Environmental Controls
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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
GE CEO: China Will Drive Energy Tech
June 18, 2013 12:46 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | CommentsFossil fuels are still the number one energy source. Andy Serwer, managing editor for Fortune asks GE what that means for the company today, as well as five years from now. At the Fortune Global Forum in Chengdu, China, GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt says that future energy development will be focused in China.
U.S. Official: Solar Plane To Help Ground Energy Use
June 18, 2013 10:06 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsThe plane parked outside the airport looks more like a giant exotic insect or maybe an outsized toy. When it's in flight, there's no roar of engines. It's strangely quiet. And as it crisscrosses the U.S., the spindly plane doesn't use a drop of fuel. Day, and even night, it flies on the power of the sun.
Company Drops Plans For NV Solar Project
June 17, 2013 2:10 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Chinese-backed company is dropping plans for a major solar project near the Colorado River resort town of Laughlin, Nev. ENN Mojave Energy LLC has informed Clark County officials that it's terminating its agreement to purchase 9,000 acres after it was unable to find customers for the power that would have been generated there.
Blast At LA Plant Kills 1, More Than 70 Hurt
June 14, 2013 10:02 am | by Stacey Plaisance, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe blast sent workers on a mad scramble to escape the plant, said a worker, some of them by clambering over gates. Outside the plant, witnesses saw towering flames and felt the ground shudder. A body was found by hazardous materials crews moving through the site after the blast, state police Capt. Doug Cain said.
Chevron CEO: Responding To Safety Concerns
June 11, 2013 12:25 pm | by Wall Street Journal | Videos | CommentsChevron CEO John Watson discusses energy production in the wake of BP's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Watson says energy companies are taking a more proactive approach to safety, securing their systems, and operations before government regulators come knocking.
IEA: Energy Emissions Rose To Record High In 2012
June 10, 2013 10:13 am | by Karl Ritter, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe world's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.4 percent in 2012 to a record high of 31.6 billion tons, even though the U.S. posted its lowest emissions since the mid-1990s, the International Energy Agency said Monday. In its annual World Energy Outlook report, the Paris-based IEA said top carbon polluter China had the largest emissions growth last year, up 300 million tons, or 3.8 percent, from 2011.
Nation's First Floating Wind Turbine Launched
June 5, 2013 1:44 pm | by CBS News | Videos | CommentsVolturnUS, the nation's first floating wind turbine designed to generate electricity from ocean winds, was launched as demand for clean and alternative energy grows. Developed at the University of Maine, the technology has the potenial to power the U.S. 4 times over. Terrell Brown reports.
Italy Appoints Administrator For Troubled Plant
June 5, 2013 10:03 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Italian government on Tuesday appointed a turnaround expert as administrator to oversee Europe's largest steel mill as part of an emergency decree to safeguard jobs while pushing ahead with an environmental cleanup at the plant linked to elevated cancer rates in the area.
Where Cell Phones Go To Die
June 4, 2013 12:55 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | CommentsMuch of the world's electronic waste ends up in Guiyu, China, where old parts are recycled but chemicals like mercury leak into the water. Cell phones arrive in this town by the truckloads, where locals are experts in sorting through the electronic trash.
Italian Gov't Prepares To Take Over Ilva Steel Mill
June 4, 2013 10:08 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsItaly's industry minister says the government is preparing an emergency decree to temporarily take over Europe's largest steel mill, which is beset by environmental and corruption scandals. Flavio Zanonato said Tuesday that it had become clear that the cleanup of the plant cannot be conducted by those responsible for the environmental emergency.
Kodak Offers $49M Trust For Environmental Issues
June 3, 2013 1:46 pm | by Steve Orr, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | News | CommentsAs it inches closer to emergence from bankruptcy, Eastman Kodak is still wrestling with the financial repercussions of past environmental problems. Federal and New York state officials have filed a dozen claims for past environmental damage and expenses, including demands for up to $10.1 million to address toxic silver contamination of sediments in the Genesee River.
Wind Energy Company Touts Giant Blades
June 3, 2013 12:26 pm | by AssociatedPress | Videos | CommentsVestas, a Danish wind power company, says its manufacturing facility in Colorado is making the biggest blade for wind power in the United States. Bjarne Nielsen, Vestas Blades Division, says the V117 blade is nearly 60 meters in length, longer than half a football field.
Air Permits Approved For CF Industries Expansion
June 3, 2013 9:51 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsState regulators have given initial approval for a major expansion at a western Iowa fertilizer manufacturer. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has issued draft air quality permits for the $1.7 billion expansion planned by CF Industries south of Sergeant Bluff.
South Bend Settles Environmental Claims
May 31, 2013 2:41 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA more than decade-long legal battle over environmental claims involving South Bend's former Studebaker Corp. auto plant and another shuttered manufacturer has been settled under an agreement calling for an insurer to pay the city several million dollars.
EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Lowest To Date
May 29, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe EU's environmental agency says the 27-nation bloc's greenhouse emissions in 2011 were the lowest since it began monitoring them in 1990. The European Environment Agency says greenhouse gas emissions dropped 3.3 percent compared to 2010, and were 18.4 percent below 1990 levels. It cited a milder winter in 2011 as the main reason for the drop.
Wind Tower Company To Employ 250 In SD
May 29, 2013 2:12 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Canada-based wind tower manufacturer that is setting up shop in the southeastern South Dakota city of Brandon says it hopes to start production this summer. Marmen Inc. is moving into a facility built by a U.S.-based wind tower company that never used it, and also expanding the plant.
Wal-Mart To Pay $81.6M For Illegal Waste Disposal
May 29, 2013 10:07 am | by Greg Risling, Paul Elias, Associated Press | News | CommentsEnding an environmental investigation that lasted nearly a decade, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has pleaded guilty to improperly disposing of pesticides, fertilizer and other hazardous products and will pay a fine of $81.6 million. The company entered the guilty plea in federal court in San Francisco Tuesday to misdemeanor counts of violating the Clean Water Act and a law regulating pesticides.
Industry Giant GE Aims To Improve Fracking
May 28, 2013 10:11 am | by Kevin Begos, Associated Press | News | CommentsOne of America's corporate giants is investing billions of dollars in the new boom of oil and gas drilling, or fracking. General Electric Co. is opening a new laboratory in Oklahoma, buying up related companies, and placing a big bet that cutting-edge science will improve profits for clients and reduce the environmental and health effects of the boom.
PCS Nitrogen To Cut Emissions From LA Plant
May 24, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsPCS Nitrogen has agreed to reduce air emissions from phosphoric acid production at its Geismar plant. The decision came as part of a settlement in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. EPA and DEQ alleged that PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer LP violated the Clean Air Act by introducing phosphoric acid scrubber effluent into its cooling towers.
Kohler Ordered To Pay $9.6M In Patent Suit
May 21, 2013 2:20 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Kohler Co. has been ordered in federal court to pay $9.6 million to a Massachusetts manufacturer for infringing on two of its patents for components that reduce exhaust emissions in marine generators. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Boston last week found Kohler willfully infringed on the patents issued in 2008 and 2010.
Second Life For Boeing Airplanes
May 16, 2013 8:00 am | by Boeing | Videos | CommentsBoeing has earned a reputation for its commitment to environmental strategies, positioning itself as an industry leader in developing ways to lessen environmental impact. One example of that is through its aircraft recycling program. Take a look at some of the ways Boeing is providing a second life to reclaimed and certified airplane parts and materials.
Ford Owners Sue: EcoBoost Engine Defective
May 15, 2013 10:16 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsThree Ohio drivers are suing Ford Motor Co., claiming the company's six-cylinder EcoBoost engine is defective. The lawsuit says the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine can shudder, shake and then rapidly lose power while drivers are accelerating.
Natural Gas Export Plans Stir Debate
May 13, 2013 2:28 pm | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | CommentsA domestic natural gas boom already has lowered U.S. energy prices while stoking fears of environmental disaster. Now U.S. producers are poised to ship vast quantities of gas overseas as energy companies seek permits for proposed export projects that could set off a renewed frenzy of fracking.
NRC: 'Very Slightly Radioactive Water' Enters Lake
May 7, 2013 2:28 pm | by David N. Goodman, Associated Press | News | CommentsSeventy-nine gallons of "very slightly radioactive water" from a leaky tank at Entergy Corp.'s troubled Palisades Nuclear Power Plant spilled into Lake Michigan, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman said Monday. There is no risk to human health because the radioactive material was further diluted when it entered a storage basin before flowing into the lake, NRC spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng told The Associated Press.
BMW Factory Goes Green
May 7, 2013 1:25 pm | by NBC News | Videos | CommentsBMW's South Carolina factory goes green, by producing more than 40 percent of its energy on site, and gaining recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency. BMW's changes make more money and increase efficiency at the facility. NBC's Chris Clackum reports.
