Archive: January, 2012

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “Pennsylvania, Two Neighbors Vie to Procure Cracker”

“There’s a whirlwind of competition swirling among Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia for the chance to start a new generation of industry and manufacturing,” Timothy Puko wrote in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Sunday, referring to an opportunity to build a $3.2 billion petrochemical plant in one of the three states. The Shell “cracker” plant, used […]

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U.S. military could seed 100,000 acres of California desert with advanced solar technology

Over 100,000 acres across nine military installations in California could harness the sun’s energy and generate up to 7,000 megawatts of solar energy, or 30 times the electricity actually consumed by the Mojave and Colorado desert bases, according to a study released by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Installations and Environment. It […]

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SOTU: Energy and manufacturing a blueprint for a stronger union

In a video message previewing his State of the Union Address, President Obama said he’ll talk about energy and manufacturing as part of a “blueprint for an economy that’s built to last.” The President first linked these priorities at an “Insourcing American Jobs” forum earlier this month, where a White House report singled out shale […]

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Honeywell innovations to save the U.S. government enough energy to power 260 homes annually

Representatives from the U.S. Department Energy and Honeywell International inked a deal last week that should help the U.S. Department of State save more than 25 billion Btu per year, or enough energy to power 260 homes annually, and products of chemistry are needed to help them pull it off. The signed energy savings performance […]

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Shale gas keeps Pennsylvania hoteliers occupied despite sluggish economy

If you drill it, will they come? According to a recent analysis of hotel occupancy rates in northeast Pennsylvania, yes - they will. From 2007 to 2011, revenue per available room (RevPAR) for hotels located in the Pennsylvania counties of Bradford, Lycoming, Susquehanna and Tioga grew at an annual rate of 14.8 percent, Hospitality research […]

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ACEEE on energy efficiency: A little goes a long way, but a lot more can be done

Imagine being able to cut U.S. energy consumption by 60 per cent, create 2 million jobs and help save consumers about $2,600 per household – all in less than two generations’ time. When it comes to conserving energy, decisions we make today really do matter in the long run. Clearly, many Americans get it, having […]

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Shale gas bringing “several hundred thousand new manufacturing jobs” within reach, White House says

Industrial towns across America have struggled in the face of plant closures and outsourcing for years, but natural gas from shale deposits is helping to bring U.S. manufacturing into a new era of global competitiveness, according to a White House report making a splash in Washington last week. Released in conjunction with President Obama’s “Insourcing […]

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Plastics at work behind the wheel: Pics and notes from the Detroit Auto Show

This week our Plastics Make It Possible® Team traveled to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2012 in Detroit to see how plastics are being used in incredibly innovative ways to help make cars safer and more fuel efficient. The team was also amazed to see how plastics are helping to enable beautiful, sleek […]

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BASF arrives in Motor City to showcase energy-efficient products made possible by chemistry

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about an auto show? Carousels of cutting-edge concept cars? Sweeping suicide doors? Custom wheels and rims? Whichever images comes to mind, the latest innovations in energy efficiency - plastic wheels, lightweight thermoplastics and polyurethanes - are likely not among them. Yet, energy efficiency - […]

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EPA chemical risk assessment program, though broken, is not beyond repair

In the latest of a series of concerns regarding EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System, or IRIS, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported on Monday that EPA continues to face “both long-standing and new challenges” in bringing this critical part of our chemical regulatory system to working order. In other words, there is still more […]

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