Energy Management Constellation NewEnergy launched Constellation Peak Response, a program that allows Constellation commercial and industrial electricity supply customers to reduce future capacity and transmission costs by lowering electricity consumption during the hours of peak demand.
World Energy Solutions helped Glastonbury, Conn.-headquartered fitness chain Healthtrax Fitness & Wellness save more than $1 million through a series of online electricity auctions, energy efficiency measures and utility incentives, according to the energy management services firm.
Environmental consulting firm Marstel-Day LLC was awarded a firm fixed price contract by the Army Contracting Command-New Jersey to provide environmental services to the Army Regional Environmental and Energy Offices, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy, and Environment. The award includes a base year, with the option to extend the contract for two additional years, extending through January 2016.
Ozone-based sanitation services provider AirTrona International Inc., which is a subsidiary of Chancery Resources, is to partner with Union Gas on an energy savings incentive program. The program offers of up to $8,500 in incentives per washing machine to its targeted corporate accounts for multi-unit sales. In the program, Union Gas and AirTrona will share in the marketing of AirTrona’s ozone laundry system to targeted accounts.
Spending on energy efficiency programs funded by electric and natural gas utility customers will double by 2025 to about $9.5 billion per year, according to projections published by researchers at Berkeley Lab.
Honeywell reached a settlement agreement with the Massachusetts attorney general regarding a $32.8 million energy efficiency and conservation program launched more than five years ago with the City of Quincy, Mass. Honeywell agreed to pay $4 million to the commonwealth and will notify the state of any future water meter replacement projects that fall under the statute. The settlement effectively ends the energy savings performance contract, and Honeywell will have no ongoing performance and maintenance requirements.
Energy management company Technovator International has been selected to retrofit Chongqing, China’s public buildings to achieve energy savings and to establish a building energy-consumption monitoring platform.
Compliance & Standards Events organizer UBM Live successfully accredited five of its European events with the ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management standard, audited by SGS. The newly certified events include CPhI Worldwide, Fi Europe, Hi Europe/Ni/NuW, Business4Better UK, and the Protection and Management Series. The office in Amsterdam is fully ISO 20121 certified, too.
Schneider Electric earned its ISO 50001 certification for energy management systems across 15 of its largest UK sites. The certification required numerous site- based energy efficiency improvement projects such as lighting supported with intelligent controls, modified building management systems, and replaced compressors and boilers, the company said.
International classification society ABS announced the certification of three maritime industry companies for adopting energy management systems: Gaslog LNG Services, Consolidated Marine Management and Goodwood Ship Management. The companies are among the first organizations to certify their energy management systems using the ABS Guide for Marine Health, Safety, Quality, Environmental and Energy (HSQEEn) Management.
Chinese ship owner Centrans (Tianjing) Ocean Shipping received Energy Efficiency Design Index compliance certificates for two 180,000 deadweight tonnage new-builds. The bulk carriers are each powered by a single MAN B&W 6S70MC-C8.2 low-speed engine built by Dalian Marine Diesel, and the vessels were built at QingDao Beihai Shipyard in Eastern China. The Centras ships save more than three tons of fuel per day compared to the standard design the company had previously used.
Integrated communications provider RR Donnelley & Sons achieved ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications for its facility in Douai, France. The new standards are in addition to the facility’s ISO 9001, Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification qualifications, the company said.
Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe’s quality, environmental and energy management systems in Bielefeld and Flensburg, Germany, have been successfully re-certified to the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. The company’s existing EN 16001 energy management certification has been has been replaced by ISO 50001, and also successfully audited, the company said.
The City of Napa in California achieved e-Stewards Enterprise status, a designation from the Basel Action Network that recognizes cities, counties and companies that recycle electronic waste through e-Stewards certified recyclers. Napa joins the cities of San Francisco, San Jose and Placentia, California, and others in the e-Stewards Enterprise program, BAN said.
Electric utility United Illuminating’s new corporate headquarters in New Haven, Conn., achieved LEED Silver certification. The 56-acre, $120 million facility includes an operations center, a warehouse, an office complex and a two-story parking structure. The total building square footage is 376,000 square feet, the Hartford Business Journal said.
The CHAdeMO Association said it is disappointed that its EV charging standard has been left out of specs issued by the European Commission in its Clean Power for Transport package, AutoBlogGreen reports. The association said that there are more than 20,000 CHAdeMO-equipped vehicles on the road in Europe, and requested the European Commission consider a dual charging system for DC fast charging with CHAdeMO and CCS (combined charging system) that will allow use by the majority of current and future electric vehicles.
Green Seal released two new standards to address the life cycle impacts of laundry care products – GS-48, for household laundry care products, and GS-51, for laundry products used in institutional and industrial settings.
A newly revised filtration standard from ASHRAE combines two standards aiming to improve the technical accuracy of filter testing. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 52.2-2012, Method of Testing General Ventilation Air-Cleaning Devices for Removal Efficiency by Particle Size, establishes a test procedure for evaluating the performance of air-cleaning devices as a function of particle size. The update incorporates the requirements of Standard 52.1, Gravimetric and Dust Spot Procedures for Testing Air Cleaning Devices Used in General Ventilation for Removing Particulate Matter, ASHRAE said.
Shorenstein Properties received LEED Gold, Existing Building Operations and Maintenance certification for the Palisades Office Park in Atlanta, Ga. The 640,000-square-foot Class A office space is housed within four buildings on a 23-acre park. The buildings carry an Energy Star rating of 84.
The Drywall Safety Act of 2012, signed into law this month cites ASTM standard C1264-11, Specification for Sampling, Inspection, Rejection, Certification, Packaging, Marking, Shipping, Handling and Storage of Gypsum Panel Products, in order to control the import of hazardous drywall material. The law requires the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to set regulations based on C1264, and the standard provides the CPSC, states, suppliers and consumers with a tool for supply chain communication by specifying that each gypsum panel product or package must be marked for thickness, producer or supplier name, brand name (if any) and the ASTM specification for the product, ASTM said.
ASHRAE opened a third public comment period for changes in a proposed standard to prevent legionellosis associated with building water systems. Comments on Standard 188P, Prevention of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems, will be accepted until March 11, ASHRAE said.
Sartorius Stedim Biotech, an equipment provider for the pharmaceutical industry, earned LEED Platinum certification for its new 55,000-square-foot, $20 million facility in Yauco, Puerto Rico. Sartorius is the first company to have a LEED Platinum-certified manufacturing facility for the biopharmaceutical industry.
NRG Energy, the Santa Clara Stadium Authority and the San Francisco 49ers reached an agreement to achieve LEED certification for the new Santa Clara Stadium. It will be the first professional football stadium to open with LEED certification.
Ottawa removed LEED requirements for city buildings, a criteria that has been in effect in the Canadian capital since 2005. City committee members suggested that buildings can be built to LEED specifications or other more stringent environmental standards without going through the LEED certification process. Eight municipal buildings in Ottawa have been LEED-certified, and another 14 are awaiting certification, Design Build Source writes.
The EPA approved Omnitek Engineering Corporation’s submission for its diesel-to-natural gas conversion technology. The kits are used for heavy-duty Navistar DT466E and DT530E engines under specific and rigorous criteria related to the agency’s Outside Useful Life definition.
The Council for Responsible Sport certified the Greenline Half Marathon, held at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tennessee, to its silver level of certification. The event, which benefits Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, earned 43 of the 44 attempted credits, the council said.
The Lecta Group completed the ISO 50001 energy efficiency certification process for all of its manufacturing sites. Lecta is a manufacturer of coated wood-free paper and other specialty papers, and the company has
nine mills with a total production capacity of 2 million tons. The manufacturing sites also hold certifications for ISO 14001 and EMAS, and PEFC and FSC chain of custody certification, the company said.
Rickmers Shipmanagement became the first German company operating in the maritime industry to achieve certification to the ISO 50001 standard, and one of only a few shipping companies in the world meeting the standard. Rickmers received the certification from GL Systems Certification for its offices in Hamburg and Singapore, and for ten ships in its fleet, Materials Handling World said.
Dallas Phones LLC, doing business as EcoPhones, received the Responsible Recycling (R2), ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications. The certifications, along with the company’s annual accredited third-party compliance audits, assures that the its electronic waste will have all data destroyed and be safely and responsibly recycled, EcoPhones said.
NSF International, in cooperation with Texas-based decorative surfacing product maker Wilsonart, is developing a Product Category Rule for residential countertops. This PCR will provide a science-based method for reporting the environmental impact of residential countertop products and materials throughout their entire life cycle. The residential countertop PCR will be established in accordance with the international environmental labeling standard ISO 14025 through the NSF National Center for Sustainability Standards, the companies said.
The Incinerator, a thermal treatment facility in Marsa, Malta, earned ISO 14001 certification for the implementation of an environmental management system. The facility is the only EU-compliant incineration plant in Malta, Di-Ve News writes.
Adhesives manufacturer H.B. Fuller Company received NSF/ANSI Standard 61 – Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects certification for its two-part polyurethane adhesives for spiral wound membrane bonding for liquid filtration applications. Its products, UR3577 and UR3577LV, also are in compliance with California’s Health & Safety Code Section 116875, commonly known as AB1953, and Vermont Act 193, the company said.
The EPA launched a new voluntary clean air program, PM Advance, to help communities meet soot pollution standards, raise air quality and improve public health. PM Advance will help communities develop strategies for reducing harmful fine particle emissions. Participants will commit to taking specific steps to reduce soot, such as putting in place a school bus retrofit program or an air quality action day program; the EPA will supply technical advice, outreach information, and other support. In December the agency updated the national air quality standards for PM 2.5 by revising the annual standard to 12 micrograms per cubic meter.
The American National Standards Institute approved the ICC 700-2012 National Green Building Standard. It follows ANSI’s first consensus committee review of the standard since it was first published in 2009. Notable updates include a substantial revision of the Energy Efficiency Chapter with new rating levels based on whole-house energy savings above 2009 IECC and a reconfiguration of points for water efficiency practices to achieve improved consistency, ANSI said.
Industrial waste management company Befesa Valera certified its integrated management system to the standards ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001. The certifications follow an 18-month long project management process. Social responsibility and Global Reporting Initiative reporting also are now fully integrated in the global management system, the company said.
Silver-zinc battery technology provider ZPower received ISO 9001 quality management certification from the global auditing firm BSI. This certification covers ZPower’s processes for the design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of rechargeable silver-zinc batteries, the Fort Mill Times said.
Acumen Logistics Group achieved ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 quality and environmental management certification throughout its operations. Acumen Distribution’s Redditch depot in Worcestershire, England, is the final of the company’s three divisions to achieve the accreditation, joining Acumen Automobile Logistics and the company’s Recycling Division, Materials Handling World said.
The San Diego Community College District earned LEED certification for two more projects under the district’s $1.55 billion construction bond programs, bringing the district’s total number of certified facilities to 14. The two recognized projects are the Mesa College Student Services Center, which received LEED Gold status, and the Continuing Education Mesa College Campus, which earned LEED Silver, the Daily Transcript writes.
The 12,000-square-foot medical office building of Lower Bucks Pediatrics in Bucks County, Pa., earned LEED certification. The facility’s advanced HVAC system design is expected to save at least 35 percent in energy costs compared to the USGBC baseline, and low-flow fixtures and thermal controls will result in a 30 percent reduction in water use, Commercial Property Executive said.
Solar industry companies including Distributed Sun and DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions established the truSolar Working Group, a consortium that aims to develop uniform financial standards for solar projects. Less than 5 percent of US lending institutions are actively involved in financing solar projects due to concerns about industry risks, and the group says their efforts should lower transaction and capital costs, and improve project finance liquidity.
The UK Salmon and Trout Association issued a report critical of the RSPCA/Freedom Food certification process. S&TA obtained its data under a freedom of information request to the public and statutory authorities on two Freedom Food certified farms, Wester Ross Fisheries and Scottish Salmon Company, the association said.
The International Code Council shifted its Global Services Division to the International Accreditation Service, an ICC subsidiary. ICC’s position in the international building safety market is expected to benefit from the partnership with IAS, an accreditation body active in 26 countries, the council said.
UL International Italia has been accredited to conduct the following test procedures for the US Department of Energy’s LED Lighting Facts label: IES LM-79 for total flux and color (required label metrics and some optional electrical and color metrics; LM-79 sections 9 and 12) and IES LM-79 for intensity distribution (some optional metrics; LM-79 section 10). Since June 2012, LED Lighting Facts accepts test reports only from Testing Laboratory Partners on the Approved Testing Laboratories list, UL said.
Mövenpick Resort Bangtao Beach in Phuket, Thailand, received Green Globe certification. The luxury hotel property installed a high-efficiency air conditioning system, uses water from its own treatment plant, and its purchasing policy favors suppliers based on their environmental and social practices.
The Martin-Brower Company’s Enfield distribution center earned its ISO 14001 certification. The Enfield operation is the tenth US-based Martin Brower operation to be ISO 14001 certified, the distribution services provider said.
The Watauga High School in Boone, N.C., earned LEED Silver certification for new construction. The facility, designed by SfL+a architects, includes a rainwater collection system used to flush toilets, a geothermal heating system beneath athletic fields and an orientation to allow use of natural sunlight, the Watauga Democrat writes.
Twelve D-Con brand mouse and rat poison products produced by Reckitt Benckiser are to be banned by the EPA, and two new products denied approval, because they fail to comply with current safety standards set by the agency.
Environmental & Energy Software Citation Technologies released new international regulatory content for its Compliance Suite cloud-based risk and compliance management products. New content for countries including China, Mexico, Iraq, Egypt, South Africa and Singapore gives users the ability to monitor, manage and maintain compliance in more than 100 worldwide jurisdictions, Citation says.
Corporate Reports Ikea Group cut its normalized carbon emissions by 21.5 percent year-on-year in FY2012, according to the company’s latest sustainability report. In financial year 2011, the company emitted 34.4 kg of scopes 1 and 2 CO2 per cubic meter of product sold. In FY2012 this figured dropped to 27 kg of CO2 per cubic meter.
Inks and pigments producer Sun Chemical lowered its global energy usage by between 9 and 15 percent from 2010 to 2011, according to Environmental Leader estimates based on the company’s 2012 sustainability report.
Policy & Enforcement
The American Petroleum Institute may take its case against E15 high-ethanol fuel blend to the US Supreme Court. API would need to file a petition for a rehearing on whether E15 damages cars by mid-April. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the EPA’s decision to allow E15 fuel into the marketplace, The Hill said.
Scotland announced ambitious plans to cut emissions from the power sector, aiming to reduce emissions from electricity output to 50 grams of carbon dioxide per kWh by 2030.
Judge Sarah S. Vance of Federal District Court in New Orleans accepted BP’s $4 billion criminal settlement for the Gulf of Mexico spill. The company would have faced a trial and possibly tougher penalties if the plea agreement were rejected.
The Brazilian government announced plans to survey the Amazon rainforest. The Forestry Ministry said the census would take four years to complete, and would provide detailed data on tree species, soils and biodiversity in the world’s largest rainforest. The last exhaustive survey was carried out more than 30 years ago, the BBC reports.
The Department of Energy issued a pre-publication Federal Register notice of a public meeting for commercial and industrial pumps standards, on February 20. DOE also released the framework document concerning energy conservation standards for commercial and industrial pumps.
EPA Region 10 announced nearly 40 enforcement actions in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington from the last quarter of 2012, with assessments of more than $630,000 in penalties against the violators. Businesses involved include Healy Golden Valley Electric and Alaska Industrial Development, fined $115,000 for violating air permitting requirements at the Healy power plant in Alaska; Seattle General Biodiesel in Washington, with a $62,985 penalty for violations related to hazardous chemical emergency planning rules, and Olympic Fruit Co. in Washington, fined $33,964 10 for violating risk management program rules, the agency said.
A US federal court struck down a 2012 Renewable Fuel Standard target for refiner use of cellulosic biofuels, but upheld the government’s goal for use of other advanced fuels.
The number of European offshore wind installations is lagging behind targets by nearly 1,000 MW, the equivalent of about 330 turbines, the European Wind Energy Association reported. A total of 4,994 MW of offshore wind capacity is currently producing electricity in Europe’s waters, but EU countries had targeted an installation of 5,829 MW by the end of 2012, data published by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) showed. Despite the slow progress, Europe installed a record-breaking 1,166 MW in offshore wind capacity last year, beating its 2010 annual record of 900 MW, Reuters said.
Two oil barges pushed by a tugboat crashed into a railroad bridge in Vicksburg, Miss., and one of the barges is leaking crude oil into the Mississippi River. Coast Guard officials used an absorbent boom to contain the undetermined amount of oil that leaked. The barge was carrying 80,000 gallons of light crude oil, Reuters said.
Japanese utilities and business groups are urging the Energy Department to approve liquefied natural gas exports to nations that do not have free-trade agreements with the US; this includes Japan. The country needs to secure other energy supplies while its nuclear production is sidelined. As the debate over whether to allow these exports continues, pro-export groups include the American Petroleum Institute, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America and the US Chamber of Commerce while critics include US manufacturing and chemical companies.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will study naturally occurring levels of radioactivity in byproducts associated with oil and natural gas development. In the coming weeks, DEP will seek a peer review of its study plan and begin to sample and analyze the radioactivity levels in flowback waters, treatment solids and drill cuttings, and the transportation, storage and disposal of drilling wastes, the department said.
The Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative announced $12 million in funding to develop ultra-efficient solar devices that will close the gap with the theoretical efficiency limit, or the highest potential percentage of sunlight convertible directly into electricity. Accelerating breakthroughs in solar cell conversion efficiency will help lower the overall cost of solar power, and lead to the development of advanced, low-cost PV modules, the DOE said.
The EPA decided that the lower portion of the Esopus Creek in New York’s Catskills region must be classified as an impaired waterway. The agency notified the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that it must take action to reduce the waterway’s turbidity levels, which violate federal water quality standards. The pollution – silt, sediment and other particles – has been worsened by discharges from a reservoir that helps supply drinking water to New York City, the New York Times said.
China’s environment minister Zhou Shengxian said that emissions of four major pollutants dropped last year and should fall by a similar level this year. Emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, chemical oxygen and ammonia nitrogen all recorded one-year falls of two percent in 2012, and were expected to drop by the same degree in 2013, or even faster, Reuters said.
The US Court of Appeals dealt a blow for the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The court denied the Obama administration’s request for a full court review of an August 2012 decision striking down the rule, The Hill said. National Resources Defense Council attorney John Walke said it was a “terrible day for clean air in America.”
Royal Dutch Shell signed a contract at the World Economic Forum to drill for natural gas in Ukraine. The production agreement covers the Yuzivska gas field in the eastern part of the country. The project could give momentum to unconventional gas extraction in Europe, which lags far behind the United States in this sector, the New York Times said.
EU carbon prices slid 40 percent to a record low after politicians opposed plans to support the market. Prices dropped to €2.81 a metric ton after a vote in the European Parliament’s energy and industry committee opposing a scheme known as backloading, which is designed to temporarily reduce supply.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a settlement with Deutsche Bank Energy Trading to resolve an order-to-show-cause proceeding regarding manipulation of California power markets. Deutsche Bank neither admits nor denies the violations. It agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1.5 million and disgorge unjust profits of $172,645, plus interest, resulting from its trading in California Independent System Operator markets, FERC said.
Brazilian research institute Imazon said that deforestation increased for the fourth consecutive month in December, based on a review through satellite imagery. In the last five months of 2012, Imazon detected clearings of 497 square miles of woodland. Researchers and government officials say more data is needed to confirm that a full-fledged reversal of Brazil’s reduced deforestation trend is under way, Reuters said.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate estimates that geological formations under the Norwegian Sea could store 5.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide – or about 100 times the country’s annual emissions of carbon dioxide. In 2011, the NPD estimated that there are 70 billion tons of storage space below Norway’s sector of the North Sea, Reuters said.
The EPA reached settlements with two subsidiaries of the Kemira Group for violations of chemical and pesticide laws. The settlement with Kemira Chemicals resolves alleged violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Under the terms of the agreement, Kemira Chemicals has corrected the alleged violations and will pay a civil penalty of $301,600. Kemira Water Solutions, in correcting 27 violations of the Toxic Substance Control Act’s Inventory Update Reporting rule for the 2006 reporting period, will pay a civil penalty of $503,110, the agency said.
The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers spent nearly $2 million on lobbying in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with $500,000 for the same period in 2011. The group’s lobbying expenditures totaled $971,000 in the third quarter of 2012. AFPM has fought a biofuel-blending mandate and sought to reverse an EPA decision that permitted sales of a high-ethanol fuel blend, The Hill said.
The White House rejected the idea of proposing a carbon tax, just days after President Barack Obama called for action on climate change in his inaugural address. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the administration has not proposed and has “no intention of proposing a carbon tax,” according to transcripts of a press briefing.
The Keystone XL pipeline will have a greater impact on climate than previously thought because it will expand the tar sands industry and lead to increased combustion of a dirty form of oil, a study from Oil Change International finds. The report says that current analyses are undercounting carbon emissions by excluding the impact of petroleum coke, which is considered a refinery byproduct, the Natural Resources Defense Council said.
Ten GOP governors and Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall sent a letter to President Obama pressing for approval of the Keystone XL project. The group says the pipeline could lead to an increase in imports from Canada to 4 million barrels a day by 2020, twice what is currently imported from the Persian Gulf, and create the necessary infrastructure for more exports from the Bakken region in North Dakota and Montana, The Hill said.
Automotive electronics manufacturer Edge Products agreed to pay a $500,000 civil penalty in a settlement with the DOJ and EPA for manufacturing and selling electronic devices that allowed owners of model year 2007 and later diesel pickup trucks to remove emission controls from their vehicles. The company, located in Ogden, Utah, sold more than 9,000 of these electronic devices nationwide, resulting in an estimated 158 tons of excess PM emissions released into the atmosphere, the EPA said.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Energy Infrastructure Update reports that renewable energy accounted for nearly half of all new domestic electrical generating capacity installed in 2012. Wind added 10,689 MW in new capacity followed by solar with 1,476 MW; biomass additions totaled 543 MW, the report said.
Germany’s agriculture minister Ilse Aigner voiced opposition to the European Commission’s proposals to keep 7 percent of EU farmland fallow for environmental reasons, saying the percentage is too large. Germany has suggested that other types of environmentally-friendly land use could contribute to a greening policy. The proposal is part of negotiations to update EU’s farm support program, the Common Agricultural Policy, Reuters said.
The Labor Department issued a new rule that simplifies the process by which the Mine Safety and Health Administration can cite mine operators with patterns of violating health and safety regulations. Under the new
rules, MSHA can issue “pattern of violation” notices against mine operators without issuing a previous warning, and hold operators accountable for disregarding safety measures.
In a court filing Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and former Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) defended SEC rules that force oil, gas and mining companies to disclose payments to foreign governments. The lawmakers said the lawsuit against the Dodd-Frank act, brought on by oil and business groups, challenges the power of Congress to make policy on energy and national security, The Hill said.
The EPA finalized revisions to standards to reduce air pollution from stationary engines that generate electricity and power equipment at industrial, agricultural, oil and gas production, power generation and other facilities. The final revised rule will reduce the capital and annual costs of the 2010 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) by $287 million and $139 million. The EPA estimates annual health benefits of the updated standards to be worth $830 million to $2.1 billion.
The US Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal by the American Trucking Association of a policy that requires trucks entering the Port of Los Angeles to comply with certain environmental, safety and security requirements. The 2008 lawsuit disputes the authority of the port to set air certain standards for trucking operations under its Clean Trucks Program, Fleet Owner said.
The NERC raised questions about grid operator Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ ability to meet electricity demands. The commission said that the lack of new generation being built in Texas implies higher reliability risks and that ERCOT will need more resources as early as summer 2013 in order to maintain a sufficient reserve margin, Fuel Fix said.
US District Judge Ralph Beistline in Alaska has thrown out a US Fish and Wildlife Service plan to designate 187,000 square miles as habitat for threatened polar bears. The bears have been declared threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 2008. The judge said the designation was too extensive and overlooks the goal of growth and economic development, the AP said. Oil and gas companies, Alaska Native groups and the state of Alaska had sued over the designation, calling it an overreach.
The state of Oklahoma is short $2 million to comply with new EPA clean drinking water regulations. If Oklahoma fails to comply, the EPA will take responsibility for the safety of the state’s drinking water, which currently is in the hands of the state Department of Environmental Quality, NPR said.
Prompted by fears that big energy users would relocate plants outside of Europe now that most electricity generators must pay for carbon permits on the EU ETS, the EC is allowing member states to subsidize increased energy costs. So far, Germany and the UK have promised to give manufacturers, such as ThyssenKrupp and BASF, more than €600 million ($797 million) a year, Point Carbon said.
China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection pledged to reduce vehicle emissions, estimated to contribute about a quarter of China’s air pollution. The announcement followed a weekend of record bad smog in Beijing, but the regulator did not include details on how it will lower emissions, the Los Angeles Times said.
A Globe International study of energy and climate laws in 33 economies finds that 18, including China, Mexico and other emerging economies, have made significant progress in 2012 by passing laws to cut carbon and raise energy efficiency. The alliance aims to show the benefits of domestic laws and to show how a plan to lower carbon dioxide emissions by 2015 can be reached, Bloomberg said.
Studies & Reports
Some 77 percent of energy and utility professionals expect an increase in environmental regulations during President Obama’s second term, according to a survey by environmental software provider Enviance.
Commercial and operational challenges within the food industry, along with weak government leadership and people’s dependence on cheap food, are barriers to a sustainable food system, according to a report by the Food Ethics Council.
As the campaign for universities and other institutional investors to end investment in fossil fuels gathers pace, a report by financial advisory firm Aperio Group has found that such divestment carries a “statistically irrelevant” amount of risk.
Climate change and the strain it puts on natural resources could effectively “wipe out” assets in pension pots and reduce pensions to negligible levels, according to a report from the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University.
Mobile network O2 and phone maker HTC found that 82 percent of consumers during a three-month trial opted for the greener option and bought a mobile phone without a charger.
A majority of Americans believe businesses are better suited than the government to cope with climate change, according to a survey by communications group Havas Worldwide.
Soot is the second largest man-made contributor to global warming and its influence on climate has been greatly underestimated, according to the first quantitative analysis of this issue, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.
The number of eco-labels in the food industry is expected to continue to increase in 2013 and this proliferation could have adverse consequences, according to the research group Organic Monitor.
Total toxic air releases in 2011 declined 8 percent from 2010, but total releases of toxic chemicals increased for the second year in a row, according to EPA’s annual Toxics Release Inventory report.
Energy demand and supply, deforestation and President Obama’s political leadership on climate change are among the top environmental and sustainability stories to watch in 2013, according to the World Resources Institute.
Rhode Island has found a more cost-effective way to prevent underground petroleum storage tanks threatening water supplies, according to a study conducted by the state’s Department of Environmental Management.
Packaging & Paper
Walmart launched greener packaging for select prescriptions. In January, 4,600 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies introduced Ecoslide-RX box packaging, from Keystone Folding Box Company, for select prescriptions. The box is made from 100 percent recyclable material, has a secondary package that contains no plastic, and requires what Walmart calls a minimal amount of film and foil for the actual pill pack.
The global consumer goods industry could save $700 billion by adopting a circular economy, in which products are designed so their materials can either be recycled or reused, according to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Fleets & Transportation
Simon Group along with partners Toshiba Corp., Duke Energy, Itochu Corp., and Tom Wood Automotive Group, unveiled an advanced vehicle charging station, with solar panels and a battery – the first such installation to emerge from a regional project.
A majority of voters — 69 percent — supports the EPA setting stricter standards on gasoline and tighter emissions standards for cars, SUVs and trucks, according to the American Lung Association’s latest survey.
Ford, Nissan and Daimler signed an agreement to develop affordable fuel cell electric vehicles that the automakers hope to have on the road by 2017.
A NASA research team developed a manufacturing process for an airplane “hybrid wing” that could cut fuel consumption in half compared to traditional aircraft.
The number of global electric vehicle charging stations that use the CHAdeMO standard doubled in the past year to more than 2,000 units, and will continue to grow, according to the CHAdeMO Association. Last year the number of stations in the US alone grew from just 12 to 154.
PSA Peugeot Citroën is developing technology that would power a car through a combination of gasoline and compressed air storage. The first “Hybrid Air” cars will have fuel consumption of 2.9 l/100 km, offering a 90 percent increase in range in comparison with conventional engines. The technology will be fitted on certain models starting in 2016, the company says.
BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation signed agreements aimed at long-term collaboration for the joint development of a fuel cell system, architecture and components for a sports vehicle, lightweight technologies and a “post-lithium” lithium-air battery. The companies say they are convinced that fuel cell technology is one of the solutions necessary to achieve zero emissions.
BYD delivered 500 pure-electric, e6 police vehicles to the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau. The BYD e6 can reach speeds of over 87 mph with a range of 187 miles. The virtually silent engine of the BYD e6 is beneficial to police as they perform daily patrols and law enforcement activities in Shenzhen, BYD says.
Norbert Dentressangle and Mitsubishi Electric Europe introduced a diesel/electric hybrid vehicle to Mitsubishi’s dedicated distribution fleet. Norbert Dentressangle is responsible for the distribution of products, including large industrial air conditioning units, Ecodan heating systems, spare parts and instruction manuals, to MEU-UK’s customers throughout the UK and Ireland. The two companies have invested in a 12 metric ton DAF LF Hybrid.
Testa Produce added two new all-electric trucks to its delivery fleet, custom-made for Testa by Smith Electric Vehicles of Kansas City, Mo., and Kidron of Washington, N.C. The trucks have zero tailpipe emissions and travel up to 100 miles without recharging. Testa plans to use them for deliveries to customers in its downtown Chicago market.
Maersk Line has reached, eight years early, its target of reducing CO2 emissions by 25 percent from 2007 levels. The shipping company has now increased its 2020 goal to a 40 percent reduction.
A study of major companies including Boots, Morrisons and Network Rail found that companies switching to electric or plug-in vehicles could reduce their fleet fuel costs by 75 percent. The report comes from the Plugged-In Fleets Initiative, a joint effort of the Energy Saving Trust, EDF Energy and Route Monkey.
Boeing should have chosen a safer type of lithium-ion battery for its 787 Dreamliner planes, according to Lux Research. In January, one of the fuel-efficient passenger jet’s lithium-ion batteries caught fire while the airplane was parked, and another suspected battery fire on January 16 forced an emergency landing. By the following day, governments in the US, Japan, India and Europe had grounded the planes.
Ford’s Fusion Energi now boasts an EPA-rated total range of up to 620 miles and the ability to drive up to 21 miles in electric-only mode, nearly triple the electric-only range of plug-in hybrids from Toyota and Honda, Ford says. The 620-mile range means the vehicle can travel from Boston to Virginia Beach on one tank of gas and one full charge, Ford says.
Ford unveiled active grill shutters on its Atlas Concept truck at the Detroit Auto Show. The automatic shutters behind the grille stay open when extra engine cooling is needed, such as during low-speed stop-and-go
driving or while working in hot weather. The shutters automatically close to improve aerodynamics when cruising on the highway at steady speeds, Ford says.
Smart unveiled the Smart forstars, an electric sports utility coupe. The car offers 122 city MPGe with estimated 76-mile (city) and 90-mile (overall) driving ranges on a single charge. It will retail for $25,000, about $10,000 cheaper than the Nissan Leaf, according to Consumer Reports. But the car’s most novel selling feature appears to be the movie projector built into its hood, allowing owners to set up drive-in movie theaters wherever they go.
As previously predicted, Cadillac used the Detroit Auto Show to unveil its ELR plug-in hybrid, but commentators are now expecting the car to carry a heavier price tag than previously thought. The auto company originally estimated a mid-$50,000′s retail value, but in light of news that the car will be produced in limited quantities, Automotive News now expects the ELR to sell for as much as $70,000.
BMW unveiled the i8 roadster open-top electric-hybrid sportscar, which boasts acceleration of 0 to 62 mph in under five seconds combined with fuel consumption in the European cycle of 2.7 liters per 100 kilometers. This concept vehicle is similar to the i8 that goes on sale in late 2014, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Battery-related fire risk grounded Boeing’s fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliner planes in a number of countries, with governments in the US, Japan, India and Europe all prohibiting flights using the aircraft.
Honda unveiled its “Urban SUV Concept,” an all-new small SUV slated to launch in Japan by the end of the year. The SUV, which is part of Honda’s global series of compact vehicles, will be available in the US in 2014.
Verizon collaborated with electric-vehicle developer and manufacturer Via Motors to produce an extended-range electric cargo van and unveiled the vehicle this month. Via developed and built the van based on Verizon’s direction and fleet concepts, and expects it to achieve 100 miles per gallon with near-zero emissions.
Nissan is lowering the price of its 2013 Leaf electric vehicle by about $6,000 to $28,800, reported the Huffington Post. When combined with the federal electric-vehicle tax credit of $7,500 and other state and local incentive, the price could be as low as $18,800 for consumers in California. The 2013 Nissan Leaf goes on sale in February.
The Nissan Resonance crossover concept made its global debut at the Detroit Auto Show. The concept, created by Nissan Design America in San Diego, would house a 2.5-liter engine with an electric motor and two-clutch hybrid technology, reported Autoweek.
Cadillac shared a few more details about its 2014 Cadillac ELR, a plug-in hybrid luxury coupe based on the Chevrolet Volt. The ELR will use the Volt’s 16.5-kilowatt-hour battery, a 1.4-liter, 84-horspeower, 4-cylinder engine and an electric drive unit that produces 160 to 180 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, reported the New York Times. Cadillac did not release pricing for the ELR, which goes on sale next year.
Green Building
Forward-thinking building owners, such as PNC Bank, are constructing new net-zero energy buildings, but a blog posting on HPAC Engineering questions whether some of these buildings really live up to their name.
Executive Moves
Better Place, the EV battery swapping company’s CEO Evan Thornley, who took over in October 2012 after the departure of founder Shai Agassi, left the company. Idan Ofer will assume the role of executive chairman and manage external relationships and alliances for Better Place, while Alan Gelman, global CFO, will manage day-to-day operations, the company said.
Proterra, thebattery-electric transit bus manufacturer, hired Ron Garrison to lead its customer service department. Garrison previously served as executive director of StarMetro Transit in Tallahassee, Fla., and is the past chairman of the Florida Public Transportation Association.
Edgcomb Law Group added two partners, Nancy Wilms and Tiffany Hedgpeth. Wilms and Hedgpeth, formerly partners at Bingham McCutchen in Los Angeles, will spearhead the opening of ELG’s new office in Burbank, Calif.
National Park Foundation announced Valerie Dorian as the foundation’s senior vice president of corporate partnerships and strategic alliances. In this role, Dorian will provide strategic oversight of the foundation’s corporate and cause marketing. Dorian comes from The Nature Conservancy, where she worked for eight years as the director of brand marketing and strategic partnerships.
Sustainable Silicon Valley elected three new board members: Jamie Orr, a physics and engineering instructor at Foothill College; Masaru Sakamoto, senior vice president for Asia/Japan with EcoPlexus; and Zann Gill, founding director of the Microbes Mind Forum and EcoDesyn Lab.
AquaFiber Technologies Corp. named Kirby Green III as president. Green has served as senior vice president of AquaFiber for the past year. He also is a member of the company’s board of directors and sits on its executive committee, which develops strategic plans and develops new markets.
Waste Corporation appointed James Cowhey Jr. as CEO. Cowhey joins WCA following the sale of Chicago-based Land and Lakes Co., where he had served as president and CEO since 2001.
Herakles Farms announced the appointment of Atanga Ekobo as vice president of conservation. Ekobo worked for the past 10 years as program coordinator for the WWF Coastal Forests Program in Cameroon.
Saul Ewing law firm announced John P. Englert joined as partner in its energy, environment and utilities department. Englert, who focuses his practice on energy, environmental and safety and health matters for commercial and industrial clients, will work out of Saul Ewing’s Pittsburgh office.
Water Management
The World Resources Institute and companies including GE, Shell, Dow, United Technologies and DuPont launched an online tool that maps water risks worldwide. The Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, developed by WRI and members of the Aqueduct Alliance, can help companies, investors and governments see how water stress will affect operations locally and globally, and help prioritize investments that will increase water security.
Severn Trent Services supplied its TETRA LP Block filter underdrain system for the City of Kansas City, Mo., Water Services Department’s primary water treatment plant. The product is a dual parallel lateral underdrain
system constructed from HDPE molded plastic blocks. The city will use the filter system to distribute both air and water for either concurrent or sequential backwashing at the 240 million gallon-per-day plant, which is located along the Missouri River.
As the economic costs of severe weather increase, consulting firm Ernst & Young has compiled a list of steps companies facing water scarcity should take to assess and mitigate the risks.
Hospitality brands including Virgin Hotels and Ritz Carlton have signed up to the Whole World Water initiative, through which they will filter, bottle and sell their own water. The spas, hotels, resorts and restaurants that join the program will then contribute 10 percent of the bottled water proceeds to the Whole World Water Fund, which benefits clean and safe water programs around the world.
Cargill will idle its Plainview, Texas, beef processing plant due to a tight cattle supply brought on by years of drought in the region. The US cattle herd is at its lowest level since 1952, Cargill said. Increased feed costs resulting from the prolonged drought, combined with herd liquidations by cattle ranchers, are severely challenging the beef industry, said John Keating, president of Cargill Beef.
WWF and H&M entered into a three-year partnership to develop a global water strategy that will be implemented across the fashion retailer’s 48 national markets and 750 direct suppliers. During 2012, the organizations performed a comprehensive evaluation of all H&M’s efforts and challenges in connection with water. This forms the basis of the new strategy, which they say they will implement this year.
While 62 percent of facility managers believe the cost for water will go up moderately in their communities in years to come, less than 30 percent said costs should go up to encourage conservation and more efficient water use, according to a survey conducted for Waterless Co., a manufacturer of no-water urinal systems and other restroom products.
Waste & Recycling
Ameren Missouri selected Appliance Recycling Centers of America to continue to provide appliance recycling services for the utility’s ApplianceSavers program through 2015. Through this program, participating Ameren
Missouri residential electric customers who turn in operating but energy inefficient refrigerators and freezers, manufactured in 2001 or earlier, are eligible for a $50 rebate.
Toy company Hasbro, Inc., partnered with the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation to introduce single-stream recycling at all of its Rhode Island facilities. RIRRC has already rolled out the program for residential customers. Within the first month of operation in the residential sector, recycling volumes increased by 7.5 percent.
Renewable Energy
The Arizona Corporation Commission eliminated all incentives for commercial solar installations in one of the sunniest states in the US. The ACC determined the solar industry in Arizona is self-sufficient and no longer needs to rely on incentives, which are paid for by ratepayers.
Intel, Kohl’s Department Stores, Whole Foods Market, TD Bank, Deutsche Bank, NYSE EuroNext, BMO Harris Bank and Adobe Systems are among dozens of organizations that are using 100 percent green power in their US operations through renewable energy certificates, on-site generation and utility green power products, according to the EPA’s annual Green Power Partnership lists.
Motorola Mobility has received the WindMade label, certifying that 66 percent of the electricity used in the smartphone and tablet manufacturer’s US operations comes from wind power.
Panasonic Eco Solutions North America completed a 500 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation installation at the University of Colorado Boulder. The system was developed and built by Panasonic with local support from Lighthouse Solar.
Volkswagen opened a solar park on 33 acres adjacent to its LEED Platinum manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. The 9.5 MW solar park contains 33,600 solar modules from JA Solar, designed to produce 13.1 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.
Arista Power Inc. received an order for a mobile renewable power station and extended support agreement from an unnamed US government agency. The MRPS combines Arista Power’s energy storage, power
distribution and patent pending system controls and intelligence along with energy generation from solar photovoltaics to create a complete micro-grid suited for power at remote locations.
United Arab Emirates-based renewable energy company Masdar launched a pilot program to test and develop energy-efficient seawater desalination technologies suitable to be powered by renewable energy sources.
Corporate Sustainability
Patagonia Inc. is aiming to restore 15 million acres of grassland in its namesake region, and bring a new line of sustainable merino wool products to consumers, through a partnership with the Nature Conservancy and Argentine rancher network Ovis XXI.
Yingli Solar pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per MW of photovoltaic module production by 13 percent by 2015, compared to 2010 levels, as it joins the Climate Savers program. Yingli is the first Chinese company and the first photovoltaic manufacturer to join the program initiated by the World Wildlife Fund.
SAP missed its 2012 greenhouse gas emissions target, according to preliminary results. While its business grew – the company’s non-IFRS software and cloud subscriptions revenue increased 17 percent during 2012 – total greenhouse gas emissions stayed flat, coming in at 490 kilotons carbon dioxide emissions for the year. SAP’s target was 480 kilotons.
In a victory for Friends of the Earth’s “Bee Cause” campaign, two UK hardware retailers, B&Q and Wickes, have said they will no longer sell products containing pesticides linked to declining bee populations.
You don’t have to be ridiculous to be green, according to Clorox. The company’s Green Works brand of cleaning products has launched a new marketing campaign with digital ads and interactive elements poking fun at eco-fanatics and attempting to make “eco-friendly people friendly again.”
Monsanto joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and is offering the WBCSD’s Business Ecosystems Training course globally for employees, according to the agribusiness company.
Nearly half of the 55 Apple suppliers that underwent a focused environmental audit last year violated the company’s standards and were cited in the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs pollution database, according to the tech company’s annual supply chain progress report.
McDonald’s USA says it will become the first national restaurant chain to serve fish bearing the Marine Stewardship Council eco-label at all of its US locations.
Home Care Associates, Untours Media, Yikes, Nolan Painting and Mugshots Coffeehouse were among more than a dozen companies to register as benefit corporations since Pennsylvania passed a law to give businesses greater freedom to pursue social and environmental objectives.
Professional services company Aramark is to source all of its shell eggs in the United States from cage-free hens by the end of 2014. Aramark’s announcement comes after its commitment last August to eliminate the use of pig gestation crates in its US supply chain by 2017.
SAP announced plans to invest $6.6 million in sustainability and entrepreneurship at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. The software corporation will join the Livelihoods Fund with a €3 million ($4 million) investment.
SAP announced that it is to make an initial €2 million investment to three organizations: Endeavor Global, Endeavor Brazil and India’s National Entrepreneurship Network. The focus for investment will be on job creation and responsible and sustainable business growth for emerging entrepreneurs, the company says.
More than half of Unilever’s factories achieved the goal of sending no waste to landfill in 2012, prompting the company to speed up by five years its goal of zero waste to landfill by 2020. By the end of 2015, Unilever’s 252 factories worldwide will not sent any non-hazardous waste to landfill, the company announced.
Tokyo’s cap-and-trade program achieved a 23 percent reduction in emissions in its second year, according to a report published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG).
Icy walkways leading into games at the Calgary Flames’ Scotiabank Saddledome this NHL hockey season will be covered with award-winning EcoTraction, described by its manufacturer as an environmentally friendly alternative to ice melters such as road salt. EcoTraction consists of absorbent green granules which immediately imbed into ice, causing a sandpaper-like safety layer.
Victoria’s Secret parent company Limited Brands and the Benetton Group have agreed to eliminate all hazardous chemicals from their supply chains and products by 2020 after pressure from Greenpeace to sign on to its Detox campaign.
A persistent gap exists between the sustainable business practices of multinational corporations and their suppliers, highlighting a lack of preparation to respond to climate change and the near-term risks it presents to businesses, according to research published by the Carbon Disclosure Project and Accenture.
Microsoft Research is building a giant computer model for terrestrial and marine ecosystems, which the scientists hope policy makers will use to better manage natural resources. A global data-gathering program is expensive, and Microsoft Research says it and other GEM supporters are calling on governments worldwide to support programs that collect and manage ecological and climate data.
Tata Global Beverages, Unilever, Yorkshire Tea and Finlays, along with several organizations from across the tea value chain, launched the second phase of Tea 2030, a project aimed at developing sustainability innovations to help secure the industry’s long-term future.
Collaborating on green issues is the key issue facing Canadian companies with a strong record of sustainability, according to research by the Network for Business Sustainability. The research found leading companies have already secured the easy sustainability wins, but to continue to progress their sustainability agendas they need to tackle system-wide challenges beyond the boundaries of their organizations.
A better dialogue between company boards and their investors can lead to higher quality disclosures and a more informed capital market, a roundtable hosted by the International Integrated Reporting Council and corporate communications agency Black Sun has heard.
Enbridge is resisting the EPA’s order to dredge Michigan’s Kalamazoo River for oil that remains nearly three years after the company’s million-gallon spill there. In October 2012, EPA ordered the Canadian oil firm to intensify cleanup efforts along the river, where the company’s 30-inch pipeline spilled over 20,000 barrels in July 2010.
Canon, Dell, Ricoh and Xerox are the first manufacturers to have qualifying products listed in the new imaging equipment category of the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, a global registry for greener electronics. EPEAT, which already operates a registry for computers and displays, finalized standards for imaging equipment last June.
Carpet maker Interface and Oberlin College are among the schools, businesses and individuals recognized for their environmental initiatives by the US Green Building Council’s Best Green Schools 2012 list. The list is a project of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. The center says green schools use 33 percent less energy and 32 percent less water than conventionally designed schools, and can save about $100,000 off operating costs annually.
Toyota’s 2013 Prius line dominates this year’s Greenest list, an automotive ranking by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Colgate-Palmolive, Groupe Danone, Gucci and Heinz are among the companies that last year disclosed their forest footprint for the first time - but the gap between the leaders of the forest risk commodity sectors and their peers is ever growing, according to the fourth annual Forest Footprint Disclosure Report.
