EPA Administrator Disputes Accusation That Agency Rolled Back Safeguards
Having to answer now before a democratically controlled congress, EPA administrator Stephen Johnson faced an unsympathetic audience. He and is agency stand accused of having rolled back environmental safeguards. A recently released GAO study concludes that the EPA did not adhere to its own rule-making in allowing changes to toxic chemicals reporting. Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of Calif., who now chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said that the "EPA has gone too long without meaningful oversight," contending that the changes "benefit polluters' bottom line and they hurt our communities."...Read More »
Stericycle Posts Gains for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2006
Medical waste management company Stericycle (Nasdaq: SRCL) reports that fourth quarter revenues steamed ahead by 25% to $209 million from $167 million last year. Recent acquisitions contributed $29 million in revenues. Profits were up by 25% as well. Revenues for the year increased by 30% to $790 million from $610 million thus boosting profits to $2.33 per share from $1.48 per share in 2005...Read More »
OhioEPA's New Chief Hopes to Fix Burning Landfill
OhioEPA's new chief, only days on the job, is making a priority of solving whether there is a fire in one of the state's largest landfills, the Countywide Disposal & Recycling Facility in southern Stark County. The 258-acre site, which is owned and operated by Republic Services, has been producing odors for months. The EPA brought in an expert after a pilot claimed his aerial thermal images of the landfill taken in August and December showed a potentially growing underground fire...Read More »
NSWMA Opposes Proposed Legislation as an Assault on Worker Rights and Privacy
The NSWMA vigorously opposes new legislation called the "Employee Free Choice Act" that was introduced by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.). NSWMA posits that it would strip away workers' right to a federally supervised secret ballot election when deciding whether or not to join a union, leaving workers far more vulnerable to coercion and intimidation during union organizing drives. The legislation allows that workers could organize or join a union by signing a card and poses penalties on employers who violate labor laws. Proponents argue that the streamlined procedures would help workers avoid potential harassment...Read More »
New Study: Regulations Paving Way for New Waste Treatment Technologies
A new study by Frost & Sullivan finds that more stringent government regulations and a shifting emphasis to producer responsibility are driving the adoption of more advanced waste treatment technologies and causing manufacturers to opt for less toxic alternatives. The study's authors believe that traditional landfilling and incineration will begin to give way to newer technologies such as plasma arc converters, and more advanced methods of recycling and reuse...Read More »
American Ecology Reports Increased 4th Quarter and Year Revenues and Profits
Specialized waste management provider American Ecology Corp. (Nasdaq: ECOL) reported big revenue gains in its fourth quarter and year end results. Revenues for the quarter advanced by 63% to $37 million from $23 million last year. For the year, they were up by 47% to $116.8 million from $79.4 million in 2005. Similarly, net income for the quarter increased 21% to $3.8 million, or $0.21 per share, from $3.1 million, or $0.17 per share in the same period last year. For the year net income grew more modestly to $15.9 million from $15.4 million in 2005. President and CEO Stephen Romano anticipates growth in 2007 driven by "recent company investments in state-of-the-art waste treatment, disposal and rail transportation assets."...Read More »
GreenMan Technologies Reports Positive First Quarter Results
GreenMan, which recycles over 12 million tires annually, said that results for its first quarter, ended Dec. 2006, revealed revenue growth of 14% over last year's figure. Lyle Jensen, GreenMan's President and CEO, said that the commencement of several Iowa tire cleanup projects helped propel tire volumes by over half a million and crumb rubber revenues by 43% during the quarter. Despite increases in SG&A costs, the company managed a slight profit over a net loss last year...Read More »
Electronic Recyclers Appoints T. Robert Christ to CFO Post
Electronic Recyclers, which boasts of being the largest recycler of e-waste in California, appointed T. Robert Christ as its Chief Financial Officer. He served a similar post at Aristotle Inc., a privately owned verification and CRM software company based in Wash. DC...Read More »
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