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National P2 News Archive    (From Last 14 days)      Browse by : Funding | Mercury | Tribal

IN: Clean Air Indiana campaign helps Hoosiers keep air clear all summer(07/02/2009)
Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Clean Air Indiana campaign staff spent the month of June at businesses, festivals, and bus and train stations educating Hoosiers about ground-level ozone pollution. The Clean Air Indiana campaign asks Hoosiers to make small changes to their daily habits in order to improve air quality.

WI: New resources on electronics recycling available(07/02/2009)
Wisconsin businesses, institutions, local governments and organizations involved in recycling and refurbishing unwanted electronics have new tools to help them comply with state and federal regulations and plan successful electronics collection events.

Dumpster Diving: A Green Strategy That Pays Off for Retailers(07/02/2009)
Retailers that put green practices to work at their facilities can save tens of millions of dollars a year by managing resources and waste more aggressively, according to SSA & Company.

Nokia, Samsung Lead Latest Greenpeace Green Electronics Survey(07/02/2009)
Greenpeace International today released the 12th edition of its quarterly Guide to Greener Electronics scorecard, ranking the 17 manufacturers on their achievement of environmental goals.

Keep on Driving: The Greening of Texas' Tollways(07/02/2009)
So does eliminating toll booths really cut down on emissions? The answer appears to be a qualified "yes."

MA: Agency focused on cutting toxics loses funding(07/02/2009)
It is a miniscule slice of the state's $27 billion budget - less than $1.5 million to fund an obscure environmental agency at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. But the Toxics Use Reduction Institute is part of a state-mandated program that has reduced the use of hazardous substances by local manufacturers 41 percent in its 20-year history. That funding has been eliminated, and the institute's 18 employees do not know where their next paycheck will come from - or whether it will come at all.

President Obama Approves the Billion-Dollar "Cash for Clunkers" Act(07/01/2009)
President Barack Obama signed into law last week a measure that directs $1 billion toward rebates for U.S. residents who trade in their cars or trucks for new, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

E-Waste: When Landfills Are Not an Option(07/01/2009)
Headlines abound with stories of branded technology being fished out of rivers and landfills in developing nations leaking toxic metals into the water supply. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates roughly 400,000 tons of e-waste goes to recyclers every year, and that up to 80 percent of the materials sorted for recycling end up in operations in China, India, Southeast Asia and West Africa where it is disassembled and burned or dumped.

Yahoo! Abandons Carbon Offsets in Favor of Efficiency(07/01/2009)
Yahoo! today said it will no longer purchase carbon offsets for its operations, focusing its climate strategy on reducing the energy used by its data centers.

AASHE Releases Annual Review of Sustainability in Higher Education(07/01/2009)
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has announced the release of AASHE Digest 2008, which documents the continued rapid growth of campus sustainability in the U.S. and Canada.

DOI Designates Solar Energy Zones(07/01/2009)
The U.S. Interior Department Monday designated about 670,000 acres of land on Monday to be "fast-tracked" as potential areas for solar energy production.

NY: Department of Environmental Conservation offers help for auto body shops(07/01/2009)
To help automobile body shops prevent pollution and "green" their operations, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) created two new, user friendly manuals titled The Environmental Compliance Guide for Auto Body Shops and Environmental Report Packet for Auto Body Shops. The new guides were written specifically for the auto body repair industry to help business owners understand and comply with a wide array of laws and regulations meant to limit pollution. It also provides information regarding best management practices, pollution prevention and energy efficiency to enable shops to reduce human health risks and environmental impacts and to save money.

Dow and Algenol Partner for Algae-Based CO2-to-Ethanol Pilot Project(06/30/2009)
The Dow Chemical Co. will partner with a Florida-based company to turn carbon dioxide -- the most prevalent greenhouse gas -- into ethanol. Dow and Naples-based Algenol Biofuels Inc. could produce 100,000 gallons of ethanol per year for use in making plastics. The algae-based biorefinery will be built on 24 acres at Dow's site in Freeport, Texas, where it will use carbon dioxide produced at a nearby Dow manufacturing facility.

Obama Sets New Lighting Efficiency Standards(06/30/2009)
President Barack Obama's administration on Monday laid out new efficiency standards for lighting used in homes and businesses, hastening measures to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, an official said.

House Narrowly Passes Climate Bill - Reaction Roundup(06/30/2009)
The House narrowly passed landmark climate change legislation (H.R. 2454) with a 219-212 vote, delivering a major victory for President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The cap-and-trade bill, called the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which mandates reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and sets a national standard for renewable electricity, now heads to the Senate, where its prospects are uncertain.

A green way to dump low-tech electronics (06/30/2009)
This month, Edward Reilly, 35, finally let go of the television he had owned since his college days. Although the Mitsubishi set was technologically outdated, it had sat for years in Mr. Reilly's home in Portland, Me., because he did not know what else to do with it, given the environmental hazards involved in discarding it. "It's pretty well known that if it gets into the landfill, it gets into the groundwater," he said. "Its chemicals pollute."

House passes bill to address threat of climate change(06/29/2009)
WASHINGTON -- The House passed legislation on Friday intended to address global warming and transform the way the nation produces and uses energy. The vote was the first time either house of Congress had approved a bill meant to curb the heat-trapping gases scientists have linked to climate change. The legislation, which passed despite deep divisions among Democrats, could lead to profound changes in many sectors of the economy, including electric power generation, agriculture, manufacturing and construction.

Funding: $500M in Labor Department grants available for Green Job Training Programs(06/29/2009)
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Grant competitions opened today for $500 million in Recovery Act funds for training programs that will help retool the U.S. workforce for a clean energy economy. Speaking in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced the availability of grants in five broad program areas that will prepare people for jobs in energy efficiency or renewable energy industries. About $150 million in grants are earmarked for green job training programs that provide "pathways out of poverty," and a portion of some $290 million in grants will go toward efforts to retrain workers from the hard-hit auto industry.

The Digital Television Transition: Don't Kick Your TV to the Curb -- eCycle Instead(06/25/2009)
After June 12, 2009 all full power television stations will only broadcast in digital, over-the-air signals. EPA encourages all U.S. citizens who own an analog TV set and who receive free broadcasts (via rabbit ears or a roof-top antenna) to extend the life of their TV by subscribing to a paid TV service or connecting it to a converter box. Energy Star-qualified digital converter boxes are available for purchase.

Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground(06/25/2009)
On the outskirts of Ghana's biggest city sits a smoldering wasteland, a slum carved into the banks of the Korle Lagoon, one of the most polluted bodies of water on earth. The locals call it Sodom and Gomorrah. It has become one of the world's digital dumping grounds, where the West's electronic waste, or e-waste, piles up -- hundreds of millions of tons of it each year.

Green Dining Best Practices Help Companies Cut Costs, Waste and Pollution(06/25/2009)
Random House and the Hearst Corporation have found that serving up a menu based on green dining practices can save their companies thousands of dollars while cutting down on waste and pollution.

Synthetic Tree Captures Carbon 1,000 Times Faster Than Real Trees(06/25/2009)
Sure, trees are nice to look at, but they're also carbon-collecting powerhouses. Now Klaus Lackner, a professor of geophysics at Columbia University, is developing a synthetic tree that can collect carbon approximately 1,000 times faster than real trees.

San Francisco OKs toughest recycling law in U.S.(06/24/2009)
Throwing orange peels, coffee grounds and grease-stained pizza boxes in the trash will be against the law in San Francisco, and could even lead to a fine. The Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 to approve Mayor Gavin Newsom's proposal for the most comprehensive mandatory composting and recycling law in the country. It's an aggressive push to cut greenhouse gas emissions and have the city sending nothing to landfills or incinerators by 2020.

Senate Committee Takes Action to Restore Clean Water Act Protections Jeopardized by Supreme Court Decisions in 2007(06/24/2009)
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the Clean Water Restoration Act (CRWA), a landmark bill that reinstates Clean Water Act protections for a host of water bodies jeopardized by a pair of Supreme Court decisions. The bill, which would give EPA and the Corps of Engineers jurisdiction over all ground water in the United States, may soon be headed to the Senate floor after its recent passage in the House committee. The CWRA (Senate Bill. 787) will allow federal regulation of all waters of the U.S., a revision of the Clean Water Act which currently grants the federal government jurisdiction over navigable waters or any water that flows into navigable waters.

DOE to Invest $49 Million in 24 Solar Projects and Solar Training(06/24/2009)
DOE announced on June 11 its selection of 24 projects to research, develop, and design new manufacturing and product improvements that could cut costs for a substantial segment of the solar photovoltaic industry in the near future. The competitively-selected projects will be eligible for a total of up to $22 million in Recovery Act funds, which will be matched by more than $50 million in cost-shared funding from private partners.

MI: Tribes work with state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions(06/24/2009)
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, along with the 11 other federally recognized Indian tribes in Michigan, are working with the state to combat global warming.

Power Management Project May Save Indiana University $500K a Year(06/24/2009)
The Bloomington campus of Indiana University (IU) found it can save money -- and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions -- just by simply turning off computers not in use.

WI: Wisconsin E-waste Bill Passes Senate, Moves to Assembly(06/24/2009)
An electronics waste bill that would make manufacturers responsible for recycling the products they sell passed the Wisconsin Senate last week and arrived in the Assembly Tuesday.

House Democrats reach deal on Climate Bill(06/24/2009)
Democrats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday said they had reached a deal on difficult agriculture issues in a climate change bill, clearing the way for a vote and probable passage in the chamber this week.

U.S. EPA's Environmental Justice Resource Guide available to the public Guide lists success stories, funding sources, resources for community organizers (06/23/2009)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Justice Resource Guide, a handbook for community organizers and decision-makers, is now available from the EPA's Pacific Southwest Environmental Justice Office. "The EPA's Environmental Justice Resource Guide provides information on funding sources and other resources that can help communities understand, prioritize, and address their specific environmental concerns, said Enrique Manzanilla, Director of the Communities and Ecosystems Division at EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional Office. The Guide contains success stories achieved by communities disproportionately impacted by environmental burdens, such as the West Oakland Toxic Reduction Collaborative, which helped reduce port-related diesel pollutants, and the Torres Martinez Collaborative, which helped remove tons of refuse from tribal lands. These successes were achieved when community groups partnered with EPA, state, tribal and local agencies. The Guide also lists a helpful list of funding sources, tools, and resources available to community organizers. The EPA's Environmental Justice Resource Guide is available online at:

EPA Launches NetDMR(06/23/2009)
Clean Water Act Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) represent the highest volume of information collection undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA Regions and select States, Tribes, and Territories will have a new tool available to assist their regulated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) facilities in reporting DMRs beginning June 22, 2009. Additional States, Tribes, and Territories may adopt Network Discharge Monitoring Report (NetDMR) and enable their regulated NPDES facilities to begin utilizing the electronic reporting tool. NetDMR provides an Internet-based reporting tool for NPDES facilities to electronically sign and submit DMRs. NetDMR allows participants to discontinue mailing in hard copy forms under 40 CFR 122.41 and 403.12. DATES: The NetDMR application is available beginning June 22, 2009. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Donohue, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Mail Stop 2222A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460, (202) 564-2195,

Who is the Greenest PC Maker in the World?(06/23/2009)
Analysts say going green has become a business plan for some of the biggest personal computer (PC) makers as a way to differentiate themselves from their competition, reports Reuters.

EPA Issues Clean Energy Guidebook To Help States Save Money, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions(06/23/2009)
EPA today released a first-of-its-kind guide to help states save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by adopting clean energy practices in their facilities, operations and vehicle fleets.

EPA Honors CEM Corporation with the 2009 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award(06/23/2009)
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honored CEM Corporation of Matthews, North Carolina in Washington, DC as one of five winners nationally to receive the 2009 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. For the 14th year, the EPA recognized chemical technologies developed by leading researchers and industrial innovators who are making significant contributions to pollution prevention through source reduction in the United States.

Governor vetoes TV recycling measure(06/23/2009)


TX: Governor vetoes TV recycling measure(06/23/2009)
Austin Democrat Kirk Watson says he's stunned by a veto from Governor Rick Perry of a bill that would have encouraged people to recycle their old TVs instead of throwing them out.

Hotel industry adopts solar to save energy(06/23/2009)
As consumers demand more eco-friendly vacation choices, the tourism industry is responding with energy-efficient and carbon friendly resorts and hotels. In the U.S., as an example, the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick in New Jersey recently installed a SunPower solar power system, marking the hotel's initial step towards generating clean, renewable solar power. The hotel partnered with SunPower Corp. to design and install the 32,000-square-foot, 421-kilowatt system over the top floor of the hotel's garage.

Iowa utilities fight proposed mercury rule(06/22/2009)
Iowa's largest utility companies are ramping up their opposition to proposed state rules that would require them to monitor the mercury being emitted from their power plants, public records obtained by The Des Moines Register show. The resistance comes as state environmental groups are pushing for stronger air monitoring requirements and have rekindled discussion about coal ash residue, which can leak highly toxic mercury and other substances into lakes, rivers and groundwater.

Oil Pollution Prevention; Non-Transportation Related Onshore and Offshore Facilities(06/18/2009)
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending the dates by which facilities must prepare or amend their Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans, and implement those Plans to November 10, 2010. The Agency is also establishing November 10, 2010 as the date for farms to prepare or amend their Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plans (SPCC Plans), and implement those Plans. DATES: This final rule is effective June 19, 2009. Click on the link below to obtain a .pdf of the final rule

Experts call for standardized 'green' label(06/18/2009)
Major corporations, even those with the best environmental intentions, are hamstrung by a wide range of labels that connote "greenness." Without national or global standards for what should be labeled an environmentally friendly product, consumers won't know whom and what to trust, according to a panel of experts at today's National Summit session on Sustainable Business Solutions.

FTC Calls Companies Out for 'Biodegradable' Claims(06/18/2009)
The FTC has charged Kmart Corp., Tender Corp., and Dyna-E International with making false and unsubstantiated claims that their paper products were "biodegradable." Kmart and Tender have agreed to settle the cases against them; the case against Dyna-E will be litigated.

BAN to offer accredited electronic waste certification(06/18/2009)
The Basel Action Network plans to offer an accredited certification program for electronic recyclers that will not allow the export of scrap to developing countries.

CA: Calif. project would reduce hazardous waste from paint(06/18/2009)
San Joaquin County, Calif., is working with state waste officials and the California Product Stewardship Council on developing a statewide program for reducing the amount of paint disposed of as hazardous waste.

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