Casella Waste Reports Second Quarter 2003 Results
Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST), a regional, non-hazardous solid waste services company, has reported financial results for the second quarter of its 2003 fiscal year. For the quarter ended October 31, 2002, the company reported EBITDA of $25.8 million; revenue for the quarter was $114.5 million. Net income for the quarter was $3.2 million. For the six months ended October 31, 2002, EBITDA was $49.6 million; revenues were $230.4 million and net income was $5.1 million. Company officials said they remain confident that they are on track to meet their 2003 financial targets...Read More »
Weston Solutions Wins Two Postal Service Contracts
Weston Solutions, Inc. has received two new United States Postal Service Environmental Services Contracts with a combined worth up to $10 million. Under both contracts, the company will provide environmental services to the Great Lakes and Atlanta Facilities Service Offices. Services will include hazardous and solid waste management, environmental assessments to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, environmental site assessments, air quality consulting, and other services required to meet the USPS's environmental goals...Read More »
Aging Incinerator Caused Tragic Oregon Fire
Years of heat from an incinerator created the conditions that led to an explosive fire that killed three firefighters at a Coos Bay, Oregon auto parts store, according to investigators. The fire claimed more firefighters' lives than any other blaze in Oregon history. The incinerator, used to dispose of grease at the store's machine shop, dried out the wood of the walls over a period of years, making it possible for flames to ignite at a lower temperature than normal, state fire officials said, and the flames exploded when exposed to oxygen. Coos Bay, a coastal town of about 15,500 people, is about 170 miles southwest of Portland...Read More »
Report: Chemical Waste Can Be Safely Incinerated
America's arsenal of chemical weapons can be safely incinerated at a few sites around the country, despite the chemical releases and violations at the only two operational incinerators, according to a new report by the National Research Council, a branch of the National Academies of Science. The report did not offer a perspective on whether incineration was preferable to other methods of neutralizing the chemical agents. Under an international treaty, the United States agreed to dispose of 31,500 tons of deadly nerve agents and toxic blister agents by 2007, although the Defense Department has said it will likely miss that deadline by two to three years. The project is expected to cost $24 billion. About a quarter of the stockpile has been destroyed at weapons incinerators in Tooele, Utah, and on Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean...Read More »
Mildly Radioactive Waste Goes To California Landfills
For at least a decade, the state of California has allowed mildly radioactive waste from old nuclear sites to go to recycling plants and city landfills not licensed to handle radioactive material of any type. But landfill owners, nearby residents, and elected officials were never notified of the state's policy, which is only now becoming public after a lawsuit and questions from concerned state lawmakers. Opponents are looking to determine where the state has allowed the waste--mostly soil, concrete and metal with residual traces of radiation--to be disposed of. But the California Department of Health Services counters that it did not keep detailed records on slightly radioactive trash because officials never considered it contaminated enough to pose a health hazard...Read More »
Corps Of Engineers Demonstrates Nontoxic Chemical Paint Removal
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a report entitled "Technology Demonstration of Nontoxic Chemical Stripper for Steel--Cost and Performance Report." The work was performed by the internationally recognized group of consulting engineers, KTA-Tator Inc. "The environmental problem being addressed in this technology demonstration is the removal of lead-based paint from steel structures without producing hazardous air pollutants," the report notes. The report indicates that reduced-toxicity chemical strippers eliminate the use of caustic chemicals and carcinogens. In addition, the method can eliminate the need for containment while lead paint is being removed, as well as the need for workers to wear respirators...Read More »
Washington Group, Ch2M, BWX Win Energy Department Contract
Washington Group International, Inc., CH2M HILL, and BWX Technologies have teamed to win a major environmental closure contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to complete environmental restoration at the Miamisburg Closure Project in Ohio. CH2M HILL Mound, Inc. will be the lead contractor, with Washington Group and BWX Technologies as integrated partners. The contract value is approximately $314 million, with work to begin January 1, 2003. The new contract calls for the demolition of 66 facilities, including the removal of all above ground utilities and structures at the former nuclear weapons material processing site. All hazardous and radioactive waste will be processed and shipped offsite. The work is to be completed by March 31, 2006...Read More »
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