US Senators Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), Barbara Boxer (D-California), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) reached agreement on legislative language that they say will help protect Americans from chemical spills that threaten drinking water. It strengthens states’ ability to prevent chemical spills like the January 9th spill that contaminated the water supply in nine West Virginia counties and impacted more than 300,000 West Virginians. Senators Manchin and Boxer plan to introduce the legislation when Congress returns later this month.
The legislation includes common sense measures designed to ensure industrial facilities are properly inspected by state officials and both the chemical industry and emergency response agencies are prepared for future chemical incidents or emergencies.
Key principles in the Chemical Safety and Drinking Water Protection Act include:
- Requiring regular state inspections of above-ground chemical storage facilities
- Requiring industry to develop state-approved emergency response plans that meet at least minimum guidelines established in this bill
- Allowing states to recoup costs incurred from responding to emergencies
- Ensuring drinking water systems have the tools and information to respond to emergencies
“Today, nearly 150,000 West Virginians still cannot use their tap water and many more are concerned about the long-term effects of this chemical spill,” Senator Manchin said. “No West Virginian or American should have to go through something like this again, and that is why I plan to introduce common sense legislation to make sure all chemicals are appropriately monitored. We can work to improve the safety of Americans by ensuring that chemicals are properly managed, while also balancing the positive impact the chemical industry has made to our country.”
Senator Boxer said, “This legislation protects children and families across the nation by providing the tools necessary to help prevent dangerous chemical spills that threaten their drinking water.”
“The fact that there was a lack of regulations which allowed this particular storage facility to go uninspected for so many years is absurd,” Senator Rockefeller said. “I’m encouraged we are taking these steps to bring some accountability to industry that will help protect West Virginia families and our state’s economy.”
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How to Implement OSHA’s Globally Harmonized Hazard Communication Standard
OSHA has issued a final rule revising its Hazard Communication Standard, aligning it with the United Nations’ globally harmonized system (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals. This means that virtually every product label, material safety data sheet (now called “safety data sheet” or SDS), and written hazard communication plan must be revised to meet the new standard. Worker training must be updated so that workers can recognize and understand the symbols and pictograms on the new labels as well as the new hazard statements and precautions on SDSs.
West Virginia Governor Proposes New Chemical Storage Tank Standards
"The last 11 days have been an extremely difficult time for so many West Virginians," Governor Tomblin said. "The discharge of chemicals or other contaminants into our water supply is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. This proposed legislation includes reasonable, common sense provisions to regulate above ground storage tanks across the state including those located in areas of critical concern near our public water supply and distribution systems."
The Governor's legislation will assure all above ground storage tanks are built and maintained consistent with required safety standards; require all public water systems to have written plans in place to prepare for emergencies, specifically in the event a contaminant is discharged in the water supply; and will protect the health and safety of West Virginians and the environment.
In addition, the legislation will empower the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to implement an above ground storage tank regulation program requiring all operators to self-report the location of all above ground storage tanks and detail on the construction and maintenance on each tank. It will also require written annual reports outlining any changes to on-site tanks.
"This legislation will not duplicate the state and federal regulator efforts already in place," Governor Tomblin said. "It requires a team effort—allowing our DEP to work with our public health officials at the Department of Health and Human Resources to make sure that our zones of critical concern near our waterways remain safe. We will continue to work collaboratively with our legislative leadership, who have already taken steps toward accomplishing these collective goals."
The legislation also requires annual inspections and certifications by professional engineers and allows the Secretary of DEP to order a facility take corrective action when storing material that may impact the health and safety of West Virginians. In addition, it requires facilities to submit individual spill prevention response plans for each on-site above ground storage tank and will permit the DEP to assess penalties for a facility's non-compliance.
New Wood Stove Air Pollution Standards
EPA Region 1 will hold a public hearing February 26, 2014 in the downtown Boston office to get public input on proposed standards for the amount of air pollution that can be emitted by new woodstoves and other residential wood heaters. The first phase of the proposed emission standards would likely apply to units manufactured and sold beginning in 2015.
Smoke from residential wood heaters can increase air pollution from soot (also known as fine particle pollution) and toxic pollutants to levels that pose serious health concerns. Particle pollution is linked to a range of serious health effects, including heart attacks, strokes and asthma attacks. In some areas of New England, residential wood smoke significantly reduces air quality in winter months.
EPA’s proposed standards would make the next generation of wood stoves and heaters an estimated 80% cleaner than those manufactured today, resulting in cleaner air and improved public health across the country. The proposal would not affect wood heaters and stoves currently in use in homes or currently being sold in stores.
More information:
New Findings Show US Power Plant Emissions Down
The paper was first posted online January 8. The so-called “combined cycle” natural gas power plants also release significantly less nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, which can worsen air quality.
“Since more and more of our electricity is coming from these cleaner power plants, emissions from the power sector are lower by 20, 30, even 40 percent for some gases, since 1997,” said lead author Joost de Gouw, an atmospheric scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder.
De Gouw, who works at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), and his NOAA and CIRES colleagues, analyzed data from systems that continuously monitor emissions at power plant stacks around the country. Previous aircraft-based studies have shown these stack measurements are accurate for carbon dioxide and for nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide can react in the atmosphere to form tiny particles and ozone, which can cause respiratory disease.
To compare pollutant emissions from different types of power plants, the scientists calculated emissions per unit of energy produced, for all data available between 1997 and 2012. During that period of time, on average:
- Coal-based power plants emitted 915 grams (32 ounces) of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of energy produced
- Natural gas power plants emitted 549 grams (19 ounces) carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour
- Combined cycle natural gas plants emitted 436 grams (15 ounces) carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour
In combined cycle natural gas plants, operators use two heat engines in tandem to convert a higher fraction of heat into electrical energy. For context, US households consumed 11,280-kilowatt hours of energy, on average, in 2011, according to the US Energy Information Agency. This amounts to 11.4 metric tons per year of carbon dioxide per household, if all of that electricity were generated by a coal power plant, or 5.4 metric tons if it all came from a natural gas power plant with combined cycle technology.
The researchers reported that between 1997 and 2012, the fraction of electric energy in the United States produced from coal gradually decreased from 83% to 59%, and the fraction of energy from combined cycle natural gas plants rose from none to 34%.
That shift in the energy industry meant that power plants, overall, sent 23% less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere last year than they would have, had coal been providing about the same fraction of electric power as in 1997, de Gouw said. The switch led to even greater reductions in the power sector’s emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, which dropped by 40% and 44%, respectively.
The new findings are consistent with recent reports from the Energy Information Agency that substituting natural gas for coal in power generation helped lower power-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2012.
The authors noted that the new analysis is limited to pollutants emitted during energy production and measured at stacks. The paper did not address levels of GHGs and other pollutants that leak into the atmosphere during fuel extraction, for example. To investigate the total atmospheric consequences of shifting energy use, scientists need to continue collecting data from all aspects of energy exploration, production and use, the authors concluded.
Cleaner Freight Transportation in California
Freight transportation in California creates air pollution that harms the health of communities exposed to its dangerous emissions and contributes to global warming.
The new study commissioned by the California Cleaner Freight Coalition, Moving California Forward, Zero and Low-Emissions Freight Pathways, evaluates strategies for modernizing how goods are moved through California. By evaluating alternatives to conventional diesel vehicles, the analysis aims to inform a statewide plan for cleaning up freight transportation.
The key report findings include:
- Deploying electric transportation technologies that are currently in development or demonstration for local and short-haul trips would provide the greatest overall reduction in pollutants, and could eliminate tailpipe emissions in communities impacted by freight movement
- Moving goods by train and ship for regional trips could reduce emissions well beyond today’s cleanest diesel trucks
- Transporting containers double-stacked on railcars powered by the cleanest locomotives can reduce particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, and GHG emissions by more than 75%
- Compared to the newest trucks, transporting truck trailers on flatbed railcars through the San Joaquin Valley would significantly reduce emissions in a region that suffers from high levels of pollution.
The Coalition cautions that any shift in freight movement to rail or ship, while providing regional pollution benefits, would need to ensure reduction in emissions, exposure, and health risks to those communities close to rail yards, rail lines, ports, and shipping lanes.
“Low income, working class, and communities of color disproportionately suffer health problems from air pollution from freight transport, and we have a right to clean air and healthy communities,” said Maricela Mares Alatorre, a resident of Kettleman City in the San Joaquin Valley where residents have suffered from high rates of birth defects and childhood cancer and many pollution sources including from freight transport along Interstate 5 and Highway 41.
“The cost of cleaning up the trucking and freight industry in California is nothing compared to the lost lives, elevated cancer risk, chronic respiratory conditions, and other costs Californians have shouldered for years,” said Margaret Gordon, co-director of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. “Low-income communities, in particular, are paying with their health to allow the freight industry to do business in California.”
“It is critical that California has a clear plan to clean up our freight industry in 2014,” said Jesse Marquez, executive director of Californians for a Safe Environment. “As our report shows, our air pollution problem is so bad that communities from around the state are uniting to take on the issue. Moving to electrification and zero emission transportation technologies can literally save lives.”
Transforming the freight system is a large undertaking that will not happen overnight, which is why it is crucial that California’s Air Resources Board identify and implement long-term strategies to move our freight system into the 21st century.
“Moving our freight system off of polluting fossil fuels with clean electric power will result in faster cargo delivery without the pervasive pollution affecting some of the most vulnerable communities living along these polluted corridors,” said Diane Bailey, senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. “We should build electric power into our existing freight systems however we can.”
“We don’t have to sacrifice economic success to achieve air quality, health, and climate benefits,” said Don Anair, research and deputy director for the Clean Vehicles Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Emerging technologies are presenting an opportunity to transform conventional freight vehicles into a low-carbon transportation system that cleans our air and reduces our oil consumption.”
Many of the report’s proposals can be achieved with technologies that are either available today or can be commercialized over the next several years—with appropriate investments and support from policymakers. The California Cleaner Freight Coalition urges the California Air Resources Board to adopt a sustainable freight plan in 2014.
Property Owner and Maintenance Supervisor Plead Guilty to Illegal Handling and Disposal of Asbestos
The indictment further charged Mills and Allen with making false statements to law enforcement officers and Mills with retaliating against a witness. CERCLA requires that owners and operators of regulated facilities notify the National Response Center immediately after becoming aware of the release of more than one pound of asbestos into the environment.
Mills and Allen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate CERCLA. Mills also pleaded guilty to two counts of knowingly violating CERCLA for failing to immediately report the release of more than a pound of asbestos from properties owned by Mills. In addition to the conspiracy, Allen pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly violating CERCLA.
In open court Tuesday, Mills and Allen admitted that they knowingly failed to report to the National Response Center the release of asbestos, in the form of thermal system insulation, or “pipe wrap,” that had been removed from the basement of buildings owned and operated by John Mills, as soon as they knew of the release. According to the indictment, the defendants illegally removed and disposed of more than 260 linear feet of pipe wrap containing asbestos. The defendants directed an employee to remove the asbestos containing pipe wrap without warning him or giving him adequate personal protective equipment. They transported and caused others to transport that pipe wrap, which was in open bags, in the open bed of a pickup truck.
They further admitted that they conspired together to violate CERCLA. The asbestos pipe wrap was deposited by the defendants in a UHaul-style box truck owned by Mills and a shed maintained by the Malone Department of Public Works in an effort to conceal the material from authorities.
Conspiracy to violate CERCLA carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by in Albany on May 12, 2014.
6-Month Prison Sentence for Vehicle Emissions Fraud
A man from Gastonia, NC was sentenced late Wednesday, January 22, 2014, to serve six months in prison for producing a fraudulent vehicle emissions certificate to undercover agents, announced Anne M. Tompkins, US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Chief US District Judge Frank D. Whitney also sentenced Mohammed Hafeez Awan, 52, of Gastonia, to three years of supervised release, six months of which Awan will spend in home confinement. Awan was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and to a pay a $1,000 fine.
US Attorney Tompkins was joined in making the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Maureen O’Mara of the EPA, Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID), Atlanta Area Office; Greg McLeod, Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI); and Steven M. Watkins, Director of the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles License and Theft Bureau (NC DMV License & Theft Bureau).
According to court records and yesterday’s sentencing hearing, Awan is the former owner of Prestige Car Care (Prestige), an automobile repair shop and state licensed vehicle emissions station in Charlotte. In 2005, as a result of a state investigation into illegal emissions inspections, it was determined that Awan and his employees conducted the fraudulent inspections, commonly referred to as “clean scanning,” by connecting Prestige’s emission testing equipment into a designated surrogate vehicle that would pass the state’s emission testing requirements. As a result of that investigation, the NC DMV License & Theft Bureau suspended Prestige’s safety/emissions inspection license for a period of 11 years.
According to yesterday’s sentencing hearing, in September 2011, while Awan’s shop was no longer able to conduct emissions inspections, Awan conspired with Jassim Juburi, a former employee of Central Auto Inspection & Repair in Charlotte to continue this practice. According to court documents, law enforcement agents working undercover paid Awan $150.00 in exchange for a fraudulent vehicle emissions certificate and without ever producing a vehicle to be inspected. The fraudulent emissions test and certificate were generated by Awan’s co-conspirator, Jassim Juburi, a former employee of Central Auto Inspection & Repair in Charlotte. Juburi was previously sentenced to an 18-month prison term for conducting more than 530 illegal “clean scan” inspections.
According to the EPA, the Charlotte metropolitan area exceeds the 8-hour standard set for Ozone, a potent irritant that can cause lung damage and other types of respiratory problems.
In March 2012, Awan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act by conducting false vehicle emissions inspections. Awan was ordered to self-report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
MassDEP Approves Stop & Shop's Innovative Project to Recover Energy From Unwanted Food Product
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) recently issued the permits necessary to begin an innovative project in Freetown that will recover energy from food waste. This project responds to the Patrick Administration's plan to divert food waste from landfills and incinerators into anaerobic digesters in order to generate renewable energy and save landfill space.
The project approved involves the construction of a Product Recovery Operation (PRO) at the Stop & Shop Distribution Center, located on South Main Street in Freetown. The PRO utilizes anaerobic digestion to recover the economic value in unsold food products to produce electricity and heat for this facility, as well as generating a fertilizer byproduct.
"I am delighted that Stop & Shop has been able to use MassDEP's new permitting process and put forward a cutting-edge project to tap into the hidden energy value of unsold food," said MassDEP Commissioner Kenneth Kimmell. "This project is forward-looking and a good model for other institutions seeking to find productive uses for their organic materials. The creation of renewable energy from organics is an exciting growth industry within the Commonwealth."
Stop & Shop, while already diverting its unsold food to composting and animal feed facilities, proposed the project to provide greater environmental and economic benefit by converting organic material into electricity and soil re-use material. Following its review, MassDEP has issued approval for two permits, a recycling composting and conversion (RCC) permit and an air quality plan approval for the facility's biogas generator.
The operation will process an average of 95 tons per day of unsold food product and has the capacity to produce 1.137 megawatts (MW) for electrical power and heating purposes, providing up to 40% of the distribution center's on-site electrical power needs and back-up power in the event of an outage.
"We have worked closely with the Department of Environmental Protection and Freetown officials to make our proposed Freetown Product Recovery Operation a state-of-the-art renewable energy initiative," said Joe Kelley, president, Stop & Shop New England Division. "We are proud of these efforts. Stop & Shop has been an industry leader in initiatives for operating efficiencies and clean energy."
The PRO will process unsold food product from grocery stores, such as produce, bakery, deli items, and products past expiration dates, as well as rejected food product from the distribution center. The existing Stop & Shop food distribution network will take unsold product from Stop & Shop grocery stores to the distribution center in enclosed trucks returning to the warehouse from grocery delivery trips.
No new truck trips will be required to deliver the feedstock. Unsold product will be placed in heavy-duty, plastic-lined containers, sealed to fully contain the product, stored in designated areas at source sites, and retrieved within 24 hours of the containers being filled.
Food and other organics make up 25% of the Commonwealth's solid waste stream. MassDEP's goal is to reduce the disposal of organics by 450,000 tons per year by 2020. As part of the effort to meet that goal, MassDEP has just finalized regulations requiring institutions that generate one ton or more per week of food disposal to divert those organics to productive uses like the facility proposed by Stop & Shop.
MassDEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.
Framingham Auto Sales Fined $30,000 for Failing to Complete Petroleum Contamination Cleanup
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) penalized Framingham Auto Sales $30,000 for failure to complete the cleanup, or file a tier classification that gives a status on the cleanup at the company's 1200 Worcester Road facility in Framingham.
The company owns the property where releases of heating oil and hydraulic oil to soil and groundwater were reported on February 16, 2012. At that time, the company indicated the contamination was discovered during an assessment of its property and determined the condition resulted from historic releases around a former underground storage tank and the hydraulic lift.
One year later, February 16, 2013, the company failed to file, as required, an initial site investigation and was issued a notice of noncompliance by MassDEP. In June, 2013, the company was notified again of its continued noncompliance and that it was now overdue in filing a final response action outcome, or a resolution completing an initial assessment of the site.
"Framingham Auto Sales reported the spill on its property and was issued the notice of responsibility, which clearly establishes the need to meet the specified deadlines," said Eric Worrall, director of MassDEP's Northeast Regional Office in Wilmington. "Failure to meet deadlines is unacceptable because it delays necessary and important cleanup work from getting underway, and makes it more costly in the long run."
The company has agreed to conduct the required response actions and will pay $5,000 of the assessed penalty. MassDEP has suspended the remaining, $25,000 pending demonstrated compliance with the terms of the order.
$1,900 Fine for Failing to Report Kerosene Spill
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) assessed a $1,900 penalty to Omer Akisik, owner of Bee Zee Gas at 149 Charlton Road in Sturbridge, for failing to notify MassDEP of a release of kerosene at Bee Zee Gas as required by state environmental regulations.
In May 2012, a spill of 30 gallons of gasoline occurred at the property during a delivery. The delivery company notified MassDEP of the gasoline spill and conducted a cleanup. During the cleanup of the gasoline spill, the environmental consultant employed by the gasoline delivery company discovered that a prior release of kerosene had also occurred on the property, as shown by the presence of kerosene in test pits dug there.
In May and again in July 2012, the cleanup contractor informed Mr. Akisik of the pre-existing kerosene release. Under the law, Mr. Akisik was required to notify MassDEP within 72 hours of obtaining knowledge of the release of kerosene, but he did not. MassDEP learned of the release when it audited the submittals made by the delivery company that took responsibility for the gasoline release.
"The privatized spill cleanup system relies on timely notification by owners and other responsible parties whenever a reportable condition of pollution is identified," said Lee Dillard Adams, director of MassDEP's Central Regional Office in Worcester. "Timely notification is critical because it enables MassDEP to screen or audit private clean-ups and to identify cases where immediate, state-funded response actions are needed. In addition, because notifications are posted on MassDEP's web site, this informs the public about a release and how it is being addressed."
KDHE Issues Report on Waste Reduction Practices in Kansas
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has prepared and submitted a report to the Kansas Legislature on the adequacy of current waste reduction practices, as required by the passage of House Bill 2249 in 2013. The report concludes that Kansans have steadily reduced the amount of municipal solid waste disposed of in landfills over the past two decades. Additional recommendations for state regulation related to composting and recycling are not currently necessary.
“Local planners and government officials have the flexibility to choose waste reduction practices that best meet their needs based upon available resources, waste generation patterns, and public preferences,” said Bill Bider, director of KDHE’s Bureau of Waste Management. “The recycling rate and per capita municipal solid waste disposal rate have steadily improved each year over the past decade.”
KDHE has identified ongoing trends in the report that indicate more improvements are projected based upon recent decisions by cities and counties to implement new curbside collection programs for recyclables. The recycling rate in Kansas increased from 17.9% in 2005 to its current rate of approximately 34%, and the daily disposal rate per person has dropped by 24% to 4.2 lb per day per person over the same time period. The report also finds that composting of organic wastes such as yard waste, food waste from grocery stores, and beef packing plant waste has also steadily increased over the past 20 years.
The report also provides detailed information on landfills in the state and their existing permitted capacities. There are 52 municipal solid waste landfills with enough total capacity to handle Kansas’ projected municipal solid waste generation for approximately 40 years. While this estimate varies by location, none of the locations across the state are facing any landfill capacity concerns in the near future.
The study was conducted over a period of 7 months from June to December 2013, during which KDHE collected input through an online public survey with 616 respondents and held numerous meetings and phone conversations with a wide variety of stakeholders and interested parties. The public survey results demonstrated a high level of public interest in waste reduction and a desire for additional guidelines to improve practices.
“Based on many factors, including current recycling and composting practices, ample landfill capacities, overall public opinion and projected benefits, KDHE recommends no additional legislation,” said KDHE Secretary Robert Moser, MD.
KDHE recommends another review of all available information after two years, when the state Solid Waste Management Plan will be updated.
Access the Adequacy of Waste Reduction Practices report to the 2014 Legislature or download Kansas’ solid waste management plan by clicking the links below:
Small Businesses Recognized for Implementing Climate-Smart Strategies
Recently the California Air Resources Board announced the winners of the fourth CoolCalifornia Small Business Awards, recognizing small businesses that demonstrate leadership and make notable, voluntary achievements toward reducing their carbon footprint.
“These small-business leaders from across California prove it only takes a few simple steps to be more sustainable,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “Whether it’s running a boutique hotel or repairing automobiles they each demonstrated that making smart climate-friendly choices is good for the environment and for their bottom line.”
The 13 award winners were selected from competitive applicants, representing a variety of business sectors from across California. These businesses took a number of different actions to save money and improve their business operations while reducing their GHG emissions and environmental impacts. Some of the steps they took included installing LED lights, solar panels, energy-efficient equipment and occupancy sensor switches; eliminating toxic chemicals and solvents; using eco-friendly, recycled/reused/repurposed products; installing foot pedal scrub stations and low flow shower heads and toilets; and using alternative or renewable energy fueled vehicles and electric bikes.
Three businesses received the Business of the Year award for demonstrating exceptional climate change management practices and emission reductions, while documenting their cost savings, return on investment and benefits received from taking specific actions. Ten businesses were acknowledged as Climate Leaders for taking proactive steps to reduce their impact on the climate and communicating this information to their employees and customers.
The winners come from 13 California cities across the state and represent different industries including manufacturing, hotel/lodging, event planning, automotive repair, retail, animal healthcare, media, and food service/restaurant. The award winners were scored by two-person teams comprised of staff from public agencies and private businesses. ARB staff and leadership further reviewed scores, conducted site visits and performed environmental reviews to select the 2013 winners.
2013 CoolCalifornia Small Business Awards
Businesses of the Year:
- El Primero Boutique B&B Hotel, Chula Vista
- E & B Auto Repair, Fort Bragg
- Conejo Awards, Thousand Oaks
Climate Leaders:
- Capitola Veterinary Hospital, Capitola
- Monterey County Weekly, Seaside
- Nortra-Cables, Inc., Milpitas
- Ohana Pet Hospital, Ventura
- Paper Culture, Millbrae
- Quick Mount PV, Walnut Creek
- Sacramento Event Planners, Davis
- The Bath Workshop, Claremont
- The Inn On First, Napa
- The Rising Loafer Cafe and Bakery, Lafayette
Awards will be presented to the winning businesses at a ceremony from 4 to 6 p.m. on February 12, 2014, at the Cal-EPA Building, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
The website features money-saving actions, climate calculators, case studies, and links to financial incentives to help individuals, small businesses, local government and youth gain the knowledge needed to take simple steps for a sustainable future.
Environmental News Links
Trivia Question of the Week
What is the average yearly carbon footprint for a small business in the US?
a. 83 tons of CO2
b. 483 tons of CO2
c. 4803 tons of CO2
d. 8403 tons of CO2