[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 125 (Friday, September 20, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF DISTRICT ENERGY

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                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 20, 2013

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the many 
dedicated men and women of District Energy on the occasion of the 30th 
anniversary of this community energy system.
  District Energy launched as a demonstration project in 1983 as Saint 
Paul's response to the energy crisis of the 1970's. The venture was a 
public-private partnership between the City of Saint Paul, State of 
Minnesota, United States Department of Energy and the downtown business 
community, all of whom believed in the viability of a hot water 
district heating system to alleviate the pinch of the energy crisis.
  District Energy Saint Paul was built from the vision of Saint Paul 
Mayor George Latimer. Led by Mayor Latimer, the City lobbied the State 
and Federal governments for assistance in adopting a technology, 
developed in Europe, that could solve the heating problems of the city. 
Using the expertise of Hans Nyman, District Energy's first president, 
the system was successfully designed to be energy efficient, fuel 
flexible, and result in stable rates for its customers.
  In 1993, ten years after the successful startup of the district 
heating system, District Energy began offering cooling service to 
downtown building owners. Ten years later, in 2003, District Energy 
became a green energy service provider following construction of an 
affiliated combined heat and power (CHP) plant that is fueled by a 
renewable resource--clean, urban wood residuals. It is the largest 
wood-fired CHP plant serving district energy system in the nation. The 
system was advanced further in 2011 with the installation of the 
Midwest's largest solar installation. It is one of the country's 
largest hot water solar projects and the first in the United States to 
be integrated into a district heating system.
  Today, District Energy Saint Paul is considered the most notable in 
the United States for its use of renewable energy sources and 
implementation of energy conservation measures. In the past couple of 
decades, District Energy has been recognized on numerous occasions for 
its work promoting energy conservation. This year District Energy has 
received the Innovation Recognition and Bronze Space Award from the 
International District Energy Association as well as the Renewable 
Energy Award from the Sustainable Saint Paul Award Program. 
Furthermore, it continues to stand by its core values of customers, 
community, work environment, and conduct.
  Mr. Speaker, in honor of District Energy, a community energy system 
committed to energy conservation, I am pleased to submit this statement 
in recognition of their 30th anniversary.

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