Waste News Digital Edition - January 21, 2008

Massey settles suit for $20M

Wind energy capacity rose 45% in 2007

By Bruce Geiselman

Massey Energy Company Inc. will pay a $20 million civil penalty to resolve Clean Water Act violations at coal mines in West Virginia and Kentucky. It is the largest civil penalty in the EPA’s

Environmental groups file a lawsuit against Shell Oil Co. over
emissions from an oil refinery and chemical plant near Houston.
Page 3

The U.S. wind energy industry shattered all previous records in 2007, increasing the nation’s wind-power capacity 45 percent during that year alone.

New installed capacity
amounted to 5,244 megawatts

history levied against a company for wastewater discharge permit violations.

“This is a landmark settlement for the environment, and raises the bar for the mining industry,”

said Granta Nakayama, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

The EPA, the Department of Justice and Massey Energy dis-

See Massey, Page 24

You can
See At Deadline, Page 24
bank on it
IN THIS ISSUE
Per fectly
good boxes
SOLID WASTE

Recycle MORE
Minnesota already
has one retailer
stepping up to
participate in its
drive to collect old
shoes that can be used to make a
material to clean up oil spills. Page 4

Study: Finance sector
making great strides
on climate change
U-Haull makes container
reuse a snap for customers
Byy JJiim JJoohhnnssoonn
By Jim Johnson
HAZARDOUS WASTE

The Office of the Inspector General says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needs to update its emergency response plan. Page 4

AIR

Michael Westerheim of Unisys Corp. says extensive renovations at the firm’s outsourcing facility will save money and energy. Page 12

WATER

Exxon Mobil will have its day in court over the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill when the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments over damages next month. Page 16

A study of the world’s largest banks shows there has been “unimaginable” progress in the sector regarding climate change compared to just a few years ago. But the group behind the study cautions work has really just begun.

Ceres is a coalition of institutional investors, environmental groups and other public interest groups that push for sustainable business practices. The group examined 40 of the globe’s largest banks with an eye on their work regarding global warming. They included 16 banks in the United States, 15 in Europe, five in Asia, three in Canada and one in Brazil.

“The report’s findings show enormous progress from many banks on climate change, especially in the past 12 months.

But to be clear, while we are seeing progress, progress that three years ago would have Lubber been unimaginable, there is not enough progress,” said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres.

HSBC Holdings scored the highest of all of the banks in the report created by RiskMetrics Group. HSBC is based in London, but has thousands of offices around the world, including almost 400 branches in New York state.

RiskMetrics, on behalf of Ceres, examined corporate governance and strategic

See Banks, Page 23

Make no mistake, U-Haul International Inc. is in the business of selling boxes and supplies to the do-it-yourself movers the company rents equipment to around the country.

But the company also
wants to make a lasting
green imprint on its clientele.

So Phoenix-based U-Haul has started both online and in-store box exchange programs where customers can share their used but perfectly good boxes with one another instead of tossing them out with the trash.

And the company has even changed the printing of its moving boxes that once featured familiar pictures of U-Haul trucks in black and white. They are n o w p r i n t e d w i t h g r e e n i n k a n d feature messages aimed at promoting reuse.