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Federal vs. state: What’s best to regulate hydraulic fracturing?
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesThe discussion about who should regulate hydraulic fracturing and how reached another critical point in the past month. On Nov. 21, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 2728 with the support of 12 Democrats. The bill would inhibit the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from imposing federal regulations on states that already have regulations for hydraulic fracturing in place. In short, it would give states the lead in how to regulate the possible environmental and health hazards of fracturing.
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Coatings: The skin of plastic matter
Adolfo Benedito ManufacturingIn a risky analogy, we might say that coatings in plastics play the role of human skin. The first bastion defending the material, coatings are an added value that aim to both protect from the outside and to provide the material with unique and exclusive functionalities. Plastics and their coatings belong, therefore, to a complex and unique system with significantly enhanced properties compared to the original material.
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The View from Europe: Heat recovery
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsLast time we looked at how the subject of doors on chiller cabinets was vexing the supermarket refrigeration managers in Europe, because the way to undoubted energy savings was being blocked by concerns over the effect on merchandising. But if doors on fridges is a well-understood set of technologies remaining unexploited for nonengineering reasons, then the flip side of the coin is the whole realm of heat recovery.
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Eco-friendly benefits of GPS fleet tracking
Jonathan Savage Transportation Technology & AutomotiveThe benefits of an eco-friendly fleet go far beyond improving your brand image. Eco-friendly fleets also benefit a business's bottom line. They reduce fuel and maintenance costs, improve eligibility for government contracts — which require sustainability initiatives — and future-proof against expected green regulations.
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Greenbuild offers a glimpse of emerging green building trends
Don Rosato ManufacturingThe U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild International Conference and Expo is the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the USGBC put on quite a show for attendees in Philadelphia. This year, 30,000 attendees from 90 countries came to Greenbuild, which featured 1,000 exhibitors and sponsors with green products and service innovations and 100 education sessions led by business, environmental and social leaders.
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Deciphering M&A activity in the US oil and gas sector
Lucy Wallwork Natural ResourcesMergers and acquisitions hit the headlines daily in the financial pages, often making it all the way onto the front pages. Someone has swallowed a struggling target company; someone divested assets to focus on others. In the oil and gas sector, the level of M&A activity is used as a weather bell for the broader health of the sector, making investors nervous when things slowed down earlier this year. Now indicators seem to have picked up, but what does it all mean beyond those headlines?
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Green-building applications: The road ahead
Don Rosato EngineeringGrowth in green-building material demand will outpace the growth of building construction expenditures as green materials continue to account for an increasing share of building materials used. In the U.S., demand for green-building materials is projected to expand 13 percent annually through 2015, generating sales of more than $70 billion.
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To frack or not to frack: What should you think?
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesWhen I tell friends about what industry I am working in, I often get the following question: "So what do you think about fracking?" The question alone often already indicates their bias against the technology because the term "fracking" is usually used by opponents.
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America’s hidden fuel: How does the US stack up on energy efficiency?
Lucy Wallwork Natural ResourcesThe rapid ramping up of oil and gas production is only half the story in North America's transformed energy security outlook. The other half is energy efficiency, dubbed the "hidden fuel" by industry watchers. In the past, the "gas-guzzling" U.S. was criticized by its European counterparts for its addiction to SUVs and a poor record on energy efficiency, but recent years have seen something of a turnaround. Concerns still remain that the realities of lobby politics and downward pressure on domestic gas prices could set this impressive progress into reverse.
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The View from Europe: Taxing question
Andrew Gaved Construction & Building MaterialsAs the precise details of the forthcoming EU F-gas regulations are currently being hammered out in Brussels, many in the European refrigeration and air conditioning industry are bracing themselves for significant new cost to be added to the supply chain. The European Parliament has made plain its desire to effectively "penalize" those who use HFCs, by charging an allocation fee for production of the refrigerants.
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