The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a new website that should create more transparency with regard to the environmental rulemaking and regulatory process. The site is called “Reg Stat” and, according to the EPA, it provides insight on the 1,700 to 1,900 documents the agency publishes in the Federal Register each year. The site includes information on the development of new rules and other information, including summary graphics and searchable data tables.
December 9, 2010
Tire Recycling Plant Moves Forward
As previously reported on this blog, Green Tire Systems plans to build a tire recycling plant at an unused brownfield site in Niagara Falls, New York. Santarosa Holdings is developing the site with the help of brownfield cleanup dollars from the federal government through the Niagara County Brownfield Development Corp.
On Tuesday, the project moved one step closer to completion with the demolition of the existing buildings on the site.
According to Green Tire Systems, the tire recycling facility will employ a highly technological process that reclaims the core components used to make the modern tire; carbon black, oil, steel, and syngas. The article did not provide a completion date for the facility.
Yokohama Tire Plant in Thailand Achieves Complete Zero Emissions
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. has announced that Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co. Ltd. has achieved “complete zero emissions” — meaning that the plant produces no waste subject to direct landfill disposal. This is the fifth of Yokohama’s overseas plants to achieve this milestone.
The Thai plant had previously achieved “zero emissions” in December 2009, which is defined as landfill disposal constituting less than 1% of total waste. According to Yokohama, the plant “continued its research into new methods for disposing of electric parts, batteries, etc., which, although representing only a small volume, had till then been subject to direct landfill disposal.” The plant then conducted an on-site investigation of its contractor commissioned to dispose of waste from the plant and thereby achieved its goal of “complete zero emissions.” The plant will now focus on achieving “100% waste recycling,” which is defined as, “No waste generated in the course of business activities is subject to final disposal (i.e., direct landfill disposal or incineration without effective utilization).”
All eight of Yokohama’s tire plants in Japan have maintained “complete zero emissions” since March 2006, and all 15 of the company’s overseas production sites aim at achieving “complete zero emissions” by the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. Along with the Thai plant, other overseas facilities that have achieved this goal as of December 2010 are Yokohama Tire Philippines Inc. in the Philippines, and Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd., Yokohama HAMATITE (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. and Yokohama Hoses & Coupling (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd., in China.
Chemtura Raises Antioxidant and Flame Retardant Prices
Chemtura has announced a series of price increases for antioxidants, UV stabilizers, and flame retardants,
On December 6, Chemtura announced a price increase for antoxidants and UV stabilizers.
Chemtura Corporation (NYSE:CHMT) has announced that it is raising the price of the products supplied by the Antioxidant and UV Stabilizer business, primarily as the result of a significant and sustained increase in key raw material costs. Effective on all deliveries after Jan. 1, 2011, or as contracts allow, the price of the Antioxidant and UV Stabilizers will be increased by up to 15 percent. These increases are essential to sustain Chemtura as a viable supplier and to enable continued reinvestment.
On December 8, Chemtura’s Great Lakes business announced a price increase for flame retardants and bromine products.
Chemtura’s Great Lakes Solutions business announces that effective January 1, 2011, or as contract terms allow, it will increase prices on its range of Reofos core and performance phosphate ester flame retardants by up to 7% in all regions. This increase has become necessary due to the sustained high costs of key raw inputs including BPA, phenol and propylene. The company will also increase prices for bromine and bromine-based derivatives by up to 25% in all regions effective Jan. 1, 2011 or as contracts allow
Great Lakes Solutions, a Chemtura Corporation (NYSE: CHMT) business, today announced that it will increase prices for bromine and bromine-based derivatives by up to 25 percent in all regions effective Jan. 1, 2011 or as contracts allow.
Beware Gushing Crude Forecasts
Yes, oil prices are up, but Liam Denning at the Wall Street Journal doesn’t see another spike coming.
An excerpt:
First, there is more oil lying around. U.S. commercial crude-oil inventories covered 25.4 days of demand as of Nov. 26, compared with 19.5 days in December 2007. Stocks for the industrialized world as a whole are higher, too. There also is more spare capacity available. U.S. refinery use is running at about 84%, compared with almost 89% three years ago.
Meanwhile, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ spare crude-output capacity is 6.1 million barrels a day, or 7% of global demand, according to the latest International Energy Agency report. The buffer was just 2.8 million barrels, or 3.2%, in December 2007.