SolutionHybrid

Spanish Solar Firm Rioglass build a $50 million U.S. headquarters in Arizona

2010-08-27T17:07:00.002-04:00

"Rioglass Solar adds to the significant progress Arizona is making to become a global leader in the renewable energy sector, and creating quality, stable jobs that will help advance and diversify our state's economy," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Auto Air Pollution Impacts Transportation Planning and Land Use

2010-08-10T09:39:00.001-04:00

Florida land use and transportation planning will most likely undergo dramatic changes to in order to comply with national air pollution regulations - particularly the lowering of the acceptable maximum level of ozone.

First EPA revised the acceptable ozone pollutant level from 0.080 parts per billion (ppb) to 0.075 ppb in March 2008. As a result, some Florida metropolitan areas are currently out of compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) and are referred to as non-attainment areas.

Now EPA has proposed a revision to the rule (40 CFR Parts 50 and 58 in January 2010) to reduce the maximum acceptable ozone level to 0.070 ppb or possibly as low as 0.060 ppb. This regulatory change will require designation of most Florida metropolitan areas as non-attainment areas.
Florida will be required by the Clean Air Act to complete the following: First, we must formally designate the (non-attainment) areas that are out of compliance. Next, we must to revise the State Implementation Plan (SIP) and local Long Range Transportation Plans (LRTP) to indicate what actions are required to reduce ozone levels sufficient to comply with the NAAQS. And finally, we must scientifically demonstrate that the revised SIP (and LRTP) actions are sufficient to bring about compliance.

As many as 30 counties could be designated as nonattainment areas using 2007-2009 air quality data (click to see detailed map). These areas could include: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Orlando-Kissimmee-Melbourne, Gainesville-Ocala-Leesburg, Tampa-Sarasota, Fort Myers-Naples, Lakeland-Lake Placid, Jacksonville-St. Augustine, Tallahassee, Panama City, and Mobile-Pensacola.
Florida will take steps to increase the transportation efficiency and reduce the growth rate for vehicle miles traveled. Expect the adoption of California-like emission standards and activities to reduce congestion and delay. Urban sprawl will be further discouraged and high-density transit oriented development will be encouraged.
State, regional, and local transportation plans will be analyzed by computer modeling to demonstrate that plan policies will bring about compliance. The Florida Standard Urban Transportation Model Structure (FSUTMS) is the computer tool used to prepare all Florida transportation plans. FSUTMS is used to forecast transportation network congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

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Pascal
Schreier CEO

Congress restores rural mortgage help

2010-07-30T16:28:00.000-04:00

NAR calls passage of HR 4899 a "great victory" for rural homebuyers; it now goes to Pres. Obama for his signature.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Ontario faces U.S. challenge in developing Great Lakes wind power

2010-07-27T14:12:00.002-04:00

Europeans, short on land and facing a rapidly maturing onshore wind market, got into the offshore game in the early 1990s. Today, more than 830 offshore wind turbines operate in nine European countries, with thousands more being built in the next few years. North America, by comparison, is where Europe was more than 15 years ago. Not a single offshore turbine has been installed off its waters, let alone in the fresh waters of the Great Lakes. Ontario, hungry for jobs and eager to kick-start its struggling manufacturing sector, is in a good position to change that.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Mercedes-Benz opening 415,000-square-foot facility near Jacksonville airport

2010-07-02T12:48:00.002-04:00

New Jersey-based Mercedes-Benz USA is responsible for distribution, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach automobiles in the U.S. It will employ 160 people at the newly constructed Jacksonville facility at 13470 International Parkway, which the company is leasing. Mercedes-Benz will have four business units operating out of the facility when it officially opens in July:

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Why Is the Gulf Cleanup So Slow?

2010-07-02T12:42:00.000-04:00

There are obvious actions to speed things up, but the government oddly resists taking them. As the oil spill continues and the cleanup lags, we must begin to ask difficult and uncomfortable questions. There does not seem to be much that anyone can do to stop the spill except dig a relief well, not due until August. But the cleanup is a different story. The press and Internet are full of straightforward suggestions for easy ways of improving the cleanup, but the federal government is resisting these remedies.
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Pascal Schreier
CEO

$130 Trillion

2010-06-24T17:22:00.002-04:00

That’s the staggering sum of the true national debt. About that $14 trillion national debt: Get ready to tack some zeroes onto it. Taken alone, the amount of debt issued by the federal government — that $14 trillion figure that shows up on the national ledger — is a terrifying, awesome, hellacious number: Fourteen trillion seconds ago, Greenland was covered by lush and verdant forests, and the Neanderthals had not yet been outwitted and driven into extinction by Homo sapiens sapiens, because we did not yet exist. Big number, 14 trillion, and yet it doesn’t even begin to cover the real indebtedness of American governments at the federal, state, and local levels, because governments don’t count up their liabilities the same way businesses do.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

BP two little letters.

2010-06-24T16:48:00.000-04:00

BP, Two little letters, what can they stand for; I asked of the bird who lie dieing on shore?
Bigger Profits he gasped as he crept closer to death, Bigger Profits, that’s all and nothing less!
BP, what does it mean? I asked of the turtle as he washed ashore, Bigger Profits he murmured and nothing more!
That can’t be I exclaimed! it must be something else, like the Blowout Preventer they took off of the shelf.
Your wrong shouted the Gulf Walrus from out of thin air, they have never worked and BP does not care!
No! I cried that can not be true, as the Walrus lie foundering all covered in goo!
Their must be another meaning, just out of reach, I pondered the question as the oil fouled the beach.
I coughed and I gagged as the spill worsened and BP continued spreading its deadly dispersants.
We all use the oil that much I do know, without Bigger Profits the economy would slow.
That can’t be the answer, it sounds much too harsh I thought to myself as the oil killed the marsh!
Without off shore drilling where would we be? But continued drilling will turn brown, our blue sea!
The oil spill is causing hardship and strife! It’s polluting the gulf waters and destroying our way of life!
Can it all be for Profit, is it as simple as that and will the disaster, get swept under the matt?
No! The animals cried you must not forget, keep our memory alive, it’s not over yet!
I shouted BP, what do you stand for? Bigger Profits they clambered, that’s all nothing more?

A sad poem by,
Dennis Bischof

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Let Them In

2010-06-24T16:46:00.002-04:00

Opening America's borders is morally right, economically beneficial--and would even make America safer.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

BP's Oil Disaster. The Dangers and Difficulties of 'Bottom Kill'

2010-06-24T16:31:00.000-04:00

BP has only one arrow left in its quiver, a method known as 'bottom kill.' The idea is for relief wells to stop the gushing oil from below, but the technical challenges are formidable. Past experiences show that the oil may continue flowing into late autumn.
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Pascal Schreier
CEO

FREEDOM FROM BIG OIL

2010-05-27T14:33:00.000-04:00

"Even if you hadn't seen the catastrophe down in the Gulf, the reason that folks are now having to go down a mile deep into the ocean, and then another mile drilling into the ground below, that is because the easy oil fields and oil wells are gone, or they're starting to diminish," Obama said Tuesday. "That tells us we've got to have a long-term energy strategy in this country." Congress and the administration must take further steps to end our dependence on big oil. The administration should beef up federal research and development efforts into how to prevent oil spills and better contain them if they occur. The federal government should establish additional protection for continental shelf areas beyond just the three miles states can control. CAP and environmental organizations advocate establishing a significant oil savings reduction goal and empowering the president to achieve it. Obama and Congress should also adopt measures for cleaner vehicles and fuels, and more investment in transit -- as part of a comprehensive plan to reduce oil use. Congress should cut tax loopholes and other handouts to big oil companies, which would save $45 billion over 10 years -- money that can be spent on investing in a clean energy economy instead. And clean energy legislation that caps the oil and coal pollution that is destroying our atmosphere and oceans is long overdue. "We all know the price we pay as a country," Obama said. "With the increased risks and increased costs, it gives you a sense of where we're going. We're not going got be able to sustain this kind of fossil fuel use. This planet can't sustain it."

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Deere reports $547 million in 2nd quarter profits

2010-05-24T12:26:00.002-04:00

Fueled by increased farm machinery sales in several corners of the world, Deere & Co.’s profits rose 16 percent in the second quarter. In its earning report released Wednesday, the Moline-based Deere announced it posted a net income of $547.5 million, or $1.28 per share, for the second quarter, which ended April 30. That is up from $472.3 million, or $1.11 per share, for the same period a year ago.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Florida business leaders peg economic recovery on international trade

2010-05-20T14:24:00.000-04:00

A group of Florida business leaders on Wednesday launched a campaign to double state exports in the next five years, singling out international trade as a key catalyst for the state's economic recovery.

"As important as agriculture and construction and tourism have been and always will be, the truth is our economy has changed and we're never going back to the economy we used to have," Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said in a conference call with reporters.

Manuel Mencia, senior vice president of international trade and business development for Enterprise Florida, backed him up.

"This is a sector that holds the potential not only to lead Florida out of the recession, but to be the growth sector in Florida, certainly for the next decade and years to come," Mencia said.

The campaign was underscored by the release of a chamber-funded report analyzing the potential payoff of greater investment in international trade and suggesting ways to promote more trade.

The study was conducted by Tony Villamil, an economic adviser with the Washington Economics Group near Miami. Villamil was an economic development adviser for Jeb Bush when Bush was governor.

Among recommendations discussed Wednesday:

• Developing a comprehensive federal policy agenda for Florida. One key agenda item is promoting congressional passage of free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.

• Giving more "trade capacity grants" to economic development organizations in Florida to spur investment.

• Spending more on international marketing.

• Focusing attention on Florida's No. 1 export market, Brazil, followed by emerging markets in Asia and Latin America that are coming out of the recession in relatively good condition.

The campaign comes with one built-in advantage: The state already has a huge and growing presence in international trade.

One in every six jobs in Florida is tied to international business, Villamel says. With more than 42,000 export companies, Florida boasts the second-largest concentration of exporters in the United States.

The state also is the third-largest exporter of high-tech products and growing faster than the rest of the country. Between 2003 and 2008, Florida's high-tech exports rose 81 percent, more than three times as fast as the U.S. average growth in that sector.

Wilson, who is slated to join a trade mission to Colombia this summer, said the more Florida increases its international trade, the better it will weather the next economic storm.

Florida companies involved in international trade are not only more resilient to an economic downturn, but the jobs pay 30 percent higher wages on average and trade companies tend to grow 30 percent faster, he said.

"As we transition from a low-cost state to a high-cost state, trade (offers) one of the most explosive, quickest returns."

Fast facts

Florida's international exposure

42,000: Classified as exporters in Florida, second-most among U.S. states

1.3 million: Jobs in Florida tied to international activities

275,000: Florida jobs at foreign-owned firms

2,500: Foreign-owned subsidiaries operating in Florida

$39 billion: Estimated foreign direct investment in Florida in 2008

Source: Florida Chamber of Commerce

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Floridians left hanging on solar rebates

2010-05-19T13:03:00.001-04:00

Thousands of homeowners and business owners who installed solar systems expecting to be reimbursed for the costs from the Florida Solar Rebate Program could be left footing the bill, if state lawmakers don't fund the program.

The state typically puts money into the program, created in 2006 and set to expire June 30. But last year, the federal government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided one-time funding for the Florida program as part of the federal stimulus package — amounting to $14.4 million in rebates for residential and commercial solar system installations.

This year, Florida once again was responsible for funding for the program. But state lawmakers failed to approve funding and the state has received more than 10,000 applications since the money ran out, according to the Florida Energy & Climate Commission, which runs the program.

The rebate program — intended in part to jumpstart the solar energy industry — offers homeowners rebates of $100 for solar swimming pool heaters, $500 for solar water heaters and $4 per watt of energy produced from eligible solar panel systems, up to $20,000 per homeowner. Businesses can qualifty for up to $5,000 for solar water heaters and up to $100,000 for solar panels.

The federal government also offers a 30 percent tax credit for people who install eligible renewable energy energy systems to their homes.

Gov. Charlie Crist said last week that he's considering including the rebate program in the an upcoming special session. But it's unclear whether the issue will receive much attention because, according to Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey, the primary focus of the session would be on a constitutional amendment banning offshore drilling and passing a measure to require a portion of the state's electricity come from renewable resources.

Lawmakers approved a measure this year that allows local governments to issue bonds and provide loans to homeowners who install solar systems but it's unclear how long it would take to implement.

Thomas Genung, a Port St. Lucie attorney, took out a short-term loan to install a $35,000 solar panel system in his home. The loan carries a high interest rate if it's not paid off in one year. If the rebates go unfunded it "will significantly and adversely impact the financial future of my family. This may ultimately lead to me having to sell my home, and live in a more affordable home without solar," Genung wrote.

Steve Kaufman, director of renewable energy services at Kaufman Lynn general contractors in Boca Raton, said some homeowners and business owners have been taken in by solar-system installers who have been aggressively marketing the rebate program as a sure thing.

"These guys are putting ads in there telling people to 'hurry up and install your system now so you can get these rebates,' " Kaufman said. "I was telling my wife, 'Look at these jokers out there.' '"

Ted Verdone, a retired mechanical engineer who spent $41,400 to install solar panels and solar water heating for his pool and home in Oakland Park, said he felt misled by the state, not his solar installer, Jupiter-based Abundant Energy.

"You can't promise people something and not come through. I would think they would at least give some sort of communication telling people what's going on, when we can expect the money," he said. Since installing the system, his monthly electric bill decreased by roughly $50 to $100 but he said would not have installed it if he knew the rebates may not materialize.

Ed Strobel, president of Sunshine Solar Services in Fort Lauderdale, said the state ran out of money in June, six months before he was informed of it in late December. "Nobody knew the money was gone…so basically, all these people got in line," said Strobel, who is vice president of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy, which represents dozens of renewable energy companies, environmentalists and others.

There was a backlog in processing the applications but the state informed people in September, said Brittany Cummins, a spokeswoman for the Florida Energy & Climate Commission.

Some people oppose rebates and tax credits for home improvements because they're regressive: they require all Floridians to subsidize upgrades that renters and poor or fixed-income homeowners can't make. "To be clear, if someone wants to install $40,000 worth of solar panels on the roof of their house, I'm all for it. I just don't want low income Floridians to have to pay for it," Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference of Branches of the NAACP, wrote earlier this year.

Kaufman said people like him who install solar panels are typically those who can afford the expense. But he said far more people install solar water heaters, which cost about $5,000. He said the $500 state rebate for that doesn't make much of a difference.

Information about the solar rebate program is available at SunSentinel.com/energycommission or by calling the commission at 850-487-3800.

The corruption in this State is blatant and in your face.
It's even worse than Newark NJ was in the 60's.
I say worse, because in Newark, you could actually go see a local politician, they'd actually hear you out and let you know what you "needed" to do, to make things "right".
They threw some "crumbs" your way at least.
In this state, only the Lobbyists/Lawyers get their way.
Florida - The Sunshine State ?
With no real Solar Energy plan or usage.
Ya' can't make this up.
Louie
11:57 AM, 5/18/2010

The corruption was when the State forced registered engineers to take education classes to keep their licience and put money in the pockets of the online schools. Lets appoint a commission to investigate who in the legislature had ties to these online schools. Who needs organized crime? Now there are less fees being collected. Check that out for me Mr POST.
Willy
9:11 PM, 5/18/2010

I was told by my salesman that the money was in the fund for our rebate. This was in November. This article says that the money was gone in September. It appears that I was lied to by a salesman, I'm stunned. The problem is that these systems make no economic sense without the state rebates. I will be dead before I make back the money through savings on my bill.

Marc
10:27 AM, 5/19/2010

The state government of florida is a joke. This is the sunshine state. This state is backward in that they do crap like this to demote solar. Every roof on a house in florida with a hot water tank or pool should have a solar panel(s) on it for hot water--PERIOD. The darn state has made it sooooo expensive by adding permits, inspections-- taking away incentives. Electric is also good, indeed a huge investment. They double registration fees, add boat ramp fees and take away solar.

rob
11:27 AM, 5/19/2010

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Let's Have a Boom! From Forbes Magazin!

2010-05-17T16:59:00.000-04:00

A real boom. a long, satisfying one. a boom we can pass on to our children, as our parents did for us.

Today's economy is not a boom. True, the U.S. economy began to grow in July 2009. That's what the GDP numbers say. But the GDP numbers are flawed, gamed by government stimulus (a.k.a.: deficit) spending and the Federal Reserve's easy-money policy, which is to say that the 2010 recovery is not yet on solid footing. The patient is out of bed, but he walks with a cane and coughs. How do we get him sprinting back into the global economy lead? How can we have a real boom?
Let's start by identifying some levers to growth. Here are seven.

--Size of government. Historically, the U.S. economy performs best when the size of the federal government is about 17% to 18% of the nation's GDP. Under George W. Bush that percentage crept up to 20%. After only 16 months of Barack Obama the percentage is about 25%--and headed higher.

Question: How can we get the percentage back down to 20% or lower? Answer: Freeze federal government spending. I would increase military R&D spending, so everything else would have to shrink by 1% to 2% a year. But however you slice it, the overall federal budget should not be allowed to go up until it is less than 20% of GDP.

--Taxes. The Bush tax cuts on income, capital gains and dividends are set to expire at year's end. On top of that some in Congress want to slap on a value-added tax (VAT) of 5%. That would be quite a one-two punch. If you make a six-figure income in a high-tax state, such as New York or California, your overall tax burden would be more than 50%. As go our dollars, so goes our productivity: The federal tax code's forest of confusion, moral hazards and ethical traps means that we spend way too much of our time and energy filling out tax forms.

Question: What is a better tax code? Answer: If 17% to 18% is the ideal size of federal government (as a percentage of GDP), then 17% to 18% ought to be the tax rate. It would apply to everyone's first and last dollar, including capital gains and dividends. There would be no payroll tax because it would be built into the 17% to 18% flat tax rate.

--Dollar stability. Easy Fed policy always shows up as an asset bubble. Last time it showed up in the housing market, and now we're all paying the consequences.

Question: What's a better way to a stable currency? Do we need a Federal Reserve? Answer: Peg the dollar's value to a basket of commodities led by gold. We need a Fed, but it should be smaller and have one objective: a stable dollar.

--Trade. The consensus for free trade is weakening. Obama and the Democrats are shaky supporters, and within the conservative Tea Party movement are America-firsters à la Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot.

Question: Should America look outward or inward? Answer: both. (That's why God gave us two eyes!) Nourishing our multinationals with free trade policies does not hurt our domestic industries. The solution for America's troubled domestic industries is not to protect them but to reduce their tax and regulatory burdens.

--Energy. The price of energy goes up for two reasons: (1) The dollar is wobbly, which encourages speculation in hard assets, such as oil, and (2) demand for energy exceeds supply.

Question: How can the U.S. have dependable and predictably priced energy in the future? Do we need a carbon tax? Answer: Say no to a carbon tax. A stable dollar is enough to send clear price signals and spur investment in future energy sources. Here are some ideas: Drill in ANWR; go full-bore on the new generation of small nuclear plants; convert government car and truck fleets to natural gas; and increase military R&D budgets to investigate potential midcentury solutions, such as space-based solar power.

--Financial reform. New regulations--some good, many unnecessary--are working their way through Congress. But here's a larger question. Does Wall Street and its engine--clever financial engineering--suck up too much of America's IQ? Look at our triumphs over the last 70 years: the Manhattan Project, the space race, the microprocessor boom, the entrepreneurial renaissance, the Internet, bio-technology. What are today's great triumphs--social networks? Is it because our brightest young minds all started writing derivatives?

Question: Are America's big banks too big to fail? Would their failure pose systemic risk to the whole economy? And do banks and hedge funds use up too much IQ, diverting this resource from more productive enterprises? Answer: Banks should be allowed to fail. We don't need more rules. We need transparency and strict enforcement of the rules and guidelines already on the books. As for the IQ diversion question, let's give the banks competition. Let's spend more on military R&D, which will--as did Cold War research from the 1960s through the 1980s--keep us safe, engage the most talented and create real wealth in the years ahead.

--Education. American universities lead the world, but our K--12 schools are not in the top 10 and by some measures are out of the top 20. This bodes poorly for our competitive future, not to mention the strength of our civilization.

Question: How do we get our K--12 education back into the global top 10? Answer: Abolish the requirement of an education degree so that any college-degreed person who is motivated to teach has the opportunity to do so. This would draw more successful people from the private sector into teaching. End tenure, fire the bottom quartile of teachers and pay the good ones more.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Cleaning Up after the Unthinkable

2010-05-12T12:15:00.000-04:00

The destruction of BP's oil rig has devastated the communities of the Gulf and created an overwhelming ecological disaster. Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, who was on the scene in the Gulf last week, described it in the L.A. Times:

"…an endless explosion of toxic muck, a sickening creep of poisonous sludge that may soon blanket a national park, more than a dozen wildlife refuges and hundreds of miles of coastline…"

What can we do about it?

Already, more than 60,000 Sierra Club supporters have taken action online to demand a moratorium on offshore drilling and to call on the government to use all resources necessary to support Gulf Coast communities and ecosystems.

Meanwhile, Sierra Club President Allison Chin was in New Orleans last weekend for the first of dozens of "Clean It Up" solidarity rallies around the country to support Gulf Coast residents and demand accountability from BP. Here's where to find a rally near you.

Finally, we can demand that our leaders deliver a plan to get us off oil by promoting clean-energy solutions. The technology and solutions for a 21st-century transportation system already exist -- we just need the political will to implement them.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Crist says lawmakers could craft a constitutional ban against oil drilling in state waters

2010-05-11T12:55:00.001-04:00

With a huge oil slick threatening Florida's shores, Gov. Charlie Crist said Monday he is working with legislative leaders on a special session where lawmakers could devise a constitutional ban against oil drilling in state waters."We're looking at that," Crist said. "I've reached out to the Senate president and hopefully we'll be able to make an announcement before the end of the week."

Democratic lawmakers last week raised the issue of a constitutional amendment banning natural gas and oil drilling in state waters, which stretch more than 10 miles off the Gulf of Mexico coast and about 3.5 miles in the Atlantic.

BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling operation, which began leaking more than 200,000 gallons of oil daily after an April 20 explosion on the rig, was in federal waters off the Louisiana coastline.

The amendment, if approved by a three-fifths vote of the Legislature, would be placed on the November ballot, where it would need support from 60 percent of the voters to become part of the constitution.

It would also mark a dramatic reversal from a proposal pushed by some legislative leaders over the last two years that would have allowed drilling in state waters as close as three miles from the state's beaches.

On Monday, Crist and Attorney General Bill McCollum also announced they are forming a legal advisory team -- headed by two former attorneys general -- to prepare citizens and the state for making claims against BP, the oil company responsible for the Gulf of Mexico drilling disaster.
We would hope at the end of the day that there would be no litigation, that everything will be able to be worked out," said former Attorney General Bob Butterworth, who will head the legal team along with former Attorney General Jim Smith. "But obviously we have to be prepared if there is to be litigation, to make sure the people of the state of Florida are protected."

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

DTE Energy will invest millions in upgrades

2010-05-10T12:06:00.000-04:00

DTE Energy will add hundreds of jobs over the next few years as it invests in projects to control emissions and modernize Michigan's power grid, the company's CEO said Thursday. The Detroit-based company, which owns Detroit Edison, this year embarked on the third phase of a massive construction project at its coal-fired plant in Monroe. The phase represents an investment of about $600 million and is expected to create 600 construction jobs over the next five years. The project calls for installing scrubbers to help reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. Detroit Edison also plans to invest an additional $330 million starting next year to complete installation of the scrubbers, creating another 400 construction jobs.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

Oil spill facts

2010-05-04T16:12:00.000-04:00

Oil wastes that enter the ocean come from many sources, some being accidental spills or leaks, and some being the results of chronic and careless habits in the use of oil and oil products. Most waste oil in the ocean consists of oily stormwater drainage from cities and farms, untreated waste disposal from factories and industrial facilities, and unregulated recreational boating.

It is estimated that approximately 706 million gallons of waste oil enter the ocean every year, with over half coming from land drainage and waste disposal; for example, from the improper disposal of used motor oil. Offshore drilling and production operations and spills or leaks from ships or tankers typically contribute less than 8 percent of the total. The remainder comes from routine maintenance of ships (nearly 20 percent), hydrocarbon particles from onshore air pollution (about 13 percent), and natural seepage from the seafloor (over 8 percent).
Prevalence during Drilling versus Transportation

Offshore oil spills or leaks may occur during various stages of well drilling or workover and repair operations. These stages can occur while oil is being produced from offshore wells, handled, and temporarily stored; or when oil is being transported offshore, either by flowline, underwater pipeline, or tanker. Of the approximately 706 million gallons of waste oil in the ocean each year, offshore drilling operations contribute about 2.1 percent, and transportation accidents (both ships and tankers) account for another 5.2 percent. The amount of oil spilled or leaked during offshore production operations is relatively insignificant.

Over half the ocean's waste oil comes from land-based sources and from unregulated recreational boating. The heavy development in this busy California port illustrates one potential source of petroleum contamination in coastal waters.

BUT:

This oil spill is much worse than the Exxon Valdez incident some twenty years ago. 250,000 gallons of crude oil are going into the waters of the Gulf region each and every day. And it is estimated that it will take at least three months to stop the flow!

This is more than seven million gallons each month.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is threatening not only the water and ecosytem, but it is also threatening several big industries that the Gulf area needs to thrive.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said deteriorating conditions on the sea bed may result in an even greater flow of 50,000 barrels a day, sufficient to produce one of America’s worst ecological disasters.

It's like a slow version of Katrina.

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

what is poluting our environment

2010-04-29T17:43:00.000-04:00

If we're going to fight global warming pollution, we first need to know where it's coming from.

The EPA took a huge step towards holding big polluters accountable when it finalized the first greenhouse gas reporting requirements in October. Now it's time to finish the job.

Send a public comment and help the EPA take on big polluters by closing loopholes that could allow coal plants to hide their emissions.

Coal is dirty. There is no getting around this simple fact. But the industry wants you to believe that it can reduce its global warming impact by pumping emissions underground and keeping them there through a process called carbon capture and sequestration (CSS).

CSS is expensive and largely untested. But if someone does try it, it is vital that we know whether or not the system is leaking.

Tell the EPA that it's not enough to just trust that coal plants are cleaning up their act; we must monitor leaks from underground greenhouse gas storage.

Under President Obama's direction, the EPA is taking a Big Picture approach to fighting global warming by bringing together the various pieces necessary to create a thorough strategy to tackle climate change. The first step was simply acknowledging the problem after eight years of inaction. Now we need to give the EPA the tools it needs to monitor large sources of global warming pollution.

Knowledge is power. Show your public support for a reporting system that will give the EPA the information it needs to fight climate change.

Thanks for all that you do to protect the environment.

Mary Anne Hitt
Sierra Club Big Picture Campaign

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Pascal Schreier
CEO

NADA is trying to block new clean car standards

2010-04-28T17:13:00.001-04:00

I thought you might be interested in this alert from the Union of Concerned Scientists. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is using lobbyists and lawsuits to block new clean car standards, which will finally give us more efficient choices. Please join me and send a message to NADA today and tell them we consumers aren’t buying their lemon of a lawsuit. Interestingly, both the automakers and auto workers actually support the new standards—it’s time to tell the dealers to get on board or get out of the way. Check out the details and send your own message at http://action.ucsusa.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=2501 (if the link is not click able, just copy and paste it into your browser window).

The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world.

www.SolutionHybrid.com
Pascal Schreier
CEO

Are traditional cars really that bad?

2010-04-25T21:48:00.001-04:00

The emissions from cars traveling in a region make driving the largest source of air pollution in cities.

Gasoline and diesel powered motor vehicles generate almost 25% of the pollutants responsible for climate change.

In addition to CO2, mobile emissions sources contain:

Hydrocarbons

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

Carbon Monoxide

it creates:

Asthma attacks

Hodgkin's disease

Lymphoma

Lung Cancer 4

Air pollution from vehicle emissions can also create water quality problems and combine into new chemicals that damage buildings and crops.

http://www.solutionhybrid.com/
Pascal Schreier
CEO