President Obama’s trip to western Pennsylvania and New York has triggered a renewed debate about the economic benefits of abundant, affordable natural gas in two states with dramatically different policies on shale production and manufacturing growth. “Pennsylvania and New York State may border each other but they are a thousand miles apart in terms of […]
Archive: August, 2013
Chemistry helps bring light to people living in remote regions
Electricity does not come easily to those who live off the beaten path on the Navajo reservation in rural Arizona. Many residents like Anna Begay, a grandmother in her late 80s, recently featured in an NBCNews.com story, lack access to an electricity grid. They turn to alternative methods for lighting and power, or go without […]
ACC’s Cal Dooley touts advantages of shale gas for Hoosier State manufacturers
Abundant and affordable supplies of natural gas have revitalized America’s industrial heartland, ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley told business leaders, energy experts and policy makers attending the 11th Annual Indiana Conference on Energy Management sponsored by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. The shale boom is driving American chemical manufacturers to create tens of thousands of […]
Vehicle fuel efficiency is on the rise, thanks in large part to chemistry
How popular are chemistry-enabled, fuel-efficient cars right now? The average sales-weighted fuel economy for light-duty vehicles sold in July reached the record high of 24.8 mpg for the fourth time this year, according the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s Eco-Driving Index. The number of hybrids sold in July was 45,494 – the largest amount […]
W.Va. and Pa. pipeline projects a blueprint for continued natural gas development
In the last year, northern West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania have witnessed an expansion in natural gas production capacity with the launching of new pipeline projects, a trend that must continue if American manufacturing is to sustain its leading role in the economy. According to the Charleston Daily Mail, in July and September of last […]
Scientific leaders strongly disagree with EU’s proposed approach to regulate endocrine active substances
Criticism of the EU’s proposed approach to regulating endocrine active substances reached new heights this summer when senior scientists — editors of 14 leading toxicology and pharmacology journals — emphasized the European Commission’s approach is being driven by unscientific precaution, “defying common sense [and] well-established science and risk assessment principles.” Read the jointly authored editorial […]
Rising tide of natural gas boosts chemical exports and cargo transport industry
What’s good for the chemical industry also appears to be good for the cargo transport industry. The boom in natural gas supplies from shale is dramatically cutting the cost of chemicals, which were exported to China and beyond at a record pace in 2013, subsequently driving increased demand for large containers delivering everything from plastics […]
Could waste-to-energy become our country’s cleanest source of electricity?
A former top science advisor thinks it can. For the last 28 years, a waste-to-energy facility in Alexandria, Virginia, has processed trash from the surrounding community. A few years ago, the U.S. Capitol began sending its waste –about 5,000 tons every year – to the same facility, Covanta Alexandria/Arlington, Inc., producing enough additional electricity to […]
Governing Magazine explores the potential of converting waste into energy
When Dylan Scott from Governing Magazine took a recent tour of Covanta’s waste-to-energy facility in Northern Virginia, one of the first things that struck him was how much trash this facility processes daily: Each day, Covanta converts nearly 100 tons of municipal solid waste (that would otherwise be lost to landfill) into energy – that’s […]
Bipartisan energy efficiency legislation will benefit everyone
In a recent op-ed in Politico, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) made the case for their bipartisan energy efficiency bill, known as the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S.1392), which they reintroduced on July 30. As the senators explained in the piece: The Shaheen-Portman bill uses voluntary tools to make it easier for businesses and consumers to reduce […]
