Top Stories
Humiliation for green convert Sarkozy as
carbon tax ruled unconstitutional.—reliability high.
"In an unexpected and embarrassing blow, the court responsible for
ensuring the validity of French legislation rejected the reform as
ineffective and unfair. It ruled that rather than being the
revolutionary measure Sarkozy promised, the tax would have let off many
industrial polluters, while placing a disproportionately heavy burden
on ordinary households." Opposition Socialists expressed "glee", while
the government vowed to re-introduce a revised law. From
The Guardian.
Reflections from Copenhagen: The Accord and
the Way Forward.—reliability medium.
Summary of what the Copenhagen Accord actually is and what it may
become. Covers what was decided, and what is to be decided later. "The
Accord could provide a new forum that represents not just the largest
and wealthiest as the G20 and Major Economies Forum (MEF) do. Seeing
that most small island developing states (SIDs), Least Developed
Countries (LDCs) and African countries indicated support, the Accord
could form a new North-South basis for climate cooperation, freed from
the blocking tactics of some oil producing nations and single issue
countries." See
WRI site. [One
of the best summaries of the real results from Copenhagen. Also see a
good article in The Economist here.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Walmart, others make money on Oregon's
energy tax credits.—reliability high.
"Walmart took advantage of a provision in Oregon's Business Energy Tax
Credit that allows third parties with no ties to the green power
industry to buy the credits at a discount and reduce their state income
tax bills. State records show Walmart paid $22.6 million in cash last
year for the right to claim $33.6 million in energy tax credits. The
cash went to seven projects, including two eastern Oregon wind farms
and SolarWorld's manufacturing plant in Hillsboro. In return, Walmart
profits $11 million on the deal because that's the difference between
what it paid for the tax credit and the amount of its tax reduction."
More about "pass-through" tax avoidance. From
The Oregonian.
Haworth Progresses Toward Zero-landfill
Waste Status.—reliability high.
"The 10 U.S. manufacturing facilities of furniture-maker Haworth Inc.
have achieved zero-landfill status, meaning that all waste is reused or
recycled. . . . What can’t be recycled at each individual factory is
stuffed into the empty spaces of a truck going back to the Holland
facility. What can’t be recycled or reused is incinerated to produce
energy at a Grand Rapids, Mich., alternative energy plant." See
Environmental Leader. Original Holland Sentinel article here.
Air Force To Spend $2.3B on Energy, Water
Conservation.—reliability high.
"The US Air Force plans to spend $2.3 billion over the next six years
on energy and water conservation and an expanded use of renewable
energy projects. The capital investment strategy, created earlier this
year, is expected to reduce energy intensity at air force facilities by
30% by 2015, according to a release. . . . The Air Force said in 2009
it reduced the amount of energy used per square foot (i.e., energy
intensity) by 13% from a 2003 baseline." See
Sustainable Business.
You Have to Pay the Piper to 'Save the
Earth™'.—reliability medium.
"Honda Motor Co. is at the receiving end of a lawsuit filed by the
Save the Earth Foundation, a tiny nonprofit group that apparently holds
a trademark to the phrase 'save the earth.' The suit, filed in the
United States District Court for the Northern District of California,
resulted from a Honda Civic commercial in which an actor wears a
T-shirt that says 'Save the Earth.'" "If 'Save the Earth' can be
trademarked, what other common admonitions can be legally bound up and
licensed only by permission of the owners: 'Clean Your Plate™'? 'Wash
Your Hands™'? 'Call Your Mother™'? 'God save the Queen™'?" From
GreenBiz blog.
Government and
Regulation
Copenhagen green lights plan to streamline
CDM.—reliability high.
"While much of the attention in the final few days of the meeting was
focused on the emergence of the Copenhagen Accord, the UN also released
a number of technical documents, including an agreed set of changes to
the CDM titled Further Guidance Relating to the Clean Development
Mechanism. Under the agreement, the CDM Executive Board has been
granted permission to streamline registration and issuance procedures
for emission reduction projects, and provide new funding to accelerate
the development of CDM projects in countries with fewer than 10 CDM
approved projects in operation." More on the reforms. From
BusinessGreen. PDF of agreement here.
Quebec adopts California's auto emission
standards.—reliability high.
"Quebec will become the first province in Canada to adopt California's
strict auto [greenhouse gas] emissions standards, the province's
environment ministry said on Tuesday. The new rules will come into
effect on January 14 and will impose increasingly stringent limits on
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cars and light trucks made between
2010 and 2016 that are sold in the province." "Fourteen other U.S.
states have also adopted the California plan, including Vermont, Maine,
and New York state, all of which border Quebec." See
Reuters.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2009 HaraBara, Inc.]
