The U.S. EPA is soliciting comments on a series of white papers regarding landfill management practices through Jan. 23, 2025, the agency announced in a release. The agency said it is looking for ways to “streamline, improve, and harmonize the current suite of emissions regulations” for municipal solid waste landfills.
The agency has previously indicated that it would update emissions regulations for new and existing landfills next year.It previously issued an update in 2016 but that was not fully adopted until 2021.
In eight white papers, the agency included a series of possible changes to its New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines for new and existing landfills. Those changes include adding an organic waste diversion credit, allowing a regular aerial monitoring program, creating a methane emission threshold to trigger regulations for landfills and more.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics.It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month.
The U.S. EPA is soliciting comments on a series of white papers regarding landfill management practices through Jan. 23, 2025, the agency announced in a release. The agency said it is looking for ways to “streamline, improve, and harmonize the current suite of emissions regulations” for municipal solid waste landfills.
The agency has previously indicated that it would update emissions regulations for new and existing landfills next year.It previously issued an update in 2016 but that was not fully adopted until 2021.
In eight white papers, the agency included a series of possible changes to its New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines for new and existing landfills. Those changes include adding an organic waste diversion credit, allowing a regular aerial monitoring program, creating a methane emission threshold to trigger regulations for landfills and more.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics.It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month.
WASHINGTON — After winning the White House and majorities in the Senate and House, Republicans are poised to carry out a broad deregulatory agenda to slash environmental protections when they assume power in January.
When he takes office on Jan. 20, President-elect Donald Trump, a skeptic of global organizations like the United Nations, is expected to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord, an international deal to rein in planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Trump and congressional Republicans are also gearing up to cut environmental and clean-energy programs, hamstring public transit and pull away from international environmental agreements.
Two other federal programs critical to New Jersey — offshore wind development and a tax to fund toxic waste cleanup — are also in the crosshairs.
Presidential administrations hold enormous discretion over what federal departments prioritize and the issues they pursue, and each president seeks to make a mark promptly upon taking office, typically by issuing a flurry of executive orders and memoranda.
Second-term fallout
A second Trump term could add an additional 4 billion tons’ worth of carbon emissions by 2030, or the equivalent of the annual emissions from the world’s 140 lowest-emitting nations, according to Carbon Brief, a U.K.-based climate research organization.
That would generate more than $900 billion worth of environmental damages, Carbon Brief said.
During his first term, Trump and Cabinet officials rolled back or weakened hundreds of federal regulations on the environment, energy and wildlife.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics.It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month.
Don’t call it a comeback! For the first time in years, a company is making solar cells in the United States.
Suniva, which lays claim to the title of “oldest U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells,” recently restarted production at its Norcross, Georgia facility and has sent out the first shipments of its made-in-the-USA product to North American manufacturer Heliene.
“Suniva has fulfilled its promise to bring back solar cell manufacturing to the United States! America’s oldest and largest solar cell manufacturer is producing,” he wrote.
Suniva had been inoperative since 2017 when the company filed for bankruptcy, but bolstered by Inflation Reduction Act incentives, announced plans to give it another go last fall. The cells manufactured at the Norcross facility are the first to qualify for the 10% Domestic Content Bonus Investment Tax Credit under the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s guidance published in May 2023. The company wants to ramp up production to produce about 1 gigawatt (GW) of cells per year.
In May, Heliene signed a $400 million, three-year sourcing contract to incorporate Suniva’s U.S.-made solar cells into its U.S.-made solar modules. The company has a facility in Ontario, Canada, and a growing footprint in Minnesota.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics.It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month.
The Airloom turbine uses vertical blades—what company calls “wings”—that revolve on an oval track mounted on posts. The turbine track can be expanded by enlarging the oval and increasing the number of posts, generating more wattage. Multiple turbines can also be used together, according to the company.
By Frank Brill, EnviroPoliticsEditor
As the world races to combat climate change, innovations in renewable energy are at the forefront of the global effort to transition away from fossil fuels. One of the most promising areas of development is wind energy, which has long been seen as a reliable and scalable source of clean power. Now, a cutting-edge wind technology, backed by Bill Gates and his investment firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures, is aiming to dramatically reshape the wind energy landscape.
The company behind this breakthrough is Heliogen, which is pioneering a new approach to harnessing wind energy that could revolutionize the industry. While traditional wind turbines rely on large rotating blades to capture kinetic energy from the wind, Heliogen’s innovative technology focuses on increasing the efficiency of wind energy production through advanced materials, artificial intelligence (AI), and next-generation design. This new wind energy system promises to lower costs, increase energy output, and, most importantly, help accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy future.
A New Frontier in Wind Energy: More Efficient, Less Expensive
The primary challenge with current wind turbine technology is efficiency. Traditional wind farms, with their massive turbines and long, sweeping blades, face limitations in terms of both energy capture and maintenance costs. These turbines can be expensive to manufacture, install, and maintain, and their size can also create logistical challenges, especially in more remote or environmentally sensitive areas.
Heliogen’s innovation targets these pain points by reimagining how we capture and use wind energy. At the heart of the technology is a method that enhances the strength and durability of wind turbine components, using advanced materials that are both lighter and stronger than the metals currently used in conventional turbines. Additionally, the company is leveraging AI-driven optimization software to predict wind patterns with unprecedented accuracy, which helps to maximize energy production and reduce downtime.
By designing wind systems that are not only more efficient but also less costly to produce and maintain, Heliogen’s technology could unlock a new wave of wind energy projects, particularly in regions where large-scale wind farms were previously unfeasible. This technology is not just a step forward for wind energy—it’s a leap.
Heliogen’s Innovative Wind Technology: What Makes It Different
Traditional wind energy generation relies on large horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs) or vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs). These turbines use massive blades to capture kinetic energy from the wind. The energy captured from the blades’ rotation is then converted into electricity through a mechanical process involving a gearbox, generator, and other components.
While this technology has been effective for the past few decades, there are several key challenges:
Size and scale: Traditional turbines are massive, with some blades reaching up to 100 meters in length. This requires significant land area and infrastructure to install, which can be both costly and environmentally invasive.
Maintenance: The larger and more complex the turbine, the more difficult and expensive it is to maintain. Mechanical parts, especially in extreme weather, can wear down more quickly.
Efficiency: Traditional turbines have relatively limited energy efficiency, as they are often affected by wind speed variability and turbulence.
Heliogen is changing this traditional approach by utilizing advanced materials, artificial intelligence (AI), and modular designs to create a new, more efficient wind energy system. Their goal is to make wind energy generation more affordable, efficient, and scalable—especially in regions where large, traditional wind farms may not be practical.
Bill Gates and Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Bill Gates has long been a champion of clean energy innovation. Through his philanthropic work, including his Breakthrough Energy Ventures initiative, Gates has invested in numerous companies that are pushing the boundaries of sustainable technologies. Breakthrough Energy Ventures focuses on startups that are developing breakthrough solutions across a variety of sectors—from energy storage to clean agriculture to carbon capture.
The investment in Heliogen is just the latest example of Gates’ commitment to accelerating the global shift toward clean energy. “We need to innovate faster than ever before if we want to meet the climate challenge,” Gates said in a statement regarding the venture. “Heliogen’s technology is poised to make wind energy not just more efficient, but dramatically cheaper, which is a crucial step in reducing global emissions.”
The Road Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
While Heliogen’s wind technology shows great promise, there are still challenges to overcome. Scaling up any new energy technology is a complex and costly endeavor, and the company will need to prove that its systems can be deployed at a large scale and in a variety of environments. Moreover, competition in the renewable energy sector is fierce, with numerous companies working to develop their own advanced solutions for wind, solar, and other forms of clean energy.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics.It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month.
Smoke and flames rise as wildfire burns and spreads on a mountain in West Milford, New Jersey on Nov. 9, 2024. Large flames have overtaken the mountain and more than 2000 acres have burned. Photo credit Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
An 18-year-old New York state parks worker and high-school baseball star died fighting a large wildfire in Orange County over the weekend, officials said.
Dariel Vasquez was killed while battling a massive 2,000-acre forest fire in Sterling Forest, not far from the New Jersey border, on Saturday, authorities announced.
The New Jersey blaze, which has become known as the Jennings Creek wildfire, stretches the New York-New Jersey border and threatens 10 structures, including the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District, New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.
The West Milford Fire Department said firefighters had plans to begin backburn operations in the area of East Shore Road, Long Pond Iron Works, and various areas of Ringwood off Margaret King Boulevard.
The multi-jurisdictional fire has seen the involvement of 43 municipalities in the area from Passaic, Morris, Sussex, and Bergen counties for the structure protection of all buildings and roadways, the department said.
State Police said the dead teen worked as an aide employed by the state Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Department.
Eastern Duchess County Fire and Rescue wrote in a Facebook post that a tree fell on the teen and killed him.
“Orange County Emergency Services wishes to extend our condolences as we mourn the passing of a dedicated service member we lost today during the Greenwood Lake brush fire response,” the agency said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues of this brave individual.”
A GoFundMe set up for the teen’s family described the Ramapo High School senior as “a young man full of promise, hope, and dedication.
“Born into a family known for community service, Dariel embraced this legacy wholeheartedly. He was not only an admired figure in his community but a guiding light for his family,” the fundraiser read.
Vasquez’s death comes as firefighters battle severe brush fires across New Jersey and the Hudson Valley as the region’s bone-dry and gusty wind conditions sparked massive blazes.
An air quality alert has been in effect for New York City and the Hudson Valley, along with northern New Jersey.
Red flag warnings will remain in effect from the Garden State to the Big Apple and southern Connecticut until 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Firefighters have been battling multiple blazes across the state this weekend, including a two-acre inferno that broke out Friday night in a densely wooded area of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics.It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month.
