As mentioned last week, the chemical industry's lawyers and lobbyists
are busy lining up in Washington to have their say on the recently
proposed Waxman-Markey bill especially concerning its cap-and-trade
emissions plan.
Speaking of lobbyists, the New York Times posted a pretty interesting article on top climate change lobbyists in Washington, which I'll post later on this week. For now here are some of last week's green news from around the world:
Rhodia's GHG reduction project
Rhodia received the first Emission Reduction Units generated in Europe, coming from a greenhouse gas emission reduction project located in its French industrial site of Salindres. The project, which started in August 2008, will enable an average annual reduction of about 200 000 tons of CO2 equivalent over the 2009-2012 period.
Fluor's new clean energy biz
Engineering company Fluor has formed a dedicated business line within its Power Group to focus on global renewable energy needs specifically for clients in the solar, wind and biomass sectors.
Speaking of lobbyists, the New York Times posted a pretty interesting article on top climate change lobbyists in Washington, which I'll post later on this week. For now here are some of last week's green news from around the world:
Rhodia's GHG reduction project
Rhodia received the first Emission Reduction Units generated in Europe, coming from a greenhouse gas emission reduction project located in its French industrial site of Salindres. The project, which started in August 2008, will enable an average annual reduction of about 200 000 tons of CO2 equivalent over the 2009-2012 period.
Fluor's new clean energy biz
Engineering company Fluor has formed a dedicated business line within its Power Group to focus on global renewable energy needs specifically for clients in the solar, wind and biomass sectors.
Green power-certified carpet
BASF purchased Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Green Power Switch Program®, for use in its carpet-backing latex production at their Chattanooga, Tennessee, facility. TVA's green power is derived from solar, wind and methane gas.
First degradable metallic packaging
Mexican leading baked goods company Grupo Bimbo has begun using degradable metallic polypropylene packaging for its products, which disintegrates within a period of 3 to 5 years after the product's shelf life. The technology works by incorporating a pro-degrading additive during the packagings' manufacturing process.
Organic fragrance expanded
Fragrance house Arylessence expanded its organic and natural fragrance portfolio, which are designed to meet the strictest 100% organic requirements, and as well as the 'natural ingredient' certification as defined by the FDA.
Solar modules for Prius
Kyocera is supplying solar modules for the new Toyota Prius solar ventilation system, which ventilates the air inside of the car by using the electricity generated by the solar module on the rooftop to drive the fans while the car is parked during the daytime. This feature automatically moderates temperature rise inside of the vehicle even during hot seasons.
And in ICIS news (subscription required):
Eastman Chemical said US Coca-Cola's unveiling of a recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottle made partly from plant-based materials is an extension of a trend of companies moving to PET packaging.
The climate change bill being proposed in the House of Representatives could help revive US industry and drive substantial new demand for chemistry products according to DuPont and BASF.
US technical standards agency ASTM International is developing new resin identification codes to help assuage consumers' fears about which plastics contain the controversial chemical bisphenol-A.
BASF purchased Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Green Power Switch Program®, for use in its carpet-backing latex production at their Chattanooga, Tennessee, facility. TVA's green power is derived from solar, wind and methane gas.
First degradable metallic packaging
Mexican leading baked goods company Grupo Bimbo has begun using degradable metallic polypropylene packaging for its products, which disintegrates within a period of 3 to 5 years after the product's shelf life. The technology works by incorporating a pro-degrading additive during the packagings' manufacturing process.
Organic fragrance expanded
Fragrance house Arylessence expanded its organic and natural fragrance portfolio, which are designed to meet the strictest 100% organic requirements, and as well as the 'natural ingredient' certification as defined by the FDA.
Solar modules for Prius
Kyocera is supplying solar modules for the new Toyota Prius solar ventilation system, which ventilates the air inside of the car by using the electricity generated by the solar module on the rooftop to drive the fans while the car is parked during the daytime. This feature automatically moderates temperature rise inside of the vehicle even during hot seasons.
And in ICIS news (subscription required):
Eastman Chemical said US Coca-Cola's unveiling of a recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottle made partly from plant-based materials is an extension of a trend of companies moving to PET packaging.
The climate change bill being proposed in the House of Representatives could help revive US industry and drive substantial new demand for chemistry products according to DuPont and BASF.
US technical standards agency ASTM International is developing new resin identification codes to help assuage consumers' fears about which plastics contain the controversial chemical bisphenol-A.
TVA’s “Green Power” scam
Once upon a time in the heat of battles with tax-raising Democrats, the governor of Arkansas set up a fund called “pay more taxes”. It, of course, was a resounding flop – nobody wants to pay more taxes unless forced to do so.
Well, the TVA has a “Green Power Switch Program”. It’s simple but people are duped into believing it somehow goes for “green power” when in fact it is premium electricity payments that merely go into TVA’s unfathomable debt hole. I call it a scam.
Now BASF may proudly say their carpet backing is part of TVA’s “Green Power” program. A two way scam.
For those interested in finding out a lot more than they probably ever wanted to know about the TVA, see http://norsworthyopinion.com
Ernest Norsworthy
emnorsworthy@earthlink.net