House Members Introduce Draft Climate Change Bill
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) and House Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chair Edward Markey (D-MA) have introduced what they are referring to as a "discussion draft" of the American Clean Energy and Security Action of 2009 (ACES), a climate-change measure that includes an emissions cap-and-trade system and a national renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The draft bill consists of four sections: a clean energy title with measures promoting alternative energy technologies across a wide variety of categories; an energy efficiency title; a global warming title focused on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; and a "transitioning" title aimed at mitigating the economic impacts of the climate-change response measures in the rest of the bill.
The new discussion draft is largely silent on the issue of how emissions permits will be distributed under a climate measure and how proceeds from at least a partial auction would be distributed. The legislation does however, include a renewable electricity standard that phases in a requirement for retail power suppliers to obtain 25 percent of their power by 2025 from renewable energy such as wind, biomass, solar and geothermal energy...Read More »
Obama Taps Environmental Justice Advocate to Head EPA Waste Office
President Barack Obama has, as some observers expected, announced his intent to nominate New York City environmental justice advocate Mathy Stanislaus to head EPA's waste office. Stanislaus is an environmental lawyer and chemical engineer who founded and currently co-directs the non-profit New Partners for Community Revitalization, an organization that aims to "advance the renewal" of New York's low and moderate income neighborhoods through the redevelopment of brownfields sites, according to a March 31 White House statement. He is seen by many to be an excellent choice to head EPA's Office of Solid Waste & Emergency Response owing to his experience as a former member of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and in brownfields redevelopment. Stanislaus also has experience as an advisor to EPA, other federal agencies, Congress and the United Nations on a variety of environmental issues. He served as assistant regional counsel for EPA Region II in its New York office,where he was responsible for enforcement actions brought under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act (CERCLA)...Read More »
Wastequip Inc. Closes Alabama Facility
Citing "continued challenges in today's economic environment," waste equipment maker Wastequip, Inc. announced that it will close its Galbreath manufacturing plant in Ider, Alabama. Waste handling equipment, including dumpsters were manufactured there. The company said that the decision will allow it to "more appropriately match its manufacturing capacity and cost structure with market demand. The movement of product will begin immediately to other Wastequip facilities, and the company expects to have all aspects of the closure complete by the end of May 2009." The closing of the Ider plant will mean the layoff of 28 employees...Read More »
King County, WA Landfill Gas to Energy Project Will be Third Largest
King County, Wash. announced a new project to convert landfill gas from its landfill into enough energy to power about 24,000 homes. The county is teaming up with Puget Sound Energy which will purchase the energy, and Bio Energy-Washington which will build and operate the facility at the county's Maple Valley landfill. The company expects to deliver methane gas to Puget Sound Energy by the end of April. PSE will collect, process and pipe the energy to its natural gas-fired power plants. The utility says it will buy the methane gas from Bio Energy-Washington at competitive rates. Officials say the project is the third largest of its kind in the nation...Read More »
Justice Files Suit against Purveyors of Landfill Methane Tax Scam
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against 32 individuals, including four certified public accountants and 27 tax preparers, in connection with an alleged tax scam involving sales of landfill methane. According to the lawsuit, the promoters of the scheme falsified business records purportedly documenting sales of methane from landfills in Puerto Rico, Illinois, New York, Ohio and Connecticut when in fact, there were no methane sales. Federal law allows an income tax credit with respect to certain sales of fuel from non-conventional sources, including methane produced from landfills. More than $30 million in tax credits have been claimed so far which is why Justice is asking the U.S. District Court in Tampa to grant an immediate civil injunction stopping the CPAs and tax preparers from continuing to promote the scam. "Taxpayers need to choose their tax preparers carefully," said John DiCicco, the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Tax Division."They should be particularly alert when a tax preparer steers them toward a scheme that seems too good to be true."...Read More »
Perma-Fix Files Shelf Registration to Allow Sale of 5 Million Shares
Perma-Fix Environmental Services Inc. has filed a shelf registration to allow for the sale of up to 5 million shares of stock should management deem it to be necessary. "We do not have immediate plans to sell shares under the registration statement. The Board of Directors agreed that having a shelf registration in place was prudent given the current market environment, as it provides us greater financial flexibility in the event we identify strategic opportunities that may require additional capital," CEO Louis F. Centofanti said. Perma-Fix provides nuclear waste and industrial waste management services...Read More »
Republic Services to Announce First Quarter Results on May 1
Republic Services, Inc., which as of December 5 of last year includes Allied Waste Industries, will announce first quarter financial results via a live conference call on Friday, May 1 at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern)...Read More »
Waste Connections to Announce First Quarter Results on April 21
Waste Connections, Inc. will report financial results for the first quarter of 2009 after the close of the stock market on April 21. The company will host a conference call to discuss the results the following day at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern)...Read More »
Covanta to Announce First Quarter Results on April 22
Covanta Holding Corp. plans to announce first quarter financial results at the close of the market on Wednesday, April 22 and host a conference call the following day at 8:30 a.m. to discuss them with investors...Read More »
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