Coal ports in the Northwest threaten the regions work to reduce pollution and embrace clean energy.

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Combined heat & power (CHP) or cogeneration, is really not an energy source itself, but rather more of an energy multiplier, squeezing more usable energy out of each unit of fuel most everywhere it is applied. Without CHP, fuel is used to provide electricity and then additional fuel is used for heat, which in many cases is a missed opportunity. It is most commonly used with a fossil fuel input source today, though it is sometimes combined with biomass or even solar to improve their efficiency.

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ALEC is lobbying for the EPA to designate palm oil as a biofuel.

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Scientific and environmental groups announced that they will submit comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to EPA’s proposed finding that palm oil should not qualify for inclusion in the EPA’s Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) this morning. While the organizations,including the Union of Concerned Scientists, World Wildlife Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the National Wildlife Federation, agreed with the EPA’s conclusion not to include palm oil, they argued that EPA’s analysis actually underestimates the greenhouse gas emissions of palm oil and the serious environmental problems that palm cultivation creates.

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Explosive growth in mobile computing and cloud services has industry players, public and private sector organizations focused on greening the data center. But with investments and data center facilities growing exponentially, it’s more than likely that electricity demand will far outstrip energy savings and renewable energy gains.

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To frack or not to frack–a question for a White House working group.

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Some of the largest US electric utilities in the use are facing shareholder proxy votes calling on them to enact and report on coal risk mitigation plans. Behind the proxy resolutions is CSR/shareholder advocacy group As You Sow, which asserts that shareholders face significantly increased investment risk as a result of the utilities’ reticence to enact such plans and shift away from coal to other cleaner and renewable energy supply sources.

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EPA proposes the first carbon pollution standard for new coal-fired power plants.

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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor on March 21 of anIdahocouple that challenged an EPA Clean Water Act compliance order which carried up to $75,000 in fines.

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The latest oops, in Monsanto’s growing list, is the elimination of large numbers of monarch butterflies from the landscape. Does Roundup kill butterflies? No, it doesn’t. It simply kills everything that butterflies like to eat: milkweed plants in particular. A 2011 study in Insect Conservation and Diversity found that the heavy Roundup use associated with GMO crops in Mexico, where North American butterflies overwinter, has contributed heavily to a 17-year decrease in monarch populations.

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A new study by the University of California provides evidence that companies that publicly announce information about their carbon emissions will see a significant and almost immediate increase in share price.

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Big Coal front group files suit to block the EPA’s landmark mercury regulations.

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Despite UPS headquarters being 20 years old, the company just announced that it has become the first in the package delivery and logistics industry to gain LEED Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council. UPS submitted the building for review in May 2011 (shortly after the appointment of Chief Sustainability Officer Scott Wicker) and [...]

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As 2011 comes to close, Google has embarked on its annual exploration of the biggest news, trends and events that captured our attention and sparked our curiosity throughout the year. With Zeitgeist 2011, Google provides a visual analysis of how the world searched, including Top 10 lists of the most popular queries in a variety of [...]

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The EPA announced that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) may be to blame for causing groundwater pollution. This may influence the highly contentious debate in New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to lift the ban on fracking in the Marcellus Shale area. “If fracking is so safe, why does it need loopholes?”

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A few small drops of mercury can contaminate a 20-acre lake and the fish that happen to reside there, thanks to coal-fired plant emissions. That’s a major reason why the EPA’s decision to regulate the emissions of mercury, lead and other toxic pollutants from coal- and oil-fired plants is a major victory for the health [...]

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At Cone Communications, we spend the entire year tracking cause marketing and corporate responsibility (CR), and between shark fin soap and $3,500 sneakers for a cause, we’ve seen it all. We reveal our top 10 cause marketing and CR trends of 2011.

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The following post is part of the course work for “Live Exchange” the foundational course on communication for The MBA Design Strategy Program at California College of the Arts. The rest of the posts are presented here. By Corine Prothero Effective sustainability conversations need to be heard everywhere. Select students, communities, grassroots movements, businesses, and [...]

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I know this sounds like something out of a Dan Brown novel, but it does help to explain some of the administration’s inconsistencies. The report continues, “A steady stream of industry lobbyists — appearing some 3,760 times over the ten-year period we studied — uses OIRA as a court of last resort when they fail to convince experts at agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to weaken pending regulations.”

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Based on US air pollution measurements in Beijing, Chinese officials appear to be incorrectly reporting air quality data.

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According to the EPA, ground-level ozone and the smog it helps produce is responsible for human health problems such as emphysema, asthma, bronchitis, congestion, chest pain, premature heart attacks, and overall, reduced lung function. So if ground-level ozone is so harmful, why did U.S. President Barack Obama let the oil industry off the hook last month by allowing them to delay complying with increased standards?

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Three arguments, based on history, economics, and independent studies, against the assertion that the EPA and environmental regulations are killing jobs and destroying the economy.

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If you’re car shopping next month, you may come across the most user-friendly and informative eco-label ever designed. For 2012 model year cars, carmakers will have the option to place the EPA’s new Fuel Economy and Environment labels in car windows. Then starting next year, labels will be required on all 2013 model year vehicles.

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Four right-wing and right-leaning anti-big government groups contend the EPA is “abusing” air-quality laws because the agency’s MACT (maximum achievable control technology) utility rules will force coal-fired electrical plants to shut down, thus jeopardizing the security and reliability of the U.S. power supply. A petition last week by the Institute for Liberty, Americans for Prosperity, [...]

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The Sierra Club is on the Environmental Protection Agency’s case about hazardous waste. Writing in Treehugger last week, Sarah Hodgdon, the Club’s Director of Conservation, says with the EPA “currently reconsidering their hazardous waste standards” under its Regulatory Review and Reform Initiative. Now is the time keep the pressure on the agency for stronger standards. [...]

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It’s never boring with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) around. I’m sure both fans and non-fans of the Republican presidential candidate would agree. One thing they might not agree on so much is her integrity. Critics especially like to point out major differences between the record of Representative Bachmann and the rhetoric of candidate Bachmann when [...]

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In another stunning reversal, our American government appears to have taken another step away from its sworn duty to protect the American people in its continuing effort to better serve the corporate interests that are paying for their political campaigns. Last week, the US EPA announced that exhaust streams from coal-fired power plants injected underground [...]

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Two excellent building energy efficiency reports were released last month. The first is from the Environmental Defense Fund entitled Show Me the Money: Energy Efficiency Financing Barriers and Opportunities. The second from the Institute for Market Transformation is a comprehensive look at Building Energy Transparency: A Framework for Implementing Energy Rating & Disclosure Policy

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Businesses beg for definitive rulings on issues such as carbon pricing and environmental social governance (ESG) reporting requirements, meanwhile the legislature clamors (successfully) “drill baby drill” and accuses environmentalists of favoring spotted owls over jobs. Our leaders’ attitude seems to be climate change has to wait until the economy has turned around.

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Sherwin-Williams Company recently received an EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for a new paint formulation that uses both soybean oil and recycled plastic bottles. Since introducing the new formula last year, Sherwin-Williams says it has used 320,000 pounds of soybean oil, 250,000 pounds of PET, and eliminated 1,000 barrels of oil. It also eliminated 800,000 pounds of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds.

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