Intel Becomes Largest Purchaser of Green Power in the U.S.
Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, announced that it would buy more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates, making it the largest corporate purchaser of alternative energy in the United States. The certificates will subsidize the development of wind, solar, biomass and small-scale hydro-electric sources of energy, Intel said in a statement. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Intel's purchase has the equivalent impact of taking more than 185,000 passenger cars off the road each year...Read More »
Concord Regional Waste Co-op to Build $11 Million Recycling Facility
To help avoid rising tipping fees at the Wheelabrator-operated waste-to-energy plant in Penacook, NH, the Concord Regional Solid Waste/Resource Recovery Cooperative, comprised of 27 towns, is seeking to build an $11 million "single stream" recycling facility. Driving the move are tipping fees at the burn plant which are slated to increase from $43 per ton currently to between $55 and $65 per ton next year. The co-op is looking at five different sites along the Interstate 93 corridor to build the proposed 60,000-square-foot plant. However, the economic feasibility of such a project dictates a minimum annual intake of 15 to 20 thousand tons of recyclables which means that the co-op will have to seek outside sources to make up the shortfall from the 10 thousand tons the co-op generates currently...Read More »
Highland Capital Buys Marcal Paper Mills for $160 Million
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey approved the sale of Elwood Park, N.J.-based Marcal Paper Mills Inc. to a Texas hedge fund for $160 million. Dallas-based Highland Capital Management assumes control of the 75-year old Marcalus family paper business which had filed for bankruptcy protection in 2006. Highland already held the bulk of Marcal's second-lien debt which has led other creditors to accuse the firm of using the bankruptcy sale process to obtain the company at a discount. Marcal uses more than 200,000 tons of recycled paper each year to make a variety of paper products, including bath and facial tissue and towels. The sale is still subject to completion of an agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection regarding the state's Industrial Site Recovery Act...Read More »
Florida Power & Light Signs Deal to Develop 5.25 MW Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project
Florida Power & Light has signed a deal with Manatee Green Power to construct and operate a 5.25 megawatt methane gas-to-energy plant near the Lena Road Landfill in Manatee County, FL. It is expected to start producing power in January 2009 and is to serve more than 1,800 homes, based on summer peak demand averages...Read More »
Rep. Johnson Introduces Tax Credits for "Green" Truck Fleets
Rep. Hank Johnson introduced legislation that would provide temporary tax credits to companies that use recycled tire content in their vehicle fleets. Known as the TIRE Act, H.R. 5103 amends the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986 to allow a $3 per tire credit for five years against income tax for fleet operators that purchase tires made from recycled rubber. Roughly 280 million tires are manufactured in the US annually, each requiring 7 gallons of petroleum, and as much as 22 gallons for a truck tire. A tire made with even 10% recycled content would avoid the use of a gallon or more of oil...Read More »
Pacific Gas and Electric is Seeking Partners for Biomethane Projects
Pacific Gas and Electric is seeking research assistance to identify partners to produce biomethane, a renewable clean energy that it can provide to customers throughout its northern and central California service area. Biomethane is derived from biomass which can come from a variety of sources including agricultural crops, agricultural and forestry wastes and residues, and construction wood wastes, among others. California and the western region of North America contain large quantities of biomass which could make a meaningful contribution to the energy supply as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions through avoided use of fossil fuels and decrease reliance on landfill disposal...Read More »
Allied Waste Closes on $33.9 Million in Solid Waste Revenue Bonds
Allied Waste Industries Inc. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Allied Waste North America Inc., successfully completed the offering of $33.9 million in principal amount of California Municipal Finance Authority Solid Waste Revenue Variable Rate Demand Bonds Series 2008A due 2024. The offering is backed by a letter of credit as credit enhancement for the bonds. Inclusive of the letter of credit fees, the initial all-in cost to Allied is about 4.20%. As of the date of issuance, the bonds bear variable interest rates reset weekly based on market rates...Read More »
SPSA Director John Hadfield to Retire
Southeastern Public Service Authority's Executive Director, John Hadfield announced that he will retire later this year. Hadfield, who is 62, is leaving an agency that he helped to build over the last 30 years. His tenure of late has been marked by controversy as the agency struggled with debt, plans to import out-of-state waste, lawsuits and a near mutiny of some of its eight municipal members. When many thought he would be fired, he instead got a raise. That the agency which includes an area larger than the state of Delaware is still standing, is a testament to his strong leadership. He is a former Army captain and Vietnam veteran...Read More »
PlascoEnergy Begins to Receive MSW at its Plasma Demonstration Plant
Ottawa Ontario-based Plasco Energy began receiving MSW at its Plasco Trail Road Demonstration Plant which employs a proprietary plasma process to burn waste and generate a clean burning synthetic gas. The clean burning synthetic gas drives combustion engines to generate electricity. Eventually the plant will operate 24-7 once all testing is complete possibly by the end of next month...Read More »
Viridis Waste Control Wins Patent for Bioreactor Technology
Dublin, Ohio-based Viridis Waste Control LLC announced winning a patent for its bioreactor technology that employs septage waste to augment the process. In addition to the usual benefits of bioreactors including accelerated decomposition and gas recovery and increased capacity and landfill life, the methodology helps avoid having to land apply or spray septic waste on farm fields. The company was formed by former St. Clair County, MI Smiths Creek landfill manager Larry O'Keefe who is in the midst of a dispute with the county over rights to the technology which the county claims to have helped to develop...Read More »
Sharps Compliance Buys Medical Waste Facility and Autoclave Technology
Medical waste disposal firm Sharps Compliance Corp. has purchased a medical waste facility that it currently leases in Carthage, TX. The purchase includes an incinerator that is currently permitted to treat 11 tons per day, but has a capacity of 30 tons per day in a 12,000 square foot building on a 4.5 acre parcel of land. The company also executed a purchase order for a state-of-the-art autoclave system and technology capable of boosting the existing capacity of the plant which does so in a cleaner, less costly manner than incineration. The total cost is estimated to be $900,000...Read More »
Covanta Holding Corp to Release 4th Quarter Earnings on February 26
Covanta Holding Corporation plans to release fourth quarter financial results at the close of markets on Tuesday, February 27, 2008. The company will host a conference call the following day at 8:30 a.m. to discuss those results and answer questions...Read More »
American Ecology Corp to Release 4th Quarter Earnings on February 7
American Ecology Corporation plans to release fourth quarter financial results on Thursday, February 7, 2008 prior to the opening of the market and will host a conference call at 11 a.m. (ET) to discuss those results as well as the outlook for 2008...Read More »
Waste Management Launches Interactive Educational Web Site
Waste Management launched an interactive website called thinkgreen.com which it hopes will help to educate the public about what happens to waste beyond the fact that the garbage cans are magically emptied each week. "We want to pull back the curtain and reverse the way the public thinks about waste. This is a tremendous opportunity for the public to learn more about our operations and the ways modern practices are protecting and enhancing the environment," said David Steiner, CEO...Read More »
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