Environmental
Monsanto Settlement With W.Va. Residents Approved
January 25, 2013 1:11 pm | News | CommentsA judge gave final approval Friday to a settlement between chemical manufacturer Monsanto Co. and thousands of West Virginia residents over pollution claims. Circuit Judge Derek Swope in Putnam County approved the settlement in a 385-page order.
PC VUE Monitors U.S. Wind Farms
January 25, 2013 12:54 pm | by PC VUE SCADA | Articles | CommentsIn a room that looks a like NASA Mission Control, systems analysts oversee every turbine at every wind farm throughout the U.S. They monitor the performance and efficiency of every turbine, and they keep an eye on approaching storms to warn technicians of the danger in the field.
Appeals Court Rejects EPA Bid On Pollution Case
January 25, 2013 7:56 am | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | CommentsA three-judge judge panel ruled in August that the Environmental Protection Agency's cross-state air pollution rule exceeded EPA's authority. The EPA had said the rule would reduce power-plant pollution that contributes to unhealthy air in neighboring states.
Terra Technology Introduces Sustainability Calculator To Measure Impact Of Inventory Reductions
January 24, 2013 2:36 pm | Product Releases | CommentsTerra Technologyintroduces its online Sustainability Calculator designed to help manufacturers determine the environmental impact of reducing excess stocks through better demand prediction and inventory optimization. Terra’s sustainability calculator uses three simple steps to measure the environmental benefits of reducing inventory.
Tenn. Volkswagen Plant Powers Up Solar Park
January 23, 2013 1:37 pm | by Erik Schelzig, Associated Press | News | CommentsGerman automaker Volkswagen on Wednesday flipped the on switch for a new solar park at its Tennessee assembly plant. The 33-acre installation next to the Chattanooga plant has a capacity to produce more than 13 gigawatt hours of electricity per year. That's the equivalent of the amount of energy used by 1,200 area homes each year, according to Volkswagen.
Protecting Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest With M2M Technology
January 23, 2013 9:50 am | by Cargo Tracck | Articles | CommentsThe Amazon rainforest in Brazil is vital to stabilizing the earth’s environment, producing oxygen, absorbing greenhouse gases, and providing natural habitat for 30 percent of the world’s plant and animal species. However, strong global demand for rainforest wood combined with the enormous profitability of illegal logging operations is fueling decimation of this precious global resource at an alarming rate.
STR: Largest Customer To Depart
January 23, 2013 9:23 am | News | CommentsSTR Holdings Inc. said Tuesday that it may cut jobs and close a manufacturing site based on the anticipated loss of its largest customer this year.The solar products company said after the market closed that it believes its long-standing customer First Solar Inc. will terminate its relationship with STR in 2013.
Italy Steel Exec Arrested Over ILVA Plant
January 23, 2013 7:47 am | by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn Italian steel executive turned himself into British authorities on Tuesday after being placed under investigation in Italy over environmental and health problems at Europe's largest steel mill — a case that has become a major headache for the government given the 20,000 jobs at risk if the plant closes.
Court Won't Hear Challenge To Clean Air Act Rule
January 22, 2013 12:29 pm | News | CommentsThe Supreme Court won't hear a challenge to a tough new clean air requirement limiting sulfur dioxide emissions.The high court on Tuesday refused to hear an appeal from businesses and industrial interests involving an Environmental Protection Agency regulation setting emission levels of sulfur dioxide, a colorless gas with the smell of rotting eggs.
Environmentalists Hail Obama Climate Change Focus
January 22, 2013 8:18 am | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | CommentsBy singling out climate change, Obama indicated a willingness to take on an issue that he acknowledges was often overlooked during his first term. He also was setting up a likely confrontation with congressional Republicans who have opposed legislative efforts to curb global warming.
Fracking For Natural Gas Being Powered By It, Too
January 21, 2013 11:02 am | by Marc Levy, Associated Press | News | CommentsOil- and gas-field companies from Pennsylvania to Texas are experimenting with converting the huge diesel pump engines that propel millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals thousands of feet down well bores to break apart rock or tight sands and release the natural gas trapped inside.
Government Delays Proposed 'Fracking' Rule
January 21, 2013 8:21 am | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Interior Department is again delaying a proposed rule that would require companies drilling for oil and natural gas on federal lands to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations. The Obama administration first proposed a "fracking" rule last May, with a final rule expected by the end of the year.
Car Device Company Settles EPA Complaint
January 18, 2013 1:11 pm | News | CommentsA Utah company that sold devices to remove emission controls on vehicles has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle claims by the Environmental Protection Agency that it violated the Clean Air Act. The EPA says the illegal devices allow cars to spew smoke containing particulates linked with health problems, including respiratory disease and bronchitis.
EPA Changed Course After Oil Company Protested
January 16, 2013 9:14 am | by Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press | News | CommentsAt first, the Environmental Protection Agency believed the situation was so serious that it issued a rare emergency order in late 2010 that said at least two homeowners were in immediate danger from a well saturated with flammable methane. More than a year later, the agency rescinded its mandate and refused to explain why.
Mitsubishi Invests $770M In German Wind Farm
January 16, 2013 8:11 am | News | CommentsJapan's Mitsubishi is investing €576 million ($770 million) in developing German offshore wind farms. Netherlands-based grid operator Tennet said Wednesday that Mitsubishi will take a 49 percent stake in the €2.9 billion high-voltage cables linking four offshore farms to the German grid.
Report: Global Warming Is Changing U.S. Daily Life
January 14, 2013 8:12 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsA special panel of scientists convened by the government issued Friday a 1,146-page draft report that details in dozens of ways how climate change is already disrupting the health, homes and other facets of daily American life. It warns that those disruptions will increase in the future.
Cape Cod Ice To Pay $225K To Settle EPA Complaint
January 10, 2013 1:28 pm | News | CommentsA cold storage and ice manufacturing company with facilities in East Providence, R.I. and Sandwich, Mass., has agreed to pay $225,000 to settle claims by the Environmental Protection Agency that it violated Clean Air Act requirements. The case stemmed from a routine EPA inspection of the Sandwich facility in 2011.
Perdue Seeking Up To $2.5M In Pollution Case
January 9, 2013 1:51 pm | by Alex Dominguez, Associated Press | News | CommentsPerdue Farms is seeking up to $2.5 million in attorney fees following its victory in a poultry pollution case that had been closely watched by environmentalist and agriculture interests for its potential impact on the industry, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Appeals Court Faults EPA For Soot Regulation
January 4, 2013 2:31 pm | by Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn appeals court is siding with environmental groups that had challenged Environmental Protection Agency regulations on soot as too weak. The three-judge panel ruled Friday that the EPA regulated soot of a certain size under weaker cleanup requirements than it should have.
2012 Energy Intelligence Report
January 3, 2013 1:09 pm | Articles | CommentsFind ways to save money through investing in energy efficient equipment and alternative energy solutions here! Included in this supplement are tips on the energy audit process, the Energy Incentive Guide and results of a recent survey on manufacturers' energy spending.
Congress Extends Wind, Biofuels Tax Credits
January 2, 2013 1:46 pm | News | CommentsThe bill Congress approved Tuesday night providing tax relief for most taxpayers also helps wind energy and ethanol producers by extending tax credits designed to encourage continued development. The bill extends to the end of the year a production tax credit for wind energy on any facility under construction before the end of 2013.
No Leak Seen At Stranded Oil Drill Ship
January 2, 2013 8:16 am | News | CommentsNo leak has been seen from an oil drilling ship that grounded off an Alaska island during a storm, officials said, as opponents criticized the growing race to explore the Arctic for energy resources. Federal on-scene response coordinator Capt. Paul Mehler said the Royal Dutch Shell rig is carrying about 143,000 gallons of diesel and about 12,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluid.
EPA Administrator Jackson To Resign
December 28, 2012 8:01 am | by Kevin Freking, Associated Press | News | CommentsEPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the Obama administration's chief environmental watchdog, is stepping down after nearly four years marked by high-profile brawls over global warming pollution, the Keystone XL oil pipeline, new controls on coal-fired plants and several other hot-button issues.
Unilever Phasing Out 'Microplastics' By 2015
December 28, 2012 7:57 am | News | CommentsUnilever, the maker of Vaseline, Axe deodorants and Dove soaps, among other cosmetic and hygiene products, says it will phase out the use of microplastics by 2015. Many soaps, skin scrubs and shower gels contain microplastics, which are tiny polyethelene beads. Scientists and environmental groups are concerned that they contribute to polluting oceans.
Survey: Suppliers Confident, Manufacturers Concerned About Supply Chain
December 21, 2012 1:23 pm | News | CommentsWhile more than 75 percent of suppliers are confident in their ability to meet their customers’ needs in 2013, one-third of respondents to ASQ’s 2013 Manufacturing Outlook Survey say they anticipate a problem with a supplier next year, resulting in a shortage of parts or services.
