October 12, 2007

American Electric Power's long legal battle has ended. It has agreed to pay billions to cut pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act by two-thirds over the next decade. The $4.6 billion settlement comes amidst a U.S. Supreme Court decision last April - a ruling that now forces utilities with older coal fired plants to pony up for new technologies if they upgrade to produce more power.

The lower courts were mixed on this issue, with some ruling that the utilities were just performing routine maintenance and should not have to make expensive investments. The overall trend, though, has been against utilities. Now that the Supreme Court has weighed in against Duke Energy, the writing is on the wall. AEP's latest move will likely motivate the remaining utilities that have not reached settlements to do so before President Bush leaves office and a possible Democratic administration would enter.

October 5, 2007

Canada is changing course when it comes to dealing with climate change. Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it will quit participating in the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012 and will join the Asia-Pacific partnership.

The two treaties both attempt to curb greenhouse gases that cause climate change. But the Kyoto Protocol is mandatory with definite timetables whereas the Asia-Pacific Partnership does not set any rigid requirements. The Canadian prime minister, a long time skeptic of Kyoto, made his announcement last week at a United Nations conference to extend and redefine Kyoto's requirement beyond 2012.

October 3, 2007

Sweltering temperatures and rolling brownouts have pushed a novel idea to the front burner: demand response, which advances technology so that consumers are able to curtail their energy usage during peak periods.

With the demand for electricity moving upward, utilities, regulators and customers alike are beginning to grasp the power of conservation. A couple types of demand response are now used. One is market-based and maximizes reliability through the use of dynamic pricing, or the idea that customers pay more for power during the hottest or coldest days. The second is technology driven and permits customers or grid operators to simply adjust electricity usage when supplies are tight or when system reliability is of concern.

Sep 11 2007

Company executives believe that corporate responsibility programs can positively impact their business and help achieve strategic goals, according to a survey of more than 500 business executives conducted by Grant Thornton LLP. While conventional wisdom might suggest that these initiatives will drain the corporate coffers, only a quarter of survey respondents agreed that profits needed to be sacrificed, while three quarters believed corporate responsibility could enhance profitability. As a result, 77 percent said they expected corporate responsibility initiatives to have a major impact on their business strategies over the next several years.

Posted on 9/10/2007 10:17:52 AM

Waste reduction is the most important environmental issue facing manufacturing businesses today, according to an international study on sustainability and environmental trends conducted by Harris Interactive for Midland-based Dow Corning Corp.