Major Railroads Join Waste Industry in Calling for Oversight of "Sham" Operators
Major railroad owners and the solid waste industry have petitioned the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to modify the federal preemption that allows railroads to operate waste facilities near rail lines without following state and local waste laws. Railroad owners requested that the STB create a threshold for small railroads to meet before being granted preemption status. They argue that many small railroads are sham operations; small railroads created only for the purpose of establishing a waste facility exempted from state and local waste laws. The waste industry would like the STB to go further. They are asking, in addition, that all railroad waste stations be used only as transfer stations and not for extraction, segregation and shredding activities. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) may go even further, depending on what the STB does in a pending decision. He has introduced a bill that would remove the preemption altogether...Read More »
Oneida-Herkimer Decision Opens the Door for High Court to Address Muni Bonds Case
The Supreme Court may distinguish a case about a state's preferential treatment of its own tax exempt bonds from its recent decision in United Haulers Association v. Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority, No. 05-1345. At issue in that case was whether two New York counties could require private haulers to deliver all solid waste to a single publicly owned landfill. In the new case, Department of Revenue of Kentucky v. Davis, No. 06-666, the court will decide whether a state can exempt interest payments from its own bonds from income tax for its residents, while still taxing the interest payments from other states' bonds...Read More »
Staples Expands its E-Waste Recycling Program
Staples Inc., the world's largest office products retailer, is expanding its electronics-waste recycling program by accepting used computers and monitors for a $10 fee at any of its 1,400 U.S. locations. Framingham, Mass.-based Staples is following similar initiatives by many computer-makers and retailers to confront the growing environmental and public-health risk posed by discarded electronics equipment. This most recent initiative expands on its 4-year-old program that allows customers to drop off smaller devices such as cell phones, pagers and digital cameras for free. It makes Staples the first to accept computers for recycling on a daily ongoing basis. Staples said its program will ship the devices for domestic recycling by Vestal, N.Y.-based Amandi Services, which Staples calls "one of the country's most experienced and innovative electronics recyclers." Amandi was formed by ther merger of NxtCycle and Envirocycle...Read More »
Al-jon Opens New Plant Nearly Doubling its Capacity
Al-jon, maker of equipment for the solid waste and scrap metal industries announced the opening of a 40,000-square-foot plant in its home town of Ottumwa, Iowa. The plant which nearly doubles Al-jon's manufacturing space, is part of an expansion announced a year ago by Colorado-based Republic Financial Corporation's Private Equity Group, which owns Al-jon...Read More »
Perma-Fix Considers Possible Sale of Its Industrial Segment
Perma-Fix Environmental Services Inc. said that its board of directors had authorized management to consider selling the company's industrial segment. The segment is comprised of hazardous and non-hazardous waste management services and operations of facilities in Ohio, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia and Maryland. It represents 40 percent of Perma-Fix's consolidated revenue but posted a net loss of $2 million in 2006 and $1.7 million just in the first quarter of 2007. The company had consolidated profit of $4.7 million in 2006 but a net loss of $1.1 million in the first quarter of 2007...Read More »
New Carbon Industry is Emerging
A new conference seeks to address the emerging "Carbon Industry." "The Carbon Finance and Investment Summit" is taking place this week in New York and expected to bring together Investment firms, project developers, clean tech and energy companies, and major corporations to better understand the industry that has developed in the wake of recent environmental and legislative trends and to define its opportunities...Read More »
Casella Wins Important Concession in Operating its Southbridge MA Landfill
Casella Waste Systems reports success in convincing the town of Southbridge Massachusetts to amend its agreement for the operation of the Barefoot Road Sanitary Landfill there. Under the changes, Casella is authorized to reallocate waste acceptance in favor of receiving more MSW in lieu of C&D waste while not exceeding the current limit of 499 thousand tons per year. The "agreement adds long-term value to the community and to our stakeholders," said John W. Casella, chairman and CEO of the company...Read More »
American Ecology Appoints Chief Financial Officer
Specialty waste services company, American Ecology Corp.'s Board of Directors has appointed a new Chief Financial Officer. Jeff Feeler, 37, originally joined the company last year as Chief Accounting Officer. He previously held financial and accounting positions with MWI Veterinary Supply, Inc., Albertson's, Inc., Hewlett-Packard and served as a Senior Manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP...Read More »
Waste Industries USA Declares 12 Cent Quarterly Cash Dividend
Waste Industries USA, Inc. announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.12 per share payable June 22, 2007 to shareholders of record on June 8...Read More »
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