Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell signed a bill into law last week, making Pennsylvania the latest state to mandate electronics recycling.
The Covered Device Recycling Act (HB 708) creates a recycling program for electronic scrap such as computers and televisions. Manufacturers must register their brands with the state and pay an annual registration fee.
The companies also must design and operate electronics take-back and recycling programs for their products. The law sets benchmarks and goals for take back programs.
Missouri University Switching to Geothermal Heating
Missouri University of Science and Technology is planning to replace a 65-year-old power plant with a $32 million planned geothermal heat exchange system. The new system will cut campus emissions, while reducing annual energy and operational costs by up to $2.8 million.
The old power plant, constructed in 1945, relies on coal and wood chips to provide steam-generated heat to most buildings on campus. Construction of the new geothermal system will take approximately five years to complete.
Ball State University in Indiana is building a similar system that at a cost of $70 million is said to be the largest in the country.
Iowa’s Wind Industry Includes 80 Companies
Iowa’s wind power supply chain comprises 80 Iowa companies supporting more than 2,300 clean energy jobs in manufacturing alone, according to a new report by the Environmental Law and Policy Center.
The state ranks second nationally in total wind energy generation. Local manufacturers building everything from huge turbine blades to small electrical components, and service firms provide maintenance, legal, marketing and other support to the industry.
The report highlights supply chain companies across the state, from locally owned small businesses to seven international manufacturing companies. In addition to the 80 existing supply chain companies, the study identified more than 30 additional Iowa companies that could supply the wind industry if demand increased.
The report, available here, notes that strong regulatory and tax policies are key to growing the state’s industry.
South Dakota Wind Potential
If South Dakota’s annual wind-power production were to increase by 1,000 MW–less capacity than most neighboring states, but significantly more than its current output of 313 megawatts–this would create more than $2 billion in economic activity and create thousands of jobs in the state, according to an economic report prepared for the South Dakota Wind Energy Association.
Read the full Argus Leader story at the link belo.
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