EPA on hot seat after ruling

Mich. haz disposal site to lose permits

Thin Supreme Court majority tags greenhouse gases from cars as pollutants

The federal government intends to terminate permits allowing the injection of hazardous waste into two underground disposal wells in Romulus, Mich.

The facility, now closed, had
been accepting a variety of liq-

By Elizabeth McGowan

A busy month for environmental matters at the High Court, Page 4.

WASHINGTON — Understandably, a certain series of events after the 2000 election caused Al Gore to shudder when anybody mentioned the U.S. Supreme Court

in his presence.

But word on the street is that the former vice president has

been all smiles since April 2 when a majority of the justices rebuked the Bush administra-

tion’s policy on global warming in Massachusetts v. EPA.

The 5-4 ruling, highlighting Justice Anthony Kennedy as the crucial swing vote, labels heat-

See EPA, Page 31

See At Deadline, Page 29

In demand

IN THIS ISSUE

SOLID WASTE

China’s appetite for paper
spurs U.S. recovery rate

By Jim Johnson

Norcal Waste Systems Inc. fills up completely with green fuel. Page 3

Ga.-based Novelis Inc. recycled 38 billion cans in 2006. Page 11

HAZARDOUS WASTE

Electronics Recyclers makes first buy outside California. Page 21

WATER

Every man, woman and child in the United States gained 14 pounds last year, and that’s a good thing.

New statistics from those who keep track show that paper recovery jumped by 14 pounds per person in the country from 2005 to 2006, increasing at a rate even faster than experts once expected.

There once was a time when recyclers debated whether the country could even recover half of all paper purchased in the United States, but that number is closing in on the recycling industry’s latest 55 percent goal years ahead of schedule.

Some 53.4 percent of all paper consumed in the United States was recovered for recycling last year, reports the American Forest and Paper Association.

That trade group has been tracking the numbers for years and says the latest statistics indicate that 360 pounds of paper were recycled last year for everyone in the United States, for a total of 53.5 million tons.

That’s an 84 percent increase in per capita recycling since 1990. “We are closing in on our 55 percent paper recovery goal at a much faster rate than we anticipated,” said Juanita Duggan, AF&PA president.

But why?

Arizona’s ability to regulate water permits goes before court. Page 4

AIR POLLUTION

See Paper, Page 24

JACK KURTZ / NE WSCOM

ANYONE SEE THE BUSINESS SECTION? Giovany Espinoza Lopez works amid the newsprint at the new Hudson Baylor Corp. plant in Phoenix. Opened in February, the facility processes about 1,000 tons of recyclables per week.

Marc Laferriere of Michelin has a truck tire that can save on fuel consumption and air emissions. Page 21

Expanding RecycleBank finds cool NYC reception

By Joe Truini

“[The number of requests has] really been every public works and mayor’s office throughout the Northeast,” he said.

FitzGerald and his partner, co-

It’s one of the hottest things going in the recycling industry, but it may be able to make it everywhere but in its birthplace — New York City.

RecycleBank LLC is in demand after its incentive-based residential curbside recycling system showed promise in Philadelphia and rolled out citywide in Wilmington, Del.

Casella Waste Systems Inc., a

Rutland, Vt.-based waste hauler, has added the program to its offerings, and the number of municipalities requesting information has been overwhelming, said Patrick FitzGerald, co-founder and president of RecycleBank.