Sep. 24, 2010 at 3:22 p.m.
Filed under:
Energy,
Green,
Retail,
Updated
By Emily Bryson York
Home Depot saleswoman Susan McKenzie, left, explains the appliance rebate program to customer Angel Robles of Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Anyone hoping to cash in on Friday’s federal stimulus money which allowed for a 15 percent discount on energy-saving appliances had to show up to stores early — very early.
The Illinois Retail Merchants Association confirmed this morning that the $3 million in federal money to support energy-efficient appliances was gone in about two hours. The group shut the program down at 10:30 a.m.
“This made Black Friday look like a Tuesday in July,” Illinois Retail Merchants Association President David F. Vite said in a statement. “Sales have never been so brisk in Illinois.” Get the full story »
Sep. 22, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.
Filed under:
Environment,
Stock activity
By Associated Press
The company behind a pipeline leak this month near Chicago estimates it will cost up to $60 million to clean up the area where hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil spilled.
Enbridge Energy Partners LP said Wednesday its estimate of $40 million to $60 million doesn’t include potential penalties. It said insurance money should reduce the total charge for the cleanup to $10 million to $15 million. Get the full story »
Sep. 17, 2010 at 2:54 p.m.
Filed under:
Energy,
Environment
By Associated Press
Enbridge Inc. says it has restarted a pipeline that spilled oil in the Chicago area last week. Get the full story »
Sep. 13, 2010 at 5:14 p.m.
Filed under:
Energy,
Environment
By Associated Press
The owners of Oyster Creek nuclear power plant say they’ll begin pumping water contaminated by radioactive tritium out of the ground to prevent any possible contamination of drinking water supplies.
Exelon Corp. and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced the plan after a meeting Monday in Trenton. The work is to begin this week.
Sep. 13, 2010 at 12:58 p.m.
Filed under:
Banking,
Environment
By Becky Yerak
A local bank headquarters and branch has been shut down due to mold.
Foster Bank at 5225 N. Kedzie Ave. was closed Friday and will likely remain shuttered for about two months while mold is eradicated, a bank spokesman confirmed Monday. Get the full story »
Sep. 13, 2010 at 9:54 a.m.
Filed under:
Environment,
Food,
Green,
Packaged foods
By Associated Press
Whole Foods Market Inc. is trying to clear some murky waters for seafood shoppers.
The grocery chain on Monday launched a new color-coded rating program — with the help of Monterey Bay Aquarium and Blue Ocean Institute — that measures the environmental impact of its wild-caught seafood. Get the full story »
Sep. 9, 2010 at 12:26 p.m.
Filed under:
Environment,
Government,
Green
By Associated Press
Consumers will get a newly detailed look at exactly what’s in common household cleansers, as regulators plan to start enforcing a nearly 40-year-old state law that would force manufacturers to reveal their products’ contents.
The move comes amid growing scrutiny of the chemicals that make up consumer goods. Possibly the only measures of their kind in the country, the 1971 New York law and related regulations call for manufacturers to provide ingredient lists and research on the products’ health and environmental effects.
Sep. 2, 2010 at 11:05 a.m.
Filed under:
Energy,
Environment
By Associated Press
An offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, west of the site of the April blast that caused the massive oil spill.
Sep. 1, 2010 at 9:45 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Energy,
Environment,
Green
From WBBM Radio | Ford is announcing today that its plant on Chicago’s far South Side will begin making the new Police Interceptor utility vehicle, designed to have at least 20 percent better fuel economy than the current Crown Victoria police vehicle.
Sep. 1, 2010 at 6:03 a.m.
Filed under:
Environment,
Food,
Green
By CNN
California’s Senate has voted down a measure that would have banned plastic bags at grocery stores. The new ban was rejected by a 21 to 14 vote late Tuesday. The ban would have included grocery stores, convenience stores and drugstores. Get the full story »
Aug. 31, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.
Filed under:
Energy,
Green,
Regulations
By Julie Wernau
On the heels of a request for a 7 percent rate hike, Commonwealth Edison is asking the Illinois Commerce Commission to add $60 million to fund additional improvements. Get the full story »
Aug. 31, 2010 at 4:57 p.m.
Filed under:
Energy,
Green
By Julie Wernau
ComEd said will letters go out this week to single family homeowners in the innovation corridor along I-290 – which includes 130,000 customers in Melrose Park, Bellwood, Maywood, River Forest, Oak Park, Forest Park, Broadview, Hillside, Berwyn and the Humboldt Park section of Chicago – asking for single-family homeowners to test solar panels.
The three-year photovoltaic pilot is partially funded by a $5 million U.S. Department of Energy grant and allows ComEd to install 100 solar arrays on residential homes in the corridor. The arrays produce enough electricity to power a small home and at the end of the pilot, the homeowners keep the panels, said Maryl Freestone, senior engineer and project manager for the PV pilot. Get the full story »
Aug. 30, 2010 at 2:22 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Energy,
Government,
Green
By Associated Press
The fuel-economy sticker on new cars will change under plans announced Monday.
Will your new car get an A in fuel efficiency? A government proposal may add letter grades to showroom window stickers on new cars and trucks to reflect a vehicle’s overall fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Transportation Department and Environmental Protection Agency said Monday they were considering two options to upgrade the energy and environmental information that will adorn labels on new vehicles in car dealership showrooms, beginning with the 2012 model year. Get the full story »
By Dow Jones Newswires
Deere & Co. has quietly dropped out of a coalition of large companies that has supported a cap-and-trade program for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Deere, the world’s largest manufacturer of farm machinery, opted to leave the U.S. Climate Action Partnership in May because the group’s legislative strategy “no longer served as a foundation for moving forward” with climate change regulation, Ken Golden, a spokesman for the company said Tuesday. Get the full story »
Aug. 24, 2010 at 5:09 p.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Environment,
Food,
Green,
International
Coffee chain Starbucks plans to introduce the exotically-named Galapagos San Cristobal, the first in its new Reserve line, next Monday at 700 select stores. These coffees are characterized by “high quality, small quantity and unique stories,” said Anthony Carroll, Starbucks’ manager of green coffee quality. He flew in to Chicago Tuesday to offer an advanced taste of the special coffee at a Starbucks in the Loop.
