Recently in Utilities Category

Source: Water Online, February 24, 2010

Arsenic, Other Deadly Pollutants Found in Water From Additional Sites in DE, FL, IL, IN, MD, MI, MT, NC, NM, NV, PA, SC, TN and WV; Toxic Metals Found at Levels Up to Nearly 150 Times Federal Limits

The case for the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to stop sitting on a delayed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) coal-ash site contamination rule is even stronger than it first appeared to be, according to a major new report from the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and Earthjustice. The analysis by EIP and Earthjustice identifies 31 additional coal-ash contamination sites in 14 states, which, when added to the 70 in the EPA's justification for the pending rule, brings the total of coal-fired power plant waste storage sites with poisoned water to 101.

With data showing arsenic and other toxic metal levels in contaminated water at some coal-ash disposal sites at up to 145 times federally permissible levels, the EIP/Earthjustice report identifies 31 coal-ash waste sites where groundwater, wetlands, creeks, or rivers have been polluted with "wastes (that) contain some of the earth's most deadly pollutants, including arsenic, cadmium, lead, selenium, and other toxic metals that can cause cancer and neurological harm (in humans) or poison fish." The 31 sites are located in the following 14 states: Delaware (1); Florida (3); Illinois (1); Indiana (2); Maryland (1); Michigan (1); Montana (1); Nevada (1); New Mexico (1); North Carolina (6); Pennsylvania (6); South Carolina (3); Tennessee (2); and West Virginia (2).

Source: Lisa Margonelli, New America Policy Papers, February 12, 2010

To bring cheap low carbon power onto the grid quickly and stimulate the economies of industrial and agricultural states in the South and Midwest, the federal government should create a Clean Power Authority. The CPA would purchase electricity from industry, agriculture, and municipal waste facilities at a price cheaper than that transmitted by new coal-fired generators. The carbon-heavy, struggling industrial economies of the South and Midwest have an untapped reservoir of energy that could equal the output of as many as 69 nuclear plants, but is now wasted. Just as the Tennessee Valley Authority was created to provide affordable, clean power while fostering regional economic development and preserving the environment, the CPA would foster the production of cheap, low-carbon power in the Southern and Midwestern states, stabilizing the grid, creating thousands of jobs, drawing investment to the region, making the heartland a national leader in clean power.

Source: Middle Class Task Force, Council On Environmental Quality, October 2009

Making American homes and buildings more energy efficient presents an unprecedented opportunity for communities throughout the country. The Recovery Through Retrofit Report builds on investments made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) to expand the home energy efficiency and retrofit market. Home retrofits can potentially help people earn money, as home retrofit workers, while also helping them save money, by lowering their utility bills. By encouraging nationwide weatherization of homes, workers of all skill levels will be trained, engaged, and will participate in ramping up a national home retrofit market.
See also:
press release

Source: Brookings Institution, Energy Security Initiative and Metropolitan Policy Program, September 2009

President Barack Obama has made it clear that transforming the U.S. economy from a fossil fuels-driven to a "green" economy based on domestic, renewable energy sources is a top priority for his administration. The electricity grid is an essential part of this modernization process. The "smart grid" has received considerable attention as well as substantial financing in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. However, electricity transmission and distribution systems remain highly fragmented and regionalized, supported by various owners, regulators, and operators. Major challenges exist around creating the appropriate governance mechanisms to develop our electricity infrastructure.

Source Public Works, 2009

Almost 20% of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be spent on improving the nation's infrastructure.The editors of Public Works have assembled a sector-by-sector guide to how much is available and under what conditions. The site includes: News & updates, Fleet services, Public grounds and facilities, Solid waste, Streets, roads, and bridges, Technology and equipment, Water, wastewater, and stormwater, and Other resources.

Source: AWWA Journal, Volume 101 Number 8, August 2009
(subscription required)

The August issue deals with workforce issues. Some of the articles include:

Building and recruiting qualified candidates for water industry jobs
- Cheryl Davis, Susan Bailey, Jennifer Day-Burget, Amy Kiernan Sinclair, Anup Shah, and Catherine Curtis
The first in a series of articles about how the water industry can use information technology to address critical workforce development challenges.

Water and wastewater workforce stats--The case for improving job data
- Neil S. Grigg
Policy changes are needed to ensure uniform statistical reporting of the water and wastewater workforce and to provide useful data for influencing national policies and coordinating utility worker training.

Women's advancement: One engineering firm's pathway to leadership
- Meg Ibison and Bob Bailey
CH2M HILL's Women's Leadership Initiative makes the most of the company's long-standing inclusive workplace to accelerate women's advancement.

Source: Lynn Scarlett, Better, Faster, Cheaper, Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School, July 30, 2009

Cities can avoid the need for costly stormwater infrastructure by giving developers the right incentives.

First, the bad news: Nationwide, urban development with impervious surfaces has increased 20 percent over the past two decades. The resulting increase in stormwater runoff is costing cities an estimated $100 billion annually to manage and contain this additional runoff. Proper management of stormwater runoff is important both to prevent flooding and to limit pollutants from entering lakes, rivers, and streams--but it can be very costly.

Now, the good news: New approaches to stormwater management are encouraging greener development, meaning local governments can avoid runoff problems without investing in costly infrastructure.

Source: Government Accountability Office, GAO-09-610 June 22, 2009

From the summary:
Over the past decade, per capita consumption of bottled water in the United States has more than doubled. With this increase have come several concerns in recent years about the safety, quality, and environmental impacts of bottled water. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as a food and is responsible for ensuring that domestic and imported bottled water is safe and truthfully labeled. Among other things, GAO (1) evaluated the extent to which FDA regulates and ensures the quality and safety of bottled water; (2) evaluated the extent to which federal and state authorities regulate the accuracy of labels and claims regarding the purity and source of bottled water; and (3) identified the environmental and other impacts of bottled water. GAO reviewed FDA data, reports, and requirements for bottled water; conducted a state survey of all 50 states and the District of Columbia; reviewed bottled water labels; and interviewed FDA officials and key experts.

Source: Jennifer Grzeskowiak, American City and County, May 2009

With little help from the stimulus package, water officials continue searching for long-term funding.

Source: Robert Pollin, James Heintz, Heidi Garrett-Peltier, Center for American Progress, June 18, 2009

From the summary:
This paper examines these broader economic considerations--jobs, incomes, and economic growth--through the lens of two government initiatives this year by the Obama administration and Congress. The first is the set of clean-energy provisions incorporated within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, initiated by the Obama administration and passed into law by Congress in February. The second is the proposed American Clean Energy and Security Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), which is now before Congress.

Our analysis in this paper shows that these two measures operating together can generate roughly $150 billion per year in new clean-energy investments in the United States over the next decade. This estimated $150 billion in new spending annually includes government funding but is notably dominated by private-sector investments. We estimate this sustained expansion in clean-energy investments triggered by the economic stimulus program and the forthcoming American Clean Energy and Security Act can generate a net increase of about 1.7 million jobs. This expansion in job opportunities can continue as long as the economy maintains a commitment to clean-energy investments in the $150 billion per year range. If clean-energy investments expand still faster, overall job creation will increase correspondingly.
See also:
- 50 State Fact Sheets: Clean Energy Investment Creates Jobs in Every State
- Interactive Map: A State-by-State Look at Clean Energy and Job Creation