15 Search Results for "markell"

• Delaware City Refinery to Clos

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    DOVER - At the direction of Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin P. O’Mara has assembled a team of environmental scientists and engineers to oversee the safe and orderly shutdown and stabilization of the Delaware City Refinery in response to an announcement this morning that owner Valero Energy Corporation is permanently shutting down the facility.
    
    “We have mobilized a team of experts in our air, waste and water programs and are also coordinating with environmental health staff with the Department of Health and Social Services and our counterparts at the Environmental Protection Agency to assure that public health and the environment are protected during this transitional period,” said Secretary O’Mara. “We have been working with the refinery on issues associated with a planned maintenance shutdown of the entire refinery for weeks and are prepared for it. The orderly shutdown of the equipment has already begun with the shutdown in October of one of the refinery’s major processing units.  The remaining units have been operating at reduced rates and will be taken offline in a manner protective of health, safety and the environment.  DNREC staff has been in constant contact with the refinery personnel and have been monitoring the shutdown activities and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of this period.”
    
    “The near complete shutdown of the refinery earlier this year was accomplished without incident. The decision not to restart the equipment presents us with a list of questions and environmental concerns in the long term.  We plan to assess the impacts thoroughly and coordinate with refinery personnel.  Our goal is to ensure that all short and long term risks to our air, water and land are considered and addressed appropriately,” said O’Mara. “Beyond our environmental concerns our thoughts are with the employees and their families as they face this challenging time.”
    
    In addition to closely coordinating with refinery personnel during the shutdown period, DNREC and Department of Health and Social Services staff will be on standby with monitoring and response equipment should any environmental incidents occur.  Longer-term issues associated with permitting, on-going cleanup, removing petroleum products and operational status of the equipment will, in part, depend on the future use of the facility which is obviously unknown at this time. The DNREC team will be assessing these issues in a coordinated, comprehensive fashion.
    
    --source: NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL,  Nov. 20, 2009, Vol. 32, No. 455, For more information contact Melinda Carl or Michael Globetti, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

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• First Federal Offshore Renewab

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    Delaware Hosts First Federal Offshore Renewable Energy Task Force Meeting
    
    LEWES, Del., Oct. 29 – Today, the State of Delaware became the first state in the nation to host a U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service offshore renewable energy Task Force meeting. The Task Force will facilitate the coordination of commercial leases for offshore renewable energy on the Outer Continental Shelf. Representatives from federal, state, local and tribal governments met to review goals and objectives and develop a Charter for the Task Force’s purpose and implementation.
    
    Governor Jack Markell appointed Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O’Mara to lead the state’s delegation to the Task Force after receiving a request from the Minerals Management Service.
    
    “Delaware is positioned to lead the nation in deploying the substantial offshore wind resource and moving towards a clean energy future,” said Governor Markell.  “We must work closely with our federal partners to ensure that bureaucratic delays do not slow the development of this critical resource in our efforts to maximize the economic, public health and environmental benefits for all Delawareans.”
    
    "Delaware stands ready to chart a new course for the country in the effort to transition to clean, renewable energy which will strengthen our economy, enhance our national security, and confront the growing challenges from climate change,” said Secretary O’Mara.  “Working closely with the federal Minerals Management Service, through the first such task force in the country, is a critical step to ensuring an extremely efficient process to develop Delaware's unique offshore renewable energy resource is used in the near future."
    
    Delaware is a national leader among all states in its consideration of adding offshore renewable energy to its portfolio of power generation resources. Since the Delaware General Assembly passed House Bill 6 in April 2006 directing Delmarva Power to contract with new power resources to guarantee a stable process for electricity, Delaware has achieved several milestones, including: the General Assembly’s amendment in July 2007 to the renewable Portfolio Standard  requiring that 20 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2019; the selection of Bluewater Wind LLC’s proposal to construct an offshore wind facility in response to Delmarva Power’s November 2006 Request for Proposals for new electricity generation capacity; and the execution of a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement in July 2008 between Delmarva Power and Bluewater Wind LLC for 200 megawatts of power from an offshore wind facility proposed on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore of Rehoboth Beach. As a result of this progress,
    Delaware is widely recognized as the likely home of the first offshore wind development in North America.
    
    On April 22, 2009, President Barack Obama announced that the Minerals Management Service (MMS) finalized the framework for renewable energy generation on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).  The framework establishes a MMS program to issue leases, easements, and rights-of-way for orderly, safe, and environmentally responsible renewable energy development activities, such as the siting and construction of offshore wind facilities on the OCS.  The MMS is planning to consider a commercial leasing process offshore of Delaware and anticipates initiating this process in the coming months. MMS leased offshore lands to Bluewater Wind to install a meteorological and environmental monitoring tower this past spring.
    
    Delaware’s Task Force is comprised of federal representatives from: MMS; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Army Corps of Engineers; and the U.S. Coast Guard and state representatives from: the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; the Department of State; the Governor’s Office; the Public Service Commission; the Comptroller Generals’ Office;  the Office of Management and Budget; the University of Delaware; local governmental representatives from Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches; the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware; and the Nanticoke Indian Tribe.
    
    -- Oct. 29, 2009, Vol. 39, No. 433 - News from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
    
    For more information contact Sarah Cooksey, Delaware Coastal Program Administrator, 302-739-9823; or Melanie Rapp, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

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• DE Striving to make TOP 10

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    DELAWARE ANSWERS CHALLENGE TO MAKE ENERGY EFFICIENCY ‘TOP 10’
    
    New Report shows state energy efficiency ranking improves; SEU spotlights connection to new jobs, and improvements in the economy and environment
    
    Delaware was designated one of the “most improved” states in an energy efficiency scorecard released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).  While good news, Sen. Harris McDowell, co-chair of the Sustainable Energy Utility’s (SEU) Energize Delaware said the state must and can do much better.
    
    “Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are the gateway to creating more new jobs, reviving the economy, and improving the environment,” said McDowell, who welcomed the challenge from Gov. Markell to move higher in the report’s rankings. “Delaware is in a race to the ACEEE report card’s ‘top ten’ and we can do it.”
    
    Now in its second month the SEU’s Energize Delaware program is a one-stop resource to help Delawareans save money by cutting energy waste and tapping clean energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal. The SEU’s Energize Delaware aims to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent by 2015, cut CO2 emissions by 33 percent by 2020, and create thousands of new jobs.
    
    According to the 2009 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard released this week each of the 50 states were ranked in six categories to measure their efforts to make the most of energy efficiency as the first, best, and cheapest way to realize savings, meet demand and foster economic growth. Delaware moved up from 32 to 20 since last year’s report, the most improved of any other state.
    
    Sen. McDowell noted that the path to the top ten ranking is well marked. Per capita Delaware uses more energy than any of its neighboring states and pays more for its energy.
    
    Programs offering residents and businesses the opportunity to save money and energy include the SEU’s “Energize Delaware” Appliance Rebate Program, which provides rebates ranging from $25-$100 for ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers and dehumidifiers. A rebate form can be downloaded at www.energizedelaware.org.  More programs are scheduled to roll out in the coming months, including a commercial and industrial lighting incentive program, renewable energy grants for homeowners and businesses, and community-level and home performance initiatives to maximize and combine renewable energy and efficiency.
    
    Several state and municipal governments are studying Delaware’s comprehensive approach to achieving significant energy and dollar savings, job creation, and improvements to the environment.

    -----------------

    Energize Delaware is an initiative of the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU), a unique nonprofit organization created to foster a sustainable energy future for the state. Under the program banner of Energize Delaware, residents and businesses in Delaware will have a single point of contact for education, resources and programs that will include low and no‐cost steps to save thousands on energy bills, boost the economy and improve the environment through new clean energy sources. The Energize Delaware programs will focus on conservation, efficiencies and the use of renewable energy sources, like solar, wind and geothermal. www.energizedelaware.org

     

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• Former GM Plant to Build Affor

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    WILMINGTON, DE -- Oct. 27, 2009 – Fisker Automotive has selected the Wilmington Assembly plant in Wilmington Delaware to build affordable plug-in hybrid cars.
    
    Fisker executives made the announcement inside the dormant facility today, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, Delaware Governor Jack Markell and other state officials.
    
    The plant will support Fisker Automotive’s Project NINA, the development and build of an affordable, family-oriented plug-in hybrid sedan costing about $39,900 after federal tax credits.
    
    Production is scheduled to begin in late 2012.  Fisker Automotive anticipates Project NINA will ultimately create or support 2,000 factory jobs and more than 3,000 vendor and supplier jobs by 2014, as production ramps up to full capacity of 75,000-100,000 vehicles per year.  More than half will be exported, the largest percentage of any domestic manufacturer.
    
    The modernized Wilmington Assembly plant was selected for its size, production capacity, world-class paint facilities, access to shipping ports, rail lines and available skilled workforce.
    
    “This is a major step toward establishing America as a leader of advanced vehicle technology,” said Henrik Fisker, CEO.  “Wilmington is perfect for high quality, low volume production and will soon be the proud builder of world-class, fuel-efficient Fisker plug-in hybrids.”
    
    Fisker Automotive has signed a letter of intent with Motors Liquidation Co. (MLC), formerly known as General Motors Corp. to purchase the Wilmington plant for $18 million after a routine four-month evaluation period.
    
    An additional $175 million will be spent to refurbish and retool the factory over the next three years.
    
    Funds will come from a conditional loan of $528.7M the Department of Energy awarded the company in September.
    
    The loan is part of the $25B Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan program (ATVM) appropriated by Congress in 2007 to help the United States lead in the development and manufacturing of advanced technology vehicles.
    
    The company’s first car, the Fisker Karma, will be the world’s first production plug-in hybrid when it goes on sale this summer at retailers in the U.S. and Europe.
    
    Fisker plug-in hybrid cars will help remove the country’s dependence on foreign energy by eliminating the need for 42 million barrels of oil by 2016.  They will also offset 8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
    
    “With our close-knit business, government, and educational communities and our potential to respond rapidly to new opportunities, today's announcement is a testament to what works best in Delaware.  Fisker is a perfect partner in shaping Delaware's economic future, and we are thrilled that the vehicle that can reshape the automobile industry will be built here in Delaware, by Delaware workers.” said Governor Jack Markell (D-Delaware).
    
    Gary Casteel, UAW director responsible for the plant, said,  "It gives me great pride to give UAW Local 435 workers the opportunity to partner with Fisker Automotive to create a greener America by building a plug-in hybrid car that will compete globally."

    
    
    Watch the Video

     

    ABOUT FISKER AUTOMOTIVE, INC.
    Fisker Automotive is a privately owned, premium American car company with a vision to lead the automotive industry into the next-generation of automobiles with high-end design expertise and eco-friendly powertrain technology.  Global headquarters are in Irvine, California, USA.
    
    The company was created in 2007 to leverage the design capabilities of Fisker Coachbuild, LLC, founded by auto design veterans Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler, and the PHEV powertrain capabilities of Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ-QTWW), a major Tier 1 supplier of clean vehicle technologies to the automotive OEMs.  Previously, Fisker, CEO, was design director for Aston Martin and president and CEO of BMW’s DesignworksUSA.  Koehler, COO, led operations for Ford’s Global Advanced Design Studio and created concept cars for Aston Martin, MINI and BMW.
    
    ABOUT WILMINGTON ASSEMBLY
    The Wilmington Assembly plant was built by General Motors in1947.  Over the years it has been expanded to 3.2 million square feet on 142 acres of land.  It includes an on-site powerhouse and waste water treatment facility.  More than 8.5 million cars have been manufactured there, including the Pontiac Streamliner, original Chevrolet Impala, 1997-1999 Chevrolet Malibu, Saturn L-Series and the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky/Opel GT roadsters.  Production capacity is 300,000 cars per year.  The plant and its workforce have received many awards for excellence in quality, production and safety.

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• Green Jobs & Clean Energy in D

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    At the White House sponsored Clean Energy and Economy forum in Bensalem, PA, Gov. Jack Markell remarked that "As we move toward a more sustainable future, we are creating incredible market opportunities for entrepreneurs and existing business". Markell was joined by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and U.S. Energy Secretary Stepen Chu in leading the forum to promote energy efficiency, energy conservation and clean energy technologies. 

    The issues covered at Thursday's venue are many of the same issues Gov. Markell has emphasized for quite some time, including clean energy generation, creating businesses and jobs around emerging green technologies and better utilization of Delaware's natural resources. According to Secretary Chu, the White House administration has made green energy a priority in the allocation of funds from the recovery act.

    Recently passed legislation requires Delaware to reduce electricity usage by 15% statewide by 2015, as well as new energy-efficiency building code and natural gas use reduction goals. To help Delawarean's achieve this energy and fuel saving measures, the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) has implemented programs to help defray the cost of weatherization projects and rebates for energy efficient appliances. Through Energize Delaware residents and businesses can access a host of programs to help save on their energy bills, boost the economy and improve the environment. Energize Delaware Programs will focus on conservation, efficiencies and the use of renewable energy sources, like solar wind and geothermal.

    Blueprint for a Better Delaware by Jack Markell

    --posted Friday, Sept. 18, 2009

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• Auction Proceeds Fund Renewabl

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    Fifth RGGI auction expected to yield $1.78 million for Delaware’s investment in renewable energy and efficiency programs
     
    DOVER  - Sept. 11, 2009 -– Governor Jack Markell and DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara announced today that Delaware expects to receive $1.78 million for investment in clean energy projects from the state’s participation in the fifth regional auction of carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances Wednesday, Sept. 9.  The auction marks the one year anniversary of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auctions and brings the total amount of proceeds to more than $432.7 million since September of 2008.
     
    CO2  is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. The 10 RGGI partnering states hold quarterly allowance auctions and invest the proceeds in energy efficiency, renewable energy and other programs that benefit energy consumers and create green jobs.
     
    “This funding will create jobs to help our economy and pay for programs to help our environment,” Markell said.
     
    All of Delaware’s 763,842 allowances offered for sale in this auction were sold at a clearing price of $2.19 per allowance.  In a parallel offering, Delaware sold 66,698 allowances for the 2012 vintage for $1.67 per allowance.  The 2012 vintage offering provides power plants and other entities that must comply with Delaware regulations the first look at future market prices for RGGI (CO2) allowances.
     
    “RGGI auction proceeds can boost Delaware’s leadership in transitioning to a green economy by fostering investments in clean energy sources and green jobs,” said Secretary O’Mara.
     
    Under legislation passed last year by the Delaware General Assembly, approximately $1.16 million or 65 percent of the auction proceeds will be directed to the new Sustainable Energy Utility, the non-profit entity tasked to provide energy efficiency and renewable energy programs for households and businesses. The SEU’s new program, Energize Delaware, has begun to offer rebates on certain Energy Star appliances using RGGI proceeds from previous auctions.
     
    A total 15 percent of auction proceeds will be directed to low income consumers through programs administered by the Department of Health and Social Services. Up to 10 percent will be used for greenhouse gas reduction projects and the remaining 10 percent may be used to administer RGGI and climate change programs in DNREC.
     
    Delaware is one of ten Northeast states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont) pioneering RGGI – the first market-based, mandatory cap-and-trade program in the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
     
    The participating states adopted regulations to cap and then reduce the amount of CO2 that power plants in each state are allowed to emit, limiting the region’s total contribution of atmospheric greenhouse gas levels. Under RGGI, the 10 states will stabilize power sector carbon emissions at their capped level, and then reduce the cap by 10 percent at a rate of 2.5 percent each year between 2015 and 2018. The groundbreaking program may serve as a model for a possible federal cap-and-trade program.
     
    Since last September, over 100 bidders, including electric utilities, manufacturers, financial institutions, environmental groups and individuals have participated in the RGGI auctions for CO2 allowances. Every major power plant in the 10-state RGGI region now reports quarterly CO2 emissions to the public in an emissions and allowance tracking system.
     
    A CO2 allowance represents a limited authorization to emit one ton of CO2 emissions to demonstrate compliance at the end of each 3-year control period. The first control period for fossil fuel-fired electric generators under each state’s CO2 Budget Trading Program took effect on January 1, 2009 and extends through Dec. 31, 2011.
     
    The sixth auction will be held Dec. 2, 2009.
     
    For more information on Delaware’s RGGI program, visit http://www.awm.delaware.gov/AQM/Pages/RegionalGreenhouseGasInitiative.aspx or for RGGI, Inc., visit http://www.rggi.org.
    
    
     
    For more information contact:  Phil Cherry, Office of the Secretary, 302-739-9068; or Melinda Carl, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

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• CIB, DNREC’s Division of State

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    CIB, DNREC’s Division of State Parks, and Flexera Energy
    celebrate wind energy partnership
    -Two wind turbines installed at Delaware Seashore State Park-

               

    Indian River Inlet, DE - Aug. 20, 2009: Standing at about 45 feet tall, two new wind turbines turn steadily in a stiff breeze at Delaware Seashore State Park.  One turbine provides power to the Center for the Inland Bays and the other is connected to the cottages at Indian River Marina.

    Today, Governor Jack Markell, Senator Tom Carper, Congressman Mike Castle, DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara, State Parks’ officials and other dignitaries visited the CIB to recognize the recently completed wind energy project.
    
    “This wind turbine partnership represents another way that the State of Delaware is leading by example as we accelerate towards a new energy future for our state and nation,” Governor Markell said. “These projects will tangibly demonstrate to visitors the crucial role that we each can play in protecting our environment and strengthening our economy by adopting renewable energy systems.”
    
    “The Inland Bays are a treasure that must be protected,” said Secretary O’Mara. “Harnessing clean, renewable energy sources will create new economic opportunities while showing residents and visitors that it is possible to reduce pollution that adversely affects air and water quality, as well as harms the health and welfare of local residents. This project will serve as an important symbol tht clean power is critical to the state’s environmental and economic future.”
    
    Parks’ Director Charles Salkin said, “Our role is to educate visitors about the importance of protecting and preserving Delaware’s natural resources. We want our visitors at Delaware Seashore State Park to get excited about wind energy. We also see this as a first step towards several larger projects that will enhance the environmental benefits and reduce the costs of our Park operations.”
    
    The Center for the Inland Bays and the Division of Parks and Recreation selected Flexera Energy to participate in the wind energy demonstration project.  Flexera completed installation of the Skystream 3.7 utility-connected, horizontal axis turbines in mid-July.  The turbines have a 12-foot rotor diameter and an average rated capacity of 2.4 kilowatts.  Each turbine is projected to generate about 5,600 kWh of power annually in average daily winds of 12 mph. This renewable energy production equals a projected offset of about 28,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

    “Flexera is very excited to have had the opportunity to install these two wind turbines at the Indian River Inlet. These elegant machines will be supplying power to the Center for the Inland Bays and State Park for many years to come. In addition the turbines will be an important educational resource for the people of Delmarva, demonstrating the viability of wind power as an environmentally friendly and economically competitive power source for Coastal Delaware.  This is a great example of how government initiative, nonprofit research, the public good and private enterprise are all converging to create a new green economy in Delaware," said Ben Farr, Vice President of Flexera Energy.

    Ed Lewandowski, CIB Executive Director, said, “This project has been a terrific fit for our location in that wind is something that we deal with just about every day at Indian River Inlet; it’s great to see it finally put to some productive use.  It’s also a wonderful complement to the 11.0 KW solar energy system that we had installed at our headquarters facility.  We hope to inspire other local businesses and homeowners to do whatever they can to reduce their carbon footprint.”

    The CIB used a 2005 State Bond Bill appropriation to cover the project costs.  Since its opening three years ago, the Center’s headquarters has served as a demonstration facility for environmentally-friendly design and operation.

    For more information about this project, please contact the Center for the Inland Bays at (302) 226-8105 or visit its facility on the north side of Indian River Inlet at Delaware Seashore State Park.

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• Gov. Markell @ Sustainable Bui

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    Governor Jack Markell gives his opening remarks at the Sustainable Building Symposium at the Blue Ball Barn in Wilmington, Delaware.

  • 8 months ago
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• Green Drinks - September 2008

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    GreenTV's Lori Lake talks with Jack Markell about his green vision for Delaware at The Delaware Center for Horticulture
  • 1 year ago
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• Green Drinks - September 2008

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    GreenTV's Lori Lake talks with Jack Markell about his green vision for Delaware at The Delaware Center for Horticulture
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 258

• Green Drinks - September 2008

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    GreenTV's Lori Lake talks with Jack Markell about his green vision for Delaware at The Delaware Center for Horticulture
  • 1 year ago
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• Green Drinks - September 2008

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    GreenTV's Lori Lake talks with Jack Markell about his green vision for Delaware at The Delaware Center for Horticulture
  • 1 year ago
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• Green Drinks - September 2008

  • From: GreenDelaware
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    GreenTV's Lori Lake talks with Jack Markell about his green vision for Delaware at The Delaware Center for Horticulture
  • 1 year ago
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• Green Drinks - September 2008

  • From: GreenDelaware
  • Description:
    GreenTV's Lori Lake talks with Jack Markell about his green vision for Delaware at The Delaware Center for Horticulture
  • 1 year ago
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• Green Drinks - September 2008

  • From: GreenDelaware
  • Description:
    GreenTV's Lori Lake talks with Jack Markell about his green vision for Delaware at The Delaware Center for Horticulture
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 224
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