Waste News articles from March 2008

Waste News archives from March 2008

Supplier news.(Briefs)
March 3, 2008... Partnership yields new fleet software Arsenault Associates, in association with U.S. Bank Voyager Fleet Systems Inc., is offering its Dossier Fleet Software customers a fleet fuel and maintenance purchasing card named the Dossier Fleet...

Report points to carbon tax benefits.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan While capping and trading carbon dioxide emissions has gained the political upper hand, a carbon tax is likely the more efficient method of taming global warming. That's the word in a 42-page report issued by...

Green in store for Office Depot chain.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Office Depot Inc. has opened its first green store in Austin, Texas, which will serve as a model for future locations. The energy and resource-efficient store will open in the summer. It will be one of the first...

New program gives underdog a leg up; New curbside program puts El Paso on the municipal recycling survey map.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini A new curbside recycling program, along with a new attitude, has lifted one of the perennial basement dwellers in the Waste News Municipal Recycling Survey to new heights. El Paso, Texas, reported a 2.5 percent...

Green transition not so easy in offices.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Matthew Flamm Over the past year, Anvil Knitwear has adopted a range of environmentally friendly practices in its Manhattan offices - everything from adjusting thermostats and recycling ink cartridges to using coffee mugs instead...

Prolific port to crack down on pollution.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson One of America's busiest ports expects to eliminate 80 percent of its truck-related air pollution within five years by replacing nearly 17,000 vehicles hauling cargo at the site. The Port of Long Beach in California...

Nanotechnology offers big promise in small package.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Imagine this. Technology invisible without a microscope could cleanse sullied groundwater or scrub harmful metals from smokestacks. When you consider that one sheet of the newspaper you're holding is 100,000...

Here comes the sun; Ariz. to build on of world's largest solar power plants.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Arizona Public Service Co. has unveiled plans to build one of the world's largest solar power facilities. The Solana Generating Station, a 280-megawatt concentrating solar power plant, will be located near Gila Bend,...

Tech hurdles could hamper ethanol pipeline construction.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Two energy companies are hoping to overcome technological hurdles to construct an ethanol pipeline that would transport the alcohol-based fuel from the Midwest to the East Coast. Magellan Midstream Partners LP...

EPA warned of potential mine disaster; Congressmen fear toxic water flood at Colo. site.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Democratic leaders of a House committee have written a letter asking the EPA to take immediate action to avert a potential catastrophe involving a blocked drainage tunnel at an old Colorado mine. House Energy...

Finite resources.(Opinion)(Brief article)
March 3, 2008... Toronto is close to starting what could be one of the most effective waste reduction programs yet. The Canadian city this summer will begin a volume-based waste rate, charging customers based on how much they generate in order to raise the...

Luxury builders hope solar sells.(At Your Disposal)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Condominium developers in Phoenix are hoping a promise of five years of free electricity will help convince home buyers to plunk down about a million dollars each for 36 energy-efficient luxury townhouses they are...

Letters.
March 3, 2008... Something's missing In the Editor's View article titled "Choices not yet clear'' [Jan. 21], four presidential candidates on each side of the aisle were compared regarding their concern for the environment. But there was a glaring omission....

China firm ships natural gas buses to U.S.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson A company from China plans to ship 1,000 compressed natural gas-powered buses to the United States within a year. The buses from Youngman Automotive Group will be imported by ZAP, a company that has made a name for...

Correction.(Correction notice)
March 3, 2008... The article on Page 3 of the Feb. 18 issue of Waste News with the headline "Court rejects EPA mercury rule'' should have said, "The EPA rules, unveiled in 2005, would have established a cap and trade program...''

Energy package moves ahead.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Though the Senate continues to hem and haw, the House plowed forward with an $18 billion energy tax package favoring renewables and conservation. With oil lingering near $100 a barrel and gasoline above $3 a...

EPA chief ignored advice over waiver.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Senate staffers piecing together a jumble of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency documents have concluded that Administrator Stephen Johnson discounted advice from agency higher-ups when he denied California a...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)
March 3, 2008... Brownfields House Dems back site cleanup program Two House Democrats have joined forces to pump up funding for the EPA's brownfield program through 2012. Reps. James Oberstar of Minnesota and Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas want to...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
March 3, 2008... Hazardous Waste DOD says satellite shootdown a success Defense Department officials said they are confident the missile they sent to intercept a wayward satellite last week achieved its objective of destroying the hydrazine tank and...

Inbox.(At Your Disposal)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Pete Fehrenbach Smells Like Trouble: The Washington Post published a long story last week on a political battle shaping up over the EPA's emission rules for large livestock farms. Agriculture industry lobbyists and lawmakers...

High court revisits massive oil spill; Exxon, injured wrangle over $2.5B punitive damages.
March 3, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan For the clusters of fishery-reliant Native Alaskans standing in the early-morning bracing cold of their nation's capital, it's about being reimbursed for despoiled livelihoods. But for oil giant Exxon Mobil,...

Let's halt the toxic boomerang.(Opinion)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Lauren S. Roman Could American consumers actually be responsible for some of the toxins that are coming home to roost in Chinese imports? There has been so much news this year about lead in our toys and poisons in our food,...

Dell, Goodwill to expand e-scrap recycling; Donations of any brand will be accepted for free.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Dell Inc. and Goodwill Industries Inc. have expanded their electronic scrap reuse and recycling partnership in an effort to recycle 1 million pounds of computer equipment during the next year. On Feb. 20, Goodwill...

EPA plans to classify meds as universal waste.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. EPA plans later this year to propose adding hazardous pharmaceutical waste to the universal waste system, which would make it easier for health care workers and pharmacy employees to dispose of...

Allied turns the corner.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Picture one of those split screens, the image on the left contrasted with the image on the right. Only this time, it's not about face creams or diet plans. Each shot is of Allied Waste Industries Inc. And they show...

CAPITAL BRIEFS; A summary of recent developments in federal and state environmental legislation and regulation.(Briefs)
March 3, 2008... LEGISLATION SOLID WASTE California: Assembly Bill 904 prohibits takeout food providers from distributing single-use food service packaging to consumers unless the packaging is compostable or recyclable. To Senate Committee on...

Coming Events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
March 3, 2008... March 4-5 - Greening Your Fleet: How to Choose Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Right For Your Fleet, Orange County, Calif. Call (702) 254-4180 or visit www.afvi.org. March 4-5 - Eighth Annual Massachusetts Organics Recycling Summit,...

New Products.(Products)
March 3, 2008... MAC TRAILER MANUFACTURING has introduced an optional full hardwood decking for the entire Flatbed product series. The hardwood deck allows for the nailing of the load throughout the entire length and width of the trailer and can be easily...

A Look Back.(At Your Disposal)
March 3, 2008... 10 years ago: The General Services Administration vows to start selling only recycled copier paper, resolving months of debate on paper sales that do not comply with a 1993 executive order. 5 years ago: Waste Management Inc. cuts 700 jobs...

Paying for our sins.(Opinion)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Allan Gerlat Amid all the current fervor about finding a solution to global warming, an interesting report quietly came out last month that doesn't follow the current political fashion. Implementing a cap-and-trade system on...

Luminant details emission reduction plan.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Luminant has released details on its $1 billion promise to curb emissions at its coal-fired units in Texas. The Dallas-based utility released the details of its voluntary emission reduction program, which will offset...

Push for new diesel; House bill to fund vehicle retrofitting.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Legislation to continue reducing air pollution from school buses, trucks and other older diesel engines has advanced to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill, approved by a House panel Feb. 13,...

At Deadline.(Late News)
March 3, 2008... BP to build 750-MW wind farm in Texas BP Alternative Energy and Padoma Wind Power LLC have moved into full construction on the first phase of a planned 750-megawatt Texas wind farm. Phase one of the Sherbino Wind Farm, located about 30...

Awards.(Briefs)
March 3, 2008... Duke Energy earns excellence award Duke Energy Corp. has received the Advocacy Excellence Award from the Edison Electric Institute in recognition of the company's comprehensive advocacy program to promote energy efficiency with customers...

Personnel.(People)
March 3, 2008... CEREPLAST INC. - Jacques Vincent appointed to board of directors. CORNERSTONE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP LLC - Mark Torresani named senior project manager. DURAND-WAYLAND INC. - Andrew Tripp named sales specialist for the John Bean...

Builders want to mainstream green; Construction program would push environmentally friendly practices.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson A nationwide home builders group is out with its own green construction program designed to help push environmentally friendly practices into the mainstream. The National Association of Home Builders, during its...

Plan doesn't hold water.(Opinion)
March 3, 2008... When more than one Republican joins in with Democrats in opposing certain budget cuts, you know there has to be a pretty strong reason. And there is, in the case of President Bush's proposed 2009 budget for the U.S. Environmental Protection...

Gone fishing; Covanta works with New England fishermen to recycle old gear.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Covanta Holding Corp. employees have gone fishing, but that doesn't mean they aren't hard at work. Through the company's Fishing for Energy program, Covanta will work with New England coastal communities to collect...

Weighty wisdom; Pennsylvania group totes trash to learn lesson.
March 3, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Call it trash and carry. And carrying trash around, like a group of Pennsylvanians did last week, will certainly provide second thoughts about what gets tossed to the curb. Denise Brinley, for one, realized the...

'Dingellsaurus' predicts compromise on climate bill.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Last year critics mocked Michigan's senior Democratic congressman as a "Dingellsaurus'' for not hopping aboard the climate change bandwagon. Now, however, Rep. John Dingell claims it's conceivable that before...

Toronto tailors trash charges.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Toronto is moving ahead with a plan to charge residents based on the amount of trash they generate in an attempt to reach a 70 percent diversion goal by 2010. The city plans to launch a volume-based solid waste rate...

Plantiff drops challenge vs. WI's plan to go private.(News)(Brief article)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson New details are emerging about Waste Industries USA Inc.'s plans to go private, including information about how the company agreed to the final price tag. Plans to take Waste Industries private in a $544 million...

Waste News plans event for haulers and recyclers.(News)(Conference news)
March 3, 2008... Waste News is launching a new conference, a technology oriented program for haulers and recyclers. The Waste News Sustainability and Compliance Conference is scheduled for Aug. 5-6 in Nashville, Tenn. Co-organizer of the event is...

EPA funding fight looms.
March 3, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman It appears President Bush's proposed 2009 EPA budget will face tough challenges in the Senate, as Democrats and Republicans alike criticized it Feb. 27 during an Environment Committee hearing with agency...

Sierra Club considers lawsuit against Bush.(News)
March 3, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The Sierra Club is considering filing a new lawsuit against the Bush administration in an effort to force the EPA to set carbon dioxide emission regulations. David Bookbinder, a Sierra Club attorney, said the...

Stock Report.(At Your Disposal)
March 3, 2008... 3 graphs: Waste News Stock Index * Calvert Social Index Fund * Dow Jones Industrial Average * table: Percentage Change by Market Segment: see print copy.

The winners.(News)
March 3, 2008... The winners of the Waste News Environmental Awards for 2007 show off their prizes. From left: Steve Barry of Waste Management Inc. with the private sector award; Waste News Editor Allan Gerlat, who presented the awards; and Ed Hector and Jack...

Pachyderm pact.(At Your Disposal)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Chrissy Kadleck Sitting on a balcony in Tanzania, perched for the night until she and her daughter could enter the national park and embark on their celebratory safari last summer, Barbara Nussa heard a foreshadowing call of the...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
March 17, 2008... Fines not the answer I have just one word for you why fining people for putting recyclables in the trash might not be a good idea: teenagers ["Golden Gate Gotcha," Inbox, Feb. 21]. No matter how much cajoling ("You do know this is your...

Stock Report.(At Your Disposal)
March 17, 2008... 3 graphs: Waste News Stock Index * Calvert Social Index Fund * Dow Jones Industrial Average * table: Percentage Change by Market Segment: see print copy.

Supplier News.(Briefs)
March 17, 2008... Firm acquires e-health business SCS Engineers has acquired Environmental Health Services through an asset acquisition. Headquartered in North Las Vegas, Nev., the company will operate as the Environmental Health Services Division of...

EPA leader talks about watchdog role; Keynote speaker discusses agency's duties at Waste News' Washington, D.C., forum.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Allan Gerlat People traditionally think of the Environmental Protection Agency as America's environmental cop, the watchdog put there to catch when things go wrong. James Gulliford, though, has a briefcase full of examples of...

Slow building; Construction of nuclear plants to grow gradually.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Construction of nuclear plants, seen to many as one of the few low-carbon options to produce large amounts of electricity, will be slow and cautious over the next decade, according to the industry. Four to eight new...

N.J. considers wind farm proposals.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini New Jersey has received competing proposals to build a 350-megawatt offshore wind energy project. One proposed wind farm could have the capacity to generate 350 megawatts of electricity and be invisible to those on...

Weyerhaeuser will close Honolulu plant.
March 17, 2008... Weyerhaeuser will close Honolulu plant Weyerhaeuser Co. is closing a corrugated packaging plant in Honolulu, costing about 85 people their jobs. "It is with much regret that we announce the permanent closure of the Honolulu box...

Eaten away; Alaska village fights for life, sues companies for moving costs as sea slowly consumes it.
March 17, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman Kivalina, Alaska, is a small village located on the tip of a six-mile barrier reef more than 70 miles above the Arctic Circle that is slowly being washed away by the Chukchi Sea. The water is rising, residents...

New products.(Products)(Brief article)
March 17, 2008... REOTEMP INSTRUMENTS has introduced a threaded, off-line diaphragm seal. The large welded diaphragm allows the lower housing to be removed for easy cleaning without losing fill. There are a variety of process connections available. For more...

Moratorium demanded on new coal-fired plants.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Two well-known Democrats from opposite sides of the country share the same aggressive view on subduing global warming. That has prompted the pair of House leaders to demand a moratorium on new coal-fired power...

Allied to give little town big job boost.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Allied Waste Industries Inc. aims to make a big difference in a little Indiana town. The nation's second-largest solid waste management company is creating a new regional customer and financial support center in...

Major league baseball makes pitch to go green.
March 17, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Major League Baseball wants every team's colors to include green. They will be playing for keeps starting in just a couple of weeks, packing millions of people into stadiums around the country during the course of...

Concern arises over imported waste.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Joe Truini Utah is unimpressed with the latest Italian import. U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, has sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission expressing his concerns regarding EnergySolutions Inc.'s request to dispose...

Inbox.(At Your Disposal)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Pete Fehrenbach Wasted On Water? The Associated Press proclaimed last week that the nation's drinking water is full of trace amounts of drugs. "Tens of millions of Americans here and elsewhere drink water that has tested...

Waste Services sold to neighbor.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Waste Services Inc. is selling its Jacksonville, Fla., area operations, and it didn't have to go far to find a buyer. Advanced Disposal Services Inc., based in Jacksonville, is buying the waste hauling and recycling...

Suit could force mine cleanup; Bonds would cover costly cleanup if mining company goes bankrupt.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The law firm Earthjustice has filed a lawsuit to force the federal government to require mining companies and a handful of other industries to post bonds ensuring that costly environmental cleanups of polluted land...

Waste Generator Briefs.(Briefs)(Report)
March 17, 2008... Chemical Manufacturing W.R. Grace faces record Superfund fine Chemical supplier W.R. Grace & Co. has agreed to pay a record $250 million to reimburse the federal government for the costs of investigating and cleaning up asbestos...

Waste Industry Briefs.(Briefs)
March 17, 2008... Solid Waste Group seeks to block flow control in Pa. A flow control battle is looming in Pennsylvania as the state's waste industry trade group is going to court in an attempt to stop a new ordinance from taking hold in Delaware...

U.N. summit highlights climate risk; Investment community sees 'seminal change' toward addressing GHG emissions.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Dan Jamieson Investment News Pressure is increasing on the U.S. government and the investment community to address climate change. Some 450 institutional investors, pension plans and corporate executives at a high-profile...

Hydrogen slips as green auto solution.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Harry Stoffer Automotive News Five years ago, President Bush predicted that "the first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen, and pollution-free.'' That probably won't happen, unless the next president...

Retirement nuisance begets pollution solution.(Technology)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Tracy Hayhurst Timothy Wandell might admit that his idea to "wash air'' was a little nutty. The notion came to him, after all, when he was trying to retire in Hawaii on a macadamia nut farm. But ash from a nearby volcano...

Military hasn't proven need for exemptions, GAO says.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman The U.S. Department of Defense has failed to prove it needs exemptions to several environmental laws to ensure military readiness, according to a congressional report released March 7. Since 2003, the Defense...

CAPITAL BRIEFS; A summary of recent developments in federal and state environmental legislation and regulation.(Briefs)
March 17, 2008... LEGISLATION SOLID WASTE Arizona: House Bill 2426 amends operational rules at waste tire collection sites. Passed by the House March 3. Hawaii: Senate Bill 2192 requires the Department of Health to conduct an independent analysis...

Coming events.(Calendar)(Calendar)
March 17, 2008... March 25-28 - Wastec Annual Conference, La Jolla, Calif. Contact Michael Knaub at (202) 244-4700 or visit www.wastec.org. March 26-27 - Natural Gas Vehicles: The Road Forward or a Dead End?, Orange County, Calif. Call (702) 254-4180 or...

EPA toughens smog rules.
March 17, 2008... Byline: Bruce Geiselman U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson on March 12 signed into law a new, more stringent ozone standard. It's the first revision in more than a decade. Johnson, in a telephone press conference announcing his...

A Look Back.(At Your Disposal)
March 17, 2008... 10 years ago: Bowater Inc. acquires Avenor Inc., making Bowater North America's second-largest newsprint maker. Bowater's $2.47 billion offer beat an earlier offer by Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. by more than $350 million. 5 years ago:...

Waste Industries USA reports a 'great' year.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Costs associated with Waste Industries USA Inc.'s move to go private impacted fourth quarter financial results, but the company's CEO said 2007 was still "great.'' The Raleigh, N.C.-based waste company earned $5.1...

Senate to probe drinking water reports.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Press reports last week about drinking water sullied with trace levels of pharmaceuticals have prompted several senators to call for an oversight hearing and reassurance from the EPA. Though utilities claim...

Mercury milestone; Recovery of vehicle mercury switches reaches million mark.(News)(Brief article)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson More than 1 million mercury switches - containing more than a ton of the toxic metal - have been removed from old, junked vehicles through a nationwide program. The National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program...

Correction.(Correction notice)
March 17, 2008... The Personnel item for Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP on Page 16 of the Feb. 18 issue of Waste News should have stated, "Leonard Miller named partner; Lynn Gallagher named counsel.''

Remo won't be beat at eco-efforts.(News)(Remo Inc.)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson Remo Inc. is a well-known name in the world of musical instruments, with a half-century history of making drums and percussion instruments. A lesser-known fact is that the Valencia, Calif.-based company also has a...

Calif. senator flays EPA boss over waiver.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Another day, another verbal beating. That's the recent routine for EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson as Democrats on Capitol Hill continue to excoriate him for denying California a Clean Air Act waiver to curb...

Facing a 'clean energy divide'; House proposal would create renewable energy agency.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan While President Bush balks, Rep. Ed Markey is intent on bridging what he calls the planet's "clean-energy divide.'' As the nation's capital hosted the International Renewable Energy Conference the week of...

Tough charges; EPA 'stonewalling' on high court GHG order, senator says.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Sen. Dianne Feinstein turned a March 4 budget oversight hearing into an opportunity to verbally pummel EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson for being snail-like on a Supreme Court order to limit greenhouse gas...

Senate panel blasts 'terrible' EPA budget.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth McGowan Senators who reign over the EPA's purse strings lambasted Administrator Stephen Johnson for trying to ramrod through a paltry, pared-down fiscal 2009 Environmental Protection Agency budget without congressional...

Trash truck crash course.(News)
March 17, 2008... Byline: Jim Johnson More than 300 drivers in a dozen cities are being given the freedom of crashing their trash trucks without the fear of company reprisal this month. And it's all in the name of safety. The drivers are taking...