New Heads Nominated for EPA, Energy

President Obama nominated new heads for the EPA and the Department of Energy on Monday, triggering flurries of speculation about what the White House's energy and environmental policy will look like over the next four years. With Obama's second term beginning, new appointments have had to be made for a wide range of ...

Judge Halts Sales From Wind Turbine Company

According to documents filed in Minnesota courts last week, a renewable energy company in Minnesota told farmers that wind turbines would pay for themselves in a few months or years through a combination of grants and energy credits.  However, farmers who purchased the systems at a minimum price of $119,000 quickly found out that their ...

Report: Climate Change and its Impact on Wildlife

From moose in Minnesota to caribou in Alaska to birds in the Great Plains, new studies say that animals are struggling to adapt with new climate conditions caused by the burning of fossil fuels and the subsequent penetration of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. “Changes to the climate are the biggest threats wildlife will ...

Obama Administration Working to Predict Arctic Changes

Climate changes in the Arctic have led to results that so far have been at times chaotic and unpredictable.  This February, the White House announced a five year research plan that will make it easier for scientists to understand the effects of global climate change on delicate Arctic ecosystems. The five year plan was developed ...

Man Sentenced in $9M Renewable Energy Fraud Scheme

Investigative work by federal, state, and local agencies led to the conviction of Rodney Hailey, a man who ran a fraudulent bio-diesel company in order to collect renewable energy credits from the government. When a Baltimore detective first heard that there were a large number of luxury cars parked outside of a single residence in ...

The End of Unlined Landfills in New Hampshire

  On November 9, 2012, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services declared that the last unlined landfill in the state stopped operations.  Before officially closing, the Farmington landfill made improvements to grading and drainage, and a low-permeability soil cap was put into place.  Thomas S. Burack ...

Renewable Fuel Levels Remain in Place Despite Drought

  Following one of the worst droughts in history, several states asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waiver the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS)—which requires a certain amount of renewable fuel in standard fuels—in order to provide economic relief.  The EPA released its decision on November 16, 2012 ...

New International Standards for Tobacco Sales

  On November 12, 2012, the World Health Organization announced new measures to combat illegal trading of tobacco products throughout the world.  Two delegates and over 140 different parties attended the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).  The measures, called The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade ...

DARN Properties in Milford Fined for Asbestos Violations

  On November 8, 2012, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) fined DARN Properties, LLC in Milford for violating state asbestos regulations.  The company was fined a total of $28,372.50 in connection with a renovation project in September of 2011.  During the renovations, the Mass DEP ...

Conservation Groups File Suit Against Kill-at-Will Wolf Policy

  On November 14, 2012, conservation groups filed a suit against the federal government for lifting protection of wolves in Wyoming under the Endangered Species Act.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service originally handed responsibility of wolf management over to the state, even though the Kill-at-Will Wolf Policy is now allowed ...

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