Syria and Afghanistan. It is clear though that “if Hagel had agreed with the White House he wouldn’t have been fired.” 

JOHN KERRY FEBRUARY 2014 - CLIMATE CHANGE WAKE UP CALL

US secretary of state John Kerry issued a clarion call for the world to do to more to combat climate change, warning the planet is being pushed to “a tipping point of no return”.

In his keynote speech the top US diplomat will highlight the fact that Asian nations, many of them low-lying, are particularly under threat from rising sea levels.

“Kerry will call on the global community, not just countries but individual citizens around the world, to do more now because addressing the threat of climate change will require a global solution,” a senior state department official said.

Kerry, who has long been a passionate advocate of the need to protect the environment, arrived in Indonesia late Saturday for bilateral meetings.

On Sunday he toured a mosque to pay tribute to the country with the world’s largest Muslim population.

Later he was to deliver his speech before Indonesian students and professors at a US-run centre in Jakarta. It will be beamed live to other hubs on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

Kerry will make “the compelling and undeniable scientific case of this growing challenge that is pushing the planet towards a tipping point of no return”, the State Department official said, asking not to be named.

Global warming was threatening not just the environment, but also “the economy and our way of life”, the official said.

He will also “underscore the ways in which Asia is particularly impacted”, she added.

Along with the United States, Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, is one of the world’s biggest carbon emitters - in Jakarta’s case because of rampant deforestation.

Kerry announced on Saturday in Beijing that China and the United States had agreed to share information on their efforts to combat climate change ahead of 2015 UN-led efforts to set emission reduction goals for after 2020.

Together the United States and China account for some 40 percent of total emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

But traditionally they have been on opposite ends of the bitter debate on how to tackle the problem, with China maintaining it is still a developing country and should not be held to any international regime on emissions reductions.

Paris will host the 2015 UN climate change conference at which a new pact to cut global emissions applicable to all countries is due to be hammered out.

The Paris talks are aimed at reaching a deal to succeed the 1997 Kyoto treaty, which the United States never ratified, maintaining any global pact must include China. The Kyoto protocol runs out in 2020.

The agreement to collaborate ahead of next year’s talks between China, the developing world’s largest emitter, and the United States, the developed world’s biggest greenhouse gas producer, could send a powerful signal to other developing countries to clean up their act.

Currently developing countries account for some 55% of global emissions, with developed countries having made major efforts to cut carbon pollutants escaping into the atmosphere.

But much of those emissions come from manufacturing goods which are then exported to the developed world.

If little is done to reduce emissions from developing countries, experts fear that by 2030 they could account for as much as 60% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

CAN THE US MILITARY MEET ITS RENEWABLE ENERGY GOALS - July 23, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. - “We have to try to balance the interest of the military with those of developers, investors, and lenders,” said Scott Provinse, Director of Government Programs at SunEdison, speaking at the ACORE (American Council on Renewable Energy) U.S. Military and Renewable Energy Industry Forum in Washington, D.C. on July 18th. 

The Department of Defense has set a goal of 25 percent renewable energy by 2025 with a 1-gigawatt target for the Army, Navy and Air Force. One of the most visible programs, the Army Energy Initiative Task Force (EITF) was established in September 2011 to meet its mission objectives of energy security, energy surety and cost savings leveraging third-party financing and the PPA model for solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass renewable technologies. 

But, can it meet the challenge of accomplishing those mission objectives while still attracting capital and allowing investors to meet their return requirements? 

With panel titles like Streamlining Procurement and Enhancing Project Financeablity and Monetizing the Value of Military Renewable Energy and Energy Security, the discussion at the forum was as heated as the temperatures outside.

The Army EITF currently has three solar PV, one biomass and one biodiesel project among its five projects in the acquisition stage. Three of those are solar energy systems that would provide the Army with a discounted kWh rate over a twenty-five year term. Solar energy developers cobble together revenue from their projects with SRECs (in SREC states like Maryland) as cash off the deal along with federal tax incentives; the ITC and MACRS depreciation.

One of the ARMY EITF requirements under its energy security mission objective is that utility-scale solar systems of 10 MW or more must be “microgrid ready” combining generation with energy storage. Concerns arise because those additional system requirements increase the developer cost-per-watt (currently around $2.00 per watt), but the additional storage costs may not be eligible for the federal tax incentives that developers rely on to drive deals. 

Jeff Weiss, Managing Director at Distributed Sun, said, “We need to find a way to bake those microgrid costs into the rate structure. Everything beyond generation is not eligible for federal tax incentives. Because of that, the incremental amount has a different return profile.” 

Meeting the other objective of energy surety, or reliability, also adds to system costs. Proposed co-generation solutions, such as adding gas-fired power plants as a backup to the solar systems better meet mission objectives, but add to developer costs. Developers principal revenue stream on PPAs is electricity revenue - the price per kWh of energy generated that the Army will buy. And while the twenty-five year term guarantees developers a predictable revenue stream with a creditworthy offtaker, that rate may not reflect additional developer costs. According to Dave Belote, VP of federal business at Apex Clean Energy, “meeting mission objectives like energy surety would be more appetizing to investors if there were an additional revenue stream.”

Adding to investor return challenges are long government procurement cycles combined with expiring subsidies. The ITC reverts from a 30 percent to 10 percent tax credit after 2016 and the MACRS 50 percent bonus depreciation expires at the end of this year. Key players in the military renewable space like SunEdison actively try to “predict the intersection of long sales cycles and expiring subsidies, triangulating to achieve the best project economics,” said Provinse. However, he said, “this is the best opportunity out there for investors,” alluding to the DoD as a creditworthy offtaker. 

The Army EITF is working closely with developers and the renewable energy investment community to address their concerns. PPA terms are modeled on a commercial-scale or utility-scale template but also include additional federal contracting requirements that are foreign to developers. An ACORE white paper published in May solicited industry feedback on the Army’s model PPA with the objective of “addressing the issues that impact the potential pool of capital available for financing projects.” 

Kathleen Ashing, the EITF director for planning and development, said, “we have been streamlining procurement practices and we are here to help industry navigate those practices with the goal of enhancing project bankability.”

Author: Chris Cather, bluecrab solar 

ABOUT CHRIS

Chris Cather is founder of bluecrab solar, a commercial developer and industry advocate based in Annapolis, Maryland. He is currently evangelizing innovative new sources of financing in the solar energy industry by frequently contributing to the online industry press. 

For finance and tax credit advisory services, project origination, diligence, financing, proposal writing or Maryland state grant filings, contact bluecrab solar through Chris Cather at ChrisCather@gmail.com  or telephone 

443.254.6375.

The task of cleaning up our oceans is a serious business, but one which may not be given the attention it deserves by some. "They cannot be serious about this clean air nonsense, but we'd better put on a show for the media." "I can't stop laughing. Do you remember the elevator scene with Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau?"

DEFINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPANDED RE USE IN NATIONAL DEFENSE

The Department of Defense (DoD) is the biggest single energy user in the U.S., and is expected to spend $150 billion on fuel and electricity over the next decade. This is a 43% increase from the approximately $107 billion the Pentagon spent on energy while fighting two major wars between 2000 and 2009. This will occur as our nation faces significant fiscal challenges and choices that will affect its future security and prosperity. As part of its energy plan, the DoD is employing a host of strategies to harness the power of renewable energy, conserve energy resources and efficiently manage energy demand. Renewable energy and efficiency improvements can increase warfighter capability, increase the energy security of its installations, and cut operational and military base energy costs. The use of renewable energy in combat operations can reduce the need for hazardous fuel convoys, which were associated with 12% of Army casualties in Iraq and 35% of Army casualties in Afghanistan in 2007.

The DoD has embarked on an ambitious program of expanded renewable energy generation on bases and in the field, coupled with focused development in enabling technologies such as microgrids, with a goal of producing 25% of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. ACORE is uniquely positioned to help the DoD meet this challenge by drawing on the collective expertise and experience of its membership: renewable energy leaders involved in manufacturing, project development, finance, end-use, and professional services.

Collaboration Focus

In partnership with the DoD, ACORE has launched a distinctive multi-part initiative to examine the strategies and the technological and financial opportunities and challenges related to the expanded use of renewable energy in support of national defense. The initiative highlights innovative ways the purchasing power of DoD and the ingenuity of private sector industries and financiers can be used to lower costs and support the military's mission.

The initiative is focused on the following goals:

1. Based on forecasted mission statements and force structures, establishing energy requirements to meet those needs with minimum cost in lives and money;

2. Identifying existing and forecast technological gaps that are not addressed by off-the-shelf energy technologies and applications;

3. Defining next-generation financing structures that will help DoD accelerate the adoption of renewable energy at both installation and operational levels while minimizing or eliminating budgetary impacts; and,

4. Defining model procurement methodologies to accelerate project development, reduce procurement overhead, enhance project value, and maximize results for DoD and the taxpayer.

The initiative includes a series of forums– the U.S. Military and Renewable Energy Industry Forums – and member engagement with DoD uniform and civilian senior personnel in headquarters and the field, relevant federal, state and local policy-makers and agencies and other activities to advance military use of renewable energy.

For more information contact Lesley Hunter at hunter@acore.org  

If a car smoked like the cruise liners in these pictures it would fail its MOT as an old banger. There should be the ocean going equivalent of an MOT for cargo ships, oil tankers and cruise liners. Or, the equivalent of red diesel for shipping - a method of checking to see if operators have been using outlawed dirty fuels.

ABOUT ACORE

ACORE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization. ACORE is dedicated to building a secure and prosperous America with clean, renewable energy.

ACORE provides a common educational platform for a wide range of interests in the renewable energy community, focusing on technology, finance and policy. We convene thought leadership forums and create energy industry partnerships to communicate the economic, security and environmental benefits of renewable energy.

ACORE CONTACTS

American Council On Renewable Energy
1600 K Street NW
Suite 650
Washington, DC 20006
202-393-0001

Contact ACORE for Questions:

Corporate Relations, US-China Program -Tom Weirich
weirich@acore.org

Events, ABA webinars - Dawn Butcher
butcher@acore.org

Financial information - Mark Blaylock
blaylock@acore.org

Initiatives:

National Defense & Security Initiative - Todd Foley
foley@acore.org 

Power Generation & Infrastructure Initiative - Jeramy Shays
shays@acore.org

Transportation Initiative - Pete Metz
metz@acore.org

Media relations and inquiries - Turner Houston
houston@acore.org

Membership - Alla Lipsky
lipsky@acore.org

Regional Roundtables - Alla Lipsky 
lipsky@acore.org

Sponsorship and Development - Tom Weirich
weirich@acore.org

US PREF and Leadership Council - Cindi Eck
eck@acore.org

ACORE MEMBERSHIP

EUROPEAN SULPHUR LIMITS SEPTEMBER 2013

The maximum level of sulphur allowed in shipping fuel is set to drop from 1% to 0.1% in EU Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) in 2015, writes Barry Newton of the Geos Group – specialists in the storage, sales and distribution of marine distillates.

Sulphur, a natural element of crude oil from which shipping fuel is derived, is a key cause of air-polluting particulates (soot) emitted by ships. The new sulphur level regulations are intended to reduce the amount of air pollution generated by the shipping industry, and improve air quality. In order to comply with the new rules, companies operating ships at sea in SECAs will need to switch to a low sulphur (0.1%) fuel such as 1,000ppm marine gas oil (MGO).

Workboats operating around the coastline of northern Europe – tugs, dredgers, offshore support vessels and so on, already burn MGO, so will this really affect them? The answer is most definitely yes. An increase in demand for MGO from a greater number of ships over a much larger area is likely to result in a significant shortage of stock. If ships can’t get the fuel they need, they can’t sail and delays are incurred; schedules are disrupted and costs soar. The new sulphur level regulations could cause major fuel supply problems for workboat owners and operators from 2015 – so they need to start considering their options now.

So how will the shipping industry cope with a sudden increase in demand for low sulphur fuel? One option is to reduce the emissions from heavy fuel oil to the level permitted in SECAs. The scrubbers used in this process are big, costly and difficult to retrofit on vessels already in operation, so this is not an ideal solution. Moreover, scrubbers consume a lot of energy, which causes carbon emissions, so any environmental benefit of the exercise may in part be offset by a negative environmental impact elsewhere.

Another option workboat owners and operators might consider is switching to liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an alternative source of shipping fuel. A relatively new technology, the uptake of LNG by shipping companies is still fairly low, although it is on the increase. For newbuilds, LNG is an attractive option, but adapting existing vessels for LNG usage is largely impractical and expensive. At the moment there are not enough LNG bunkering stations or storage facilities in the ports of northern Europe to satisfy any sudden spike in demand.

There is no guarantee that oil refineries will produce more marine gas oil to meet increased demand either. A complex crude oil distillation process yields a number of different grades of fuel, MGO being just one of them, so it is not possible to simply produce more MGO on its own. In addition, the desulphurisation units in oil refineries are extremely costly, so any large scale increase in the production of low sulphur fuel would require major capital investment.

Marine gas oil suppliers are considering the option of importing low sulphur fuel from other countries, the USA for example, when demand increases in 2015. This option raises a number of questions, is there sufficient storage space? How will quality be affected? Will prices go up? The full extent of the impact of the new sulphur regulations is still very much unknown, and the debate over its potential environmental benefits rumbles on. What is clear however is that workboat owners and operators are facing a very real threat to their supply of low sulphur fuel, so they need to start planning now and discussing the matter with their fuel suppliers.

The Swiss lead the world with PlanetSolar as the flagship crusader pioneering zero carbon oceanographic research. In September 2013 the ocean cruiser entered Paris after concluding their Deepwater Gulf Stream project, in cooperation with Geneva University.

JULY 2012 CRUISE LINERS DEADLY SULFUR DIOXIDE EMISSIONS

The pollution from one liner can be equal to that from 13,100,000 cars a day, but instead of dealing with that responsibly, cruise lines fight against air pollution laws - despite health concerns and global warming. This is like the tobacco companies arguing that smoking is healthy. Where is Erin Brockovich when you need her?

Five years ago, the Bush administration proposed legislation prohibiting the use of maritime fuels with high sulfur content within 200 miles of the U.S. The Obama administration had the bill passed into law. In turn, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced that it planned to create a buffer zone around the U.S. and Canada where ships would be prohibited from burning the world's dirtiest transportation fuel - bunker fuel.

The new regulations are suppose to go into effect shortly. The container shipping industry states that it intends to meet the new standards. But the cruise industry, which vigorously opposed the legislation and IMO regulations in the first place, states that it cannot comply with the pollution laws.

The health risks posed by the cruise industry's use of high sulfur fuels are enormous. I published an Bunker Fuel - Cruise Ship Pollutionarticle years ago called "Bunker Fuel - Nasty Tar Sludge! which explains how bunker fuel - which is a tar-like substance - is the nastiest and most toxic fuel on planet earth. It is unconscionable to burn it.

Today the Washington Post puts the issue into greater perspective:

"The gleaming white Sapphire Princess docked in this deep-water port (Whittier Alaska) this month, unloading its passengers and taking on another 2,600 guests headed first to Glacier Bay and, eventually, Vancouver, B.C. Every day of that trip the cruise ship - whose web site invites passengers to see Alaska’s “pristine landscapes” - will emit the same amount of sulfur dioxide as 13.1 million cars, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and as much soot as 1.06 million cars ....." :(

The new rule requires large ships to cut the sulfur content of their fuel, which now averages 2.7 percent, down to 1 percent next month; in 2015 it must drop to 0.1 percent.

The EPA estimates that the new rules will avoid between 12,000 and 31,000 premature deaths each year by 2030, with the benefits outweighing the costs 95 to 1. Put another way, when the stricter limit goes into effect in 2015 it will be akin to taking 12.7 million cars off the road per day and eliminating their sulfur dioxide emissions, or the soot from 900,000 cars. Air pollutants from burning ship fuel off the Pacific Coast contribute to lung disease and affect air quality as far away as North Dakota, according to agency officials."

The cruise lines (and curiously enough, the State of Alaska) have launched what the Post calls a "counter-offensive" against the pollution law. 

According to the Post, once the new law is fully implemented and the additional costs of the cleaner fuel are passed on to the consumer, cruising will cost about $7 per day more. The cruise industry claims that it could add as much as $19.46 a day per passenger. But cruising is a luxury pastime and not necessary for life on earth. It is a rich persons pursuit - which is fine with us ordinary folks, provided that they do not kill us in the process. What is the point on a ban on smoking in buildings, if the air outside is carcinogenic. Then are all doomed.

The cruise lines claim that the cleaner fuel will hurt their business. The Republican lawmakers in Alaska, under intense cruise line lobbying, profess that the new law is bad for tourism. When cruise ships are required to burn .1% sulfur fuel in 2015, cruising may cost $50 to $100 a week more. But the EPA claims that tens of thousands of lives will be saved each year with annual benefits in reduced health care expenses between $47 billion and $110 billion. 

Have the cruise line industry ever considered investing in research for future zero carbon cruisers? We live in an age where sustainability should be on the wall of every business manager.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT & ACQUISITION

As with other Naval institutions, finding those who might be interested in new technology is by no means straightforward and may swamp small concerns, absorbing much of the precious resources to no avail. By way of example, here are a few examples of the maze that you are likely to get lost in:-

Department of the Navy:

The Department of Navy Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP)
http://www.donhq.navy.mil/osbp/

The goal of the Navy Office of Small Business Programs is to assist small business entrepreneurs’ navigation through the Department's decentralized acquisition program to ensure the Warfighter receives quality products. The Navy has and will continue to support small business participation as both prime and subcontractors. The Department of the Navy embraces the critical role of small businesses in maintaining the strength of our naval capability and the nation's economy by focusing on leadership, teamwork, customer service, and mutually beneficial partnerships.

Navy Exchange System (NEX)
http://www.navy-nex.com
This web site provides information on quality goods and services at a savings and to support quality of life programs. The retail stores and many services offered by Navy Exchange Service Command makes it an important quality of life benefit to customers, active duty, family members, retirees, national guard, and reservists around the world, both ashore and at sea. Within the Navy Exchange System are five primary business units. These include Navy Exchange retail stores and services, Navy Lodges, the Navy Uniform Program, the Ship Store Program, and Telecommunications.

ITEC Direct
http://itec-direct.navy.mil
The Information Technology Electronic Commerce (ITEC) program provides commercially available, Department of Navy (DON) standard compliant Information Technology (IT) products and services. ITEC Direct leverages technology to give Department of Defense (DoD) customers a fast and easy way to electronically locate, compare, and order IT hardware, software and services.

DoN Small Business Innovation Research
http://www.onr.navy.mil/sbir/
This site provides information on how to participate in the Department of the Navy's SBIR program. The SBIR program funds research and development projects at small technology companies. The projects funded serve a DoN need and are expected to have commercial applications.

DoN Marketing Info
http://www.hq.navy.mil/sadbu/marketing.htm
Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization - Marketing the Navy

Navy Electronic Commerce Online (NECO)
https://www.neco.navy.mil/
This site is your link to the world of Navy Electronic Business Opportunities. It is the centerpiece of the Navy's strategy to convert to paperless processes in accordance with the DoD direction. All Navy business opportunities are either on this site or linked to it.

Department of Defense:

Doing Business with the Department of Defense
http://www.defenselink.mil/other_info/business.html
This powerful search engine site provides links to the Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Office, Defense Logistics Agency and other resources for selling to the military agencies.

The AbilityOne Program
The AbilityOne Program is the largest source of employment, on Federal contracts, for individuals who are blind or have other severe disabilities in the United States. Established in 1938, the program is administered by the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, an independent Federal agency, with assistance from National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH-Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Severe Disabilities.

* DPAP AbilityOne Program Section: http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/cpic/cp/abilityone_program.html

* Committee For Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled: http://www.abililtyone.gov

* AbilityOne Program: http://www.abilityonedod.org

Mentor Protege Program (MPP)
http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/mentor_protege/index.htm
This site provides information to large businesses who wish to participate in the program as mentors and small businesses and others who wish to participate as protege's.

DoD Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir/
The SBIR program funds research and development projects at small technology companies. The projects funded serve a DoD need and are expected to have commercial applications. This web site describes the program.

Subcontracting Opportunities
http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/doing_business/index.html
The publication exclusively addresses the defense subcontracting opportunities market. The DoD encourages small business and small disadvantaged business to enter the defense subcontracting market. By entering the market, goods and services flow to strengthen national security and the defense industrial base.

DoD Small Business Specialists
http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/doing_business/index.html
The Military Services and Defense Agencies have contracting offices located throughout the United States. Each service and agency has an Office of the Director of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. They also have small business specialists at each of their procurement and contract management offices to assist small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, and women-owned small businesses firms in marketing their products and services with the DoD. These specialists provide information and guidance on (1) defense procurement procedures, (2) how to be placed on the solicitation mailing lists, and (3) how to identify prime contract and subcontract opportunities.

CCR
http://www.ccr.gov/
Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is a single database of basic business information from contractors that want to do business with the Department of Defense (DoD). Contractors MUST be registered in CCR in order to do business with the Department of Defense.

DoD Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/
This website contains information on DoD programs that benefit small businesses and DoD business opportunities.

Other Government Sites:

U.S. Business Advisor
http://www.business.gov
This Small Business Administration's search engine site provides on-line, one-stop access to government forms, business development software & business sector oriented information.

Federal Acquisition Jumpstation
http://nais.nasa.gov/fedproc/home.html
Provides over 100 hotlinks to federal contracting activities and other sources of federal procurement information throughout the United States.

Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Listing
http://www.dla.mil/db/procurem.htm
The DLA administers on behalf of the Secretary of Defense the DoD PTA Cooperative Agreement Program under which Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) provide assistance to business firms that want to sell goods and/or services to Federal, state and local governments.

U.S. Small Business Administration
http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov
The U.S. Small Business Administration, established in 1953, provides financial, technical and management assistance to help Americans start, run, and grow their businesses.

FedBizOpps website
http://www.fedbizopps.gov/
FedBizOpps has been designated as the single source for federal government procurement opportunities that exceed $25,000.

U.S. Small Business Administration Subcontracting Network (SBA SUB-Net)
http://web.sba.gov/subnet
SUB-Net lists notices of subcontracting opportunities.

Federal Supply Service
http://www.fss.gsa.gov
GSA's Federal Supply Service provides federal customers with the products, services and programs to meet their supply, service, procurement, vehicle purchasing and leasing, travel and transportation and personal property management requirements.

GSA SmartPay
http://www.fss.gsa.gov/services/gsa-smartpay/
GSA Smartpay allows Federal Agencies to pay for commercial goods and services as well as travel and fleet related expenses with leading-edge card services.

Federal Supply Classification
http://www.dlis.dla.mil/h2/
The Federal Supply Classification site provides a searchable list of all Federal Supply Codes.

D&B Universal Numbering System
http://www.dnb.com/us/
The D&B D-U-N-S Number is a unique nine-digit identification sequence, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities, while linking corporate family structures together.

Defense Logistics Information Service - Cage Code
http://www.dlis.dla.mil/cage_welcome.asp
This site is a search engine for the Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code system.

CONTACTS

MSC HOTLINE INFO:
Email: MSCHotline@navy.mil

Phone: 866-836-6919
Alt. Phone: 202-685-0138
DSN: 325-0138


Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command
Fleet Public Affairs (N00P)
1562 Mitscher Ave., Suite 250
Norfolk, VA 23551-2487

Important telephone numbers:

Quarterdeck
(757) 836-3644

Admin/Personnel
(757) 836-3802

Admin FAX
(757) 836-5089 


Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition
1000 Navy Pentagon 4C656
Washington, DC 20350-1000
Email: webmaster_navyaos@navy.mil

703-693-8825


Public Affairs Officer
Special Assistant for Public Affairs
Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition
1000 Navy Pentagon 4C656
Washington, DC 20350-1000

703-695-0611

Director, Navy SBIR Programs

John Williams
Attn: Director, Navy SBIR Programs
Office of Naval Research
One Liberty Center
875 North Randolph Street
Code 03TSB, Suite 1425, Room 262A
Arlington, VA 22203-1995
Email: john.williams6@navy.mil
Phone: 703-696-0342

Other Navy SBIR Contacts

Navy SYSCOM SBIR Program Contacts
Navy Acquisition (ACAT I & II) Points of Contact

LINKS & REFERENCE

US Department of Navy Research, development & Acquisition - http://acquisition.navy.mil/

US Fleet Forces Command - http://www.cffc.navy.mil/

US http://www.msc.navy.mil/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Oceanographic_Office

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/tags/bunker-fuel/

http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/pollution-control/low-sulphur-fuel-supply-from-2015

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/tags/bunker-fuel/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA

http://www.darpa.mil/default.aspx

UKHO

http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/industry-news/ukho-appoints-new-national-hydrographer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_Hydrographic_Office

http://www.ths.org.uk

http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/friends/committee/

http://www.thefutureofnavigation.com/ten_steps.aspx

http://www.quaynote.com/ankiti/www/?code=ecdis13&f=programme

Wiki United_Kingdom_Hydrographic_Office

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/can-the-military-meet-its-renewable-energy-goals-July24-2013

http://www.renewableenergyworld-events.com/register.html

Space War DARPA_Anti_Submarine_Warfare_Game_Goes_Live

Wikipedia DARPA

CLIMATE CHANGE - Essential monitoring services such a hydrographic mapping could be carried out by Bluefish zero carbon platforms. Based on a stable SWASH hull this design is under development by BMS, for use worldwide. The robot ship uses no diesel fuel to monitor the oceans autonomously (COLREGS compliant) at relatively high speeds of 7-10 knots, 24/7 and 365 days a year - only possible with the revolutionary (patent) energy harvesting system. The hullform could be adapted for zero carbon cruise liners. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the potential with international fleet operators.  This vessel pays for itself in fuel saved every ten years. That is suggestive that cruise ships may be run more profitably if zero carbon, by design.

PATENT PENDING - A military version of the Bluefish platform, with sprint potential, might revolutionize naval warfare as a drone that works in concert with other drones to form a formidable and disposable fleet on unmanned warships that may tackle submarines, aircraft carriers and destroyers - head on. PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE FOR WARGAMING PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT INTENDED AND MAY NOT BE USED BY ANY MILITARY FOR ANY WARLIKE PURPOSE.

DARPA ANTI SUBMARINE WARFARE - Washington DC (SPX) Apr 05, 2011

Can you best an enemy submarine commander so he can't escape into the ocean depths? If you think you can, you are invited to put yourself into the virtual driver's seat of one of several Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) configurations and show the world how you can use its capabilities to follow an enemy submarine.

DARPA's ACTUV program is developing a fundamentally new tool for the Navy's ASW toolkit and seeks your help to explore how best to use this tool to track quiet submarines. Before autonomous software is developed for ACTUV's computers, DARPA needs to determine what approaches and methods are most effective.

To gather information from a broad spectrum of users, ACTUV has been integrated into the Dangerous WatersTM game. DARPA is offering this new ACTUV Tactics Simulator for free public download. This software has been written to simulate actual evasion techniques used by submarines, challenging each player to track them successfully.

Your tracking vessel is not the only ship at sea, so you'll need to safely navigate among commercial shipping traffic as you attempt to track the submarine, whose driver has some tricks up his sleeve.

You will earn points as you complete mission objectives, and will have the opportunity to see how you rank against the competition on DARPA's leaderboard page. You can also share your experiences and insights from playing the simulator with others.

As you complete each scenario in the simulation, you may submit your tracking tactics to DARPA for analysis. DARPA will select the best tactics and build them into the ACTUV prototype.

PLEASE NOTE - That DARPA have now removed the program, leader-board, etc.

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/DARPA_Anti_Submarine_Warfare_Game_Goes_Live_999.html

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