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The US Green Building Council (USGBC) is revamping the LEED rating system this year. LEED 2012 will focus on improving the rating system’s clarity (providing more precise technical criteria) and making the system more user-friendly. Some may consider these competing notions, so i’’s quite a lofty goal to meet. There will be revisions of prerequisites and point systems. LEED 2012 is going through a third public comment period, and has a proposed launch date in October. A FAQ document developed by the USGBC highlighting the changes may be downloaded from their website.

One major proposed change is to not only to establish that the key equipment and procedures are implemented (i.e., energy meters, plans), but to ensure that performance will remain excellent in the long term. There are separate sections for Establishment and Performance. Building owners will need to perform and record recurring activities (audits, measurements of energy usage) to demonstrate performance. And the emphasis will be to ensure that LEED certified buildings are actually achieving the performance that USGBC wants them to attain, not to just “check off the box” that they made the attempt or procured the technology.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

Source: Environmental Expert and The Acta Group, L.L.C. and The Acta Group EU, Ltd

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on March 20, 2012, that it has revised the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), aligning it with the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). The final HCS rule will be implemented in various phases with full implementation by 2016 and, according to OSHA, will benefit workers by reducing confusion about chemical hazards in the workplace, facilitating safety training, and improving understanding  of hazards, especially for low literacy workers. OSHA states that the revised HCS will ‘classify chemicals according to their health and physical hazards, and establish consistent labels and safety data sheets for all chemicals made in the United States and imported from abroad.’ According to OSHA, the final rule will be published in the Federal Register on March 26, 2012. It will take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. During the transition period to the effective completion dates noted in the revised HCS, chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors, and employers may comply with either 29 C.F.R. Part 1910.1200 (the final standard), the current standard, or both. More information, including the prepublication version of the final HCS, is available online.
Continue reading OSHA Releases Final HCS Rule

Source: Business Wire

— Fleet Trucks Fuel at Clean Energy’s National Network of CNG & LNG Stations —

SEAL BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– In increasing numbers, major U.S. contract freight carriers are deploying heavy-duty natural gas-powered trucks to support their customers’ supply chain transport requirements. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE), North America’s leading supplier of natural gas fuel for transportation, contracts with carrier fleet operators to provide compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling services at Clean Energy public access stations nationwide.

Among the most recent for-hire fleet operators to opt for natural gas fuel are Premier Transportation, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia; Transplace, Frisco, Texas, and Glacier Transportation & Logistics, Atlanta, Georgia; Dillon Transportation LLC, Burr Ridge, Illinois; C.R. England, Salt Lake City, Utah; Ryder Dedicated Logistics, El Segundo, California; CEVA Logistics, Hoofddorp, the Netherlands; and Werner Enterprises, Omaha, Nebraska.
Continue reading Supply Chain Fleet Operators Increasingly Turn to Natural Gas Power

Source: Environmental Expert

23 buildings to be upgraded as part of $3.6 million Energy Savings Performance Contract with Lyon County School District

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. & LYON COUNTY, Nev.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced today its Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Lyon County School District (LCSD) in western Nevada. The $3.6 million ESPC is expected to save the state’s fourth largest school district over $345,000 annually for 15 years.
Continue reading Ameresco Announces Work on Energy Efficiency Project at Nevada’s Fourth Largest School District

EPA Publishes Template for Construction Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans

On March 14, EPA posted to its website a new “template” for construction operators to use in developing stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs).  SWPPPs are site-specific documents that are required as part of EPA’s new 2012 Construction General Permit (CGP).  The SWPPP template is designed to help construction operators develop a SWPPP that is compliant with the minimum requirements the new CGP.  The SWPPP template allows operators to customize the document to the needs of the site, and includes tables and other fields that are easy to fill out.  If there are any questions about the SWPPP template, or the CGP in general, send inquiries to CGP@epa.gov.

For additional information on Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans for Construction Activities and to view a copy of the template: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/swppp.cfm.

For additional information on EPA’s 2012 CGP: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/cgp.cfm.

For additional information on Nevada’s CGP: http://ndep.nv.gov/bwpc/storm_cont03.htm.

The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) has launched the 2025 Safer Chemistry Challenge Program (SCCP), a voluntary initiative to motivate, challenge, and assist companies to reduce the use of chemicals of concern to human health and the environment. The SCCP also rewards companies for finding safer alternatives and builds on ongoing business efforts to make toxic chemical reduction a business reality.

Forward thinking companies are focused on achieving high levels of environmental performance through sustainable business practices, including moving toward safer chemistries in the products companies manufacture and consume. It is also a way to address the ever-changing chemicals regulatory landscape. “Participating in the SCCP challenge not only gives companies an opportunity to cut costs but also a chance to become an industry leader in managing environmental responsibilities, reducing and preventing pollution, eliminating the use of toxic compounds, and substituting safer alternatives.” Jeffrey Burke, NPPR Executive Director.

The SCCP seeks to target reduction or elimination of the most toxic compounds that can be achieved by industry through pollution prevention or source reduction approaches. Companies have the flexibility to select chemicals for reduction to meet specific business objectives to focus reduction efforts on, or use the SCCP list of priority chemicals as guidance.

Companies that participate will be asked to reduce their use of chemicals by:

• Moving toward cleaner processes, including adopting greener, more sustainable technologies
• Using green chemistry tools and designs that avoid the use and generation of toxic chemicals
• Selecting and using safe alternatives, such as benign or low toxicity materials or those that degrade into innocuous substances

Another value of the SCCP is that companies are encouraged to partner with state and local technical assistance programs to help identify effective ways to reduce waste and emissions and adopt safer substitute chemicals.

The SCCP offers industry a unique leadership opportunity for public and private sector collaboration that fosters a cleaner environment, new market opportunities, improved competitive advantage, while enhancing corporate image Additional resources and application information can be found at www.p2.org/challenge.