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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Oil Spill Judge: What Is Gross Negligence?
April 26, 2013 10:24 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe judge who will allocate responsibility for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has told lawyers to give him their views about whether a series of negligent acts can add up to gross negligence. The Justice Department and private plaintiffs' attorneys contend that BP PLC acted with gross negligence before the blowout on April 20, 2010. If U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier agrees, BP's civil penalties could soar.
Japan To Allow Airlines To Resume 787 Flights
April 26, 2013 10:17 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's transport minister said Friday the government is poised to allow Japanese airlines to resume flying grounded Boeing 787s once they complete installation of systems to reduce fire risk in problematic lithium ion batteries. The approval could come as early as Friday evening following an expected formal safety order from the U.S. federal regulators, Transport Minister Akihiro Ohta said.
S. Korea Demands Talks With N. Korea On Closed Factory
April 25, 2013 2:16 pm | by Hyung-Jin Kim, Associated Press | News | CommentsAfter weeks of threatening rhetoric from the North, South Korea on Thursday promised its own unspecified "grave measures" if Pyongyang rejects talks on a jointly run factory park shuttered for nearly a month. The park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong is the most significant casualty so far in the recent deterioration of relations between the Koreas.
OSHA: OH Plant 'Could Have Prevented' Worker Death
April 25, 2013 2:09 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA federal agency has cited an Ohio aluminum plant with eight safety violations following the death of a worker who was crushed by a hot metal rack stacked with heavy aluminum. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, said Thursday that Extrudex Aluminum acted with knowing disregard or plain indifference to hazards at the company's plant in North Jackson in northeastern Ohio.
DMV Denies Tesla Request To Run Its Own Dealership
April 24, 2013 2:03 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsVirginia officials have rejected a request from electric car maker Tesla Motors to operate its own dealership at a Tysons Corner mall. State law requires manufacturers to sell cars through a dealer, unless the manufacturer can show that no dealer is available.
SC Governor Signs Boeing Incentives Bill
April 24, 2013 10:10 am | by Seanna Adcox, Associated Press | News | CommentsSouth Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Tuesday signed legislation to provide $120 million in incentives to the Boeing Co. for its expansion plans in the state. "Boeing is a part of the fabric of South Carolina, and this solidifies our relationship with Boeing going forward," Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey said.
U.S. To Seek Limits On Car Touchscreens
April 23, 2013 2:16 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsU.S. traffic safety regulators are expected to propose stronger measures to keep drivers from being distracted by in-car touchscreens. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator David Strickland have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon to address distracted driving.
EEOC Seeks Damages For Disabled IA Plant Workers
April 23, 2013 2:14 pm | by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press | News | CommentsA now-defunct Texas company that put mentally disabled men to work at an Iowa turkey plant for decades is due in court to defend itself against allegations that it subjected the men to physical and verbal abuse. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing Henry's Turkey Service on behalf of 32 former workers.
U.S. High Court To Look At Daimler Appeal
April 23, 2013 2:07 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Supreme Court says it will hear an appeal from automaker Daimler AG that seeks to shut down a U.S. lawsuit over allegations that its unit in Argentina played a role in that country's 'dirty war" in the 1970s. The justices said Monday they will review a federal appeals court ruling that allowed a lawsuit filed by 22 Argentines in California to proceed.
Energy Dept. Seizes $21M From Electric Car Maker
April 23, 2013 10:30 am | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Obama administration has seized $21 million from troubled automaker Fisker Automotive Inc. just weeks after the company laid off three-fourths of its workers amid continuing financial and production problems. Fisker had received $192 million in federal loans before a series of problems led U.S. officials to freeze the loan in 2011.
NTSB Probes Safety Testing Of Boeing 787 Batteries
April 23, 2013 10:28 am | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | CommentsAs airlines prepare to resume flying Boeing's beleaguered 787 Dreamliners, federal investigators looked Tuesday at how regulators and the company tested and approved the plane's cutting-edge battery system, and whether the government cedes too much safety-testing authority to aircraft makers.
FL Gov. Making Strong Push For Tax Break
April 23, 2013 10:20 am | by Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press | News | CommentsFlorida Gov. Rick Scott is making personal pitches to lawmakers in pushing for a late breakthrough to exempt manufacturers from paying sales taxes on equipment purchases, one of his legislative priorities this year. The governor is meeting with lawmakers to pitch his idea of boosting Florida's manufacturing sector by giving manufacturers a blanket exemption from paying a 6 percent sales tax on equipment purchases, allies said.
Court Denies Beechcraft Challenge Of Lost Contract
April 22, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsKansas airplane maker Beechcraft has lost a legal battle to halt work on a high-stakes Air Force contract awarded to rival Sierra Nevada Corp. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Friday denied Beechcraft's request for a temporary injunction. The contract for 20 planes for use in Afghanistan is worth more than $427 million. It could be worth as much as $1 billion, depending on future orders.
Haliburton Seeking Settlement Over Gulf Oil Spill
April 22, 2013 2:12 pm | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsBP's cement contractor on the drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 announced Monday that it is trying to negotiate a settlement over its role in the disaster, a focus of trial testimony that ended last week. Halliburton Chief Financial Officer Mark McCollum said during a conference call to discuss first-quarter earnings that talks were at an "advanced stage."
FAA Approves Resumption Of Boeing 787 Flights
April 22, 2013 10:13 am | by Joan Lowy, Joshua Freed, Associated Press | News | CommentsBoeing's beleaguered 787 could be flying again within a week after federal officials approved a fix for its batteries, even though the root cause of a fire on one plane and smoke on another still isn't known. The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it would send airlines instructions and publish a notice next week lifting the 3-month-old grounding order that day.
Cement Maker Fined, To Cut Emissions At CO Plant
April 22, 2013 10:06 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA cement manufacturer in Lyons has agreed to pay a $1 million fine and to install controls to decrease its emissions of the pollutant nitrogen oxide, the U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday. The EPA had accused Cemex, Inc., which operates the Portland cement facility, of illegally modifying its Lyons plant in a way that increased the amount of nitrogen oxide the facility released.
OSHA Last Inspected TX Fertilizer Plant In 1985
April 19, 2013 10:15 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration most recently inspected the Texas fertilizer plant that exploded Wednesday night in 1985. Records reviewed by The Associated Press show that OSHA issued the West Chemical & Fertilizer Co., as the plant was called at the time, a $30 fine for a serious violation for storage of anhydrous ammonia.
White House Threatens Veto On Cybersecurity Bill
April 17, 2013 2:05 pm | by Anne Flaherty, Josh Lederman, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe White House on Tuesday threatened a veto against a House bill intended to improve cybersecurity through information-sharing, warning lawmakers that the president won't sign the measure unless changes are made to protect privacy and civil liberties.
No Helmets Required For Elio Vehicle Under Bill
April 17, 2013 10:09 am | by Littice Bacon-Blood, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe House Transportation Committee backed a proposal Tuesday that would pave the way for the production of a three-wheeled vehicle called the Elio by removing the requirement that occupants wear helmets. Officials with Elio Motors, located in the former General Motors plant in Shreveport, said the helmet requirement could harm sales by sending a signal to consumers that the vehicle was unsafe.
AR Legislature Approves Steel Mill Funding
April 16, 2013 2:12 pm | by Michael Stratford, Associated Press | News | CommentsArkansas is set to provide a new steel company with $125 million in financing and a package of tax breaks to build a mill in the northeast part of the state after the Legislature gave final approval to the plan on Tuesday. By an 81-9 vote, House lawmakers passed a Senate-approved budget bill to support Big River Steel.
EU Lawmakers Veto Tighter Cap-And-Trade System
April 16, 2013 10:16 am | by Juergen Baetz, Associated Press | News | CommentsEuropean lawmakers dealt a blow to one of Europe's flagship policies on fighting climate change when they voted Tuesday against tightening the bloc's system of making companies pay for pollution. The European Union cap-and-trade system — the world's biggest — was introduced in 2005 in the hope of encouraging industries to reduce emissions and invest in greener technologies.
BP Manager Testifies At Trial
April 16, 2013 10:14 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsA BP team leader who supervised managers on the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 testified Monday that he was frustrated by last-minute changes to the drilling project, but didn't have any safety concerns before the deadly blast.
Feds: $5.5M From GM For Onondaga Lake Pollution
April 12, 2013 3:31 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFederal authorities say they've settled the last piece of claims against General Motors Co. for pollution in central New York's Onondaga Lake. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara says the $5.5 million agreement was reached this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court with the trust handling the affairs of the automotive company, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2009.
U.S. Approves Japan Entry Into TPP Trade Talks
April 12, 2013 3:30 pm | by Matthew Pennington, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe United States on Friday approved Japan's entry into negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a critical step for Tokyo's inclusion in a regional trade pact that underpins the Obama administration's efforts to boost exports to Asia.
Ex-BP Engineer Responds To Feds' "Farcical" Claims
April 12, 2013 10:06 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | CommentsA former BP engineer charged with deleting text messages about the company's response to its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico claims federal prosecutors have tacked on "farcical" allegations that he also deleted dozens of voicemails to stymie a grand jury probe of the disaster.
