News and Articles


West Virginia DEP Awards Electronics Recycling Grants

The program determines whether manufacturers have adopted or implemented free take-back/recycling programs for their products and awards recycling grants for county or city programs that divert covered electronic devices from their waste stream.

Banking on Big Data

Sophisticated tools capable of collecting and analyzing massive data sets and then displaying the results in visual form are no longer an option. They are becoming a necessity.

Two Coal-Fired Power Plants Closing in Texas

"These two plants are economically challenged in the competitive ERCOT market. Sustained low wholesale power prices, an oversupplied renewable generation market, and low natural gas prices, along with other factors, have contributed to this decision," Luminant's announcement said.

Eliminating the need for replacement is the most sustainable practice we can have as manufacturers. By design, durability is one of the most important factors in reducing environmental impact. (Nydree Flooring photo)

The Future of Sustainability

In the next five years, we'll see sustainability in commercial projects moving from a luxury to a requirement. Examining your product and its performance now will put you ahead of the curve.

ExxonMobil Announces More Efforts to Cut Methane Emissions

XTO recently completed a pilot project in the Midland Basin that tested new low-emission designs that use compressed air instead of natural gas to operate pneumatic equipment that helps regulate conditions such as level, flow, pressure, and temperature

UN, Partners Announce Anti-Cholera Road Map

There are an estimated 95,000 cholera-related deaths and another 2.9 million more people affected annually.

GE Sells Water & Process Technologies Business to SUEZ

SUEZ said in connection with the $3.4 billion deal's completion, it has established a Water Technologies & Solutions business unit under the leadership of Heiner Markhoff, former president and CEO of GE Water, and Markhoff has joined SUEZ Group's Executive Committee.

IKEA U.S. Launching National Mattress Recycling Program

An estimated 18 million mattresses with box springs are disposed in the United States annually, which causes about 50,000 mattresses to be disposed in landfills daily across the country. And some mattresses are illegally dumped, adding to landfill waste.

Feasibility Report Promising for Australian Seawater Pumped Hydro Project

"Pumped hydro has great potential to solve one of the most pressing energy issues we face – integrating intermittent renewable supply into the grid in a way that delivers reliable, affordable power," EnergyAustralia Managing Director Catherine Tanna said.

DOE Loan Guarantees Back Vogtle Completion

"Advanced nuclear energy projects like Vogtle are the kind of important energy infrastructure projects that support a reliable and resilient grid, promote economic growth, and strengthen our energy and national security," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said.

Researchers Document Hitchhikers on 2011 Tsunami's Debris

Researchers studied more than 600 pieces of debris that washed up on Hawaiian, U.S., and Canadian coasts, and they counted nearly 300 Japanese species on them.

EPA Offers Tips for Homeowners with Flooded Wells

Cathy Magliocchetti of EPA's Region III offered tips on the agency's blog recently for people whose private wells and septic systems may have been flooded as a result of Hurricane Irma's impact on the East Coast.

NY Governor Appoints Eight to Drinking Water Quality Council

Scheduled to meet for the first time Oct. 2, the council will address a range of emerging water quality issues. Its first task will be to make recommendations to establish enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for three priority emerging contaminants: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and 1,4-dioxane.

New UNEP Reports Aid in Coral Reef Protection

"A Guide to Assessing Coral Reef Resilience for Decision Support" will help environmental planners and managers assess, map, and monitor coral reef resilience and use the results to prioritize management actions that support resilience in the face of climate change.

This image shows Arctic sea ice on Sept. 13, 2017, when the ice reached its annual minimum. The yellow line marks the 30-year average minimum sea ice extent from 1981 through 2010. (Credit: NASA

End-of-Summer Arctic Sea Ice Extent Eighth-Lowest on Record

And Antarctica is heading to its maximum yearly sea ice extent, which typically occurs in September or early October. NASA reported this year's maximum extent is likely to be among the five lowest in the satellite record — a continuation of the low extents in 2015 and 2016.

Affected Florida Counties Urged to Accelerate Debris Cleanup

Plans submitted to the department will be posted publicly on its website. All of the plans must include an estimated date of completion, and any county that plans to request reimbursement for debris removal following Irma must submit a plan.

Agreement Reached to Reduce Baltimore Sewage Overflows

The new proposed agreement calls for mandatory stream quality monitoring for pollutants, including pathogens, with results posted quarterly, and greater transparency, with draft plans posted to the city's website and made available 45 days before they are due to interested parties.

StarKist Paying CWA Penalty, Improving American Samoa Plant

"Today's agreement will help prevent hazardous releases at the StarKist facility, protect workers and the local community, and reduce pollution discharged into Pago Pago Harbor by more than 13 million pounds each year," said Alexis Strauss, acting regional administrator with EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. "Working with our partners at American Samoa EPA, we will monitor the company’s progress toward full compliance with all federal environmental rules."

New York Offers ZEV Rebates to Municipal Fleets

The state promises that its zero-emission vehicle and infrastructure investments will advance Gov. Cuomo's clean transportation and climate change goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

UK Residents Start Monitoring Air Pollution

UK Residents Start Monitoring Air Pollution

Environmental charity Friends of the Earth said 70 groups in the United Kingdom are using testing kits to monitor pollution levels in the air they breathe, adding to a growing number of persons taking pollution monitoring into their own hands.