Dow and Olin Corporation Create an Industry Leader in Chlor-Alkali and Derivatives with Revenues Approaching $7 Billion
MIDLAND, Mich. & CLAYTON, Mo. -The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW): Dow to separate a significant portion of its chlor-alkali and downstream derivatives businesses and merge them with Olin in a tax-efficient Reverse Morris Trust transaction that creates an industry leader with revenues approaching $7 billion; Dow shareholder value will be further enhanced through the ownership of shares in the combined company.
Transaction is highly complementary to the strategic objectives of both companies, with substantial synergies and significant potential to enhance value for both sets of shareholders.
Represents highly synergistic transaction with significant growth opportunities; Olin expects to achieve annualized cost synergies of a minimum of $200 million, which are anticipated to be fully realized within 36 months.
Transaction is highly accretive to Dow and Dow shareholders, with a tax efficient consideration of $5 billion, and a taxable equivalent value of $8 billion.
Transaction is a significant achievement in executing Dow’s strategic transformation to a focused provider of high value, differentiated products based on key integrated and innovative value chains, such as Dow’s advantaged ethylene and propylene derivatives.
The strategic relationship between Dow and Olin resulting from this transaction will enable Dow to continue to benefit from its integration efficiencies in chlorine for key downstream applications; Olin will expand its downstream portfolio of chlorinated products and benefit from the opportunity provided by low-cost ECU production on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Olin will become a leading, low-cost global player in chlor-alkali and derivatives while enhancing its existing presence in key geographies; Olin will more than double its scale and drive incremental growth as a result of the combined companies’ product and process technologies, networks, logistics, creating substantial customer value.
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Olin Corporation (NYSE: OLN) announced today that the boards of directors of both companies unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Dow will separate a significant portion of its chlorine value chain and merge that new entity with Olin in a transaction that will create an industry leader with revenues approaching $7 billion. The transaction has a tax efficient consideration of $5 billion, and a taxable equivalent value of $8 billion to Dow and Dow shareholders. It is highly complementary to the strategic objectives of both companies, with significant potential to enhance value for both Dow and Olin shareholders, and create substantial benefits for customers.
The terms of the agreement call for Dow to separate its U.S. Gulf Coast Chlor-Alkali and Vinyl, Global Chlorinated Organics and Global Epoxy businesses, and then merge these businesses with Olin in a Reverse Morris Trust transaction. The merger will result in Dow shareholders receiving approximately 50.5 percent of the shares of Olin, with existing Olin shareholders owning approximately 49.5 percent.
The transaction is valued at $5 billion, and includes $2.0 billion of cash and cash equivalents to be paid to Dow; an estimated $2.2 billion in Olin common stock using the Olin stock value as of close on March 25, 2015; and approximately $800 million of assumption of pension and other liabilities. In addition, by virtue of the joint share ownership, both sets of shareholders will benefit from a minimum of $200 million in projected annual synergies and cost savings.
Following the completion of the transaction, Olin will be an industry leader in chlor-alkali and derivatives – benefiting from the combination of complementary businesses, significant scale, integration, cost-advantaged feedstocks, and a broad and diverse end-uses portfolio. Expected cost synergies of the transaction include network optimization which will facilitate output expansion, significant logistics savings and benefits, and the potential for expansion of existing products produced by Olin and Dow into additional geographies and to additional customers. Annual revenues of the combined business are anticipated to be approximately $7 billion and EBITDA is expected to be $1 billion on a 2014 pro forma basis, excluding synergies. The transaction is subject to a vote by Olin shareholders and is expected to close by year-end 2015.
In a separate, arms-length transaction, Dow and Olin agreed to a 20-year long-term capacity rights agreement for the supply of ethylene by Dow to Olin, in which Dow will receive up-front payments and, in return, Olin will receive ethylene at co-investor, integrated producer economics. The agreement is additive to the financials outlined above for the chlorine value chain transaction. The combined company will utilize an integrated supply of ethylene from Dow’s production grid on the U.S. Gulf Coast to be a sustainable, integrated chlor-vinyl producer. It will create scale benefits to Dow, and Olin will contribute significant capital for these rights. Together, both Dow and Olin will benefit from long-term, sustainable physical integration, which is key to the ongoing sustainable growth of both companies.
“By combining Dow’s world-class assets and people with Olin, we are creating a premier company with the scope and capabilities to optimally leverage long-term growth opportunities in the marketplace and generate significant shareholder value,” said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We have jointly created a solid foundation for success for Olin, driven by the benefits of greater scale, an enhanced ability to capitalize on globally advantaged cost positions backed by U.S. shale gas economics, technology advantages, broader market access and significant envelope integration.”
Liveris added, “This milestone is a powerful shift in our portfolio towards targeted, integrated high performance sectors and end-markets that will drive further margin expansion, earnings growth, and return on capital – with a deal structure designed to maximize total shareholder return. With this transaction we will exceed our target to divest $7 billion to $8.5 billion of non-strategic businesses and assets. This achievement will allow us to have an ongoing focus to continue to enhance shareholder remuneration, reduce debt and continue to invest in future growth in our high priority and high margin businesses.”
“This transaction is a natural fit to our strategic objectives – creating a sustainable, long-term growth platform and enhanced shareholder and customer value,” said Joseph D. Rupp, Olin’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Supported by significant integration and scale, premier low-cost assets, an upgraded and diversified product mix, and valuable network and other synergies, we will be able to better serve and grow with our customers. We are excited to combine the strengths of our businesses and capitalize on the significant opportunities inherent in this transaction.”
Dow and Olin will have a strong, ongoing operational and commercial relationship including several long-term supply, service and purchase agreements which will support downstream products aligned with Dow’s strategic market focus. Dow will be an important anchor customer of Olin as it works to grow the acquired business. Olin will have a strong capital structure and cash flow to support growth and return of capital to shareholders. It will employ approximately 6,000 employees at 29 operating sites in 9 countries.
Olin will continue to be led by Rupp and a senior management team comprised of both Dow and Olin current employees. Olin’s Board of Directors will consist of the existing nine Olin Company directors and three new members to be designated by Dow.
The transaction is subject to approval by Olin shareholders and completion of customary closing conditions, including relevant tax authority rulings and regulatory approvals.
Dow and Olin will host a live Webcast to discuss this announcement today at 9:00 a.m. ET on www.dow.com and www.olin.com.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2014, Dow had annual sales of more than $58 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 6,000 products are manufactured at 201 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
About Olin Corporation
Olin Corporation is a manufacturer concentrated in three business segments: Chlor Alkali Products, Chemical Distribution and Winchester. Chlor Alkali Products, with eight U.S. manufacturing facilities and one Canadian manufacturing facility, produces chlorine and caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, bleach products and potassium hydroxide. Chemical Distribution manufactures bleach products and distributes caustic soda, bleach products, potassium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. Winchester, with its principal manufacturing facilities in East Alton, IL and Oxford, MS, produces and distributes sporting ammunition, law enforcement ammunition, reloading components, small caliber military ammunition and components, and industrial cartridges.
NASA Research Suggests Mars Once Had More Water than Earth’s Arctic Ocean
A primitive ocean on Mars held more water than Earth’s Arctic Ocean, according to NASA scientists who, using ground-based observatories, measured water signatures in the Red Planet’s atmosphere.
Scientists have been searching for answers to why this vast water supply left the surface. Details of the observations and computations appear in Thursday’s edition of Science magazine.
“Our study provides a solid estimate of how much water Mars once had, by determining how much water was lost to space,” said Geronimo Villanueva, a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and lead author of the new paper. “With this work, we can better understand the history of water on Mars.”
Perhaps about 4.3 billion years ago, Mars would have had enough water to cover its entire surface in a liquid layer about 450 feet (137 meters) deep. More likely, the water would have formed an ocean occupying almost half of Mars’ northern hemisphere, in some regions reaching depths greater than a mile (1.6 kilometers).
The new estimate is based on detailed observations made at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, and the W.M. Keck Observatory and NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii. With these powerful instruments, the researchers distinguished the chemical signatures of two slightly different forms of water in Mars’ atmosphere. One is the familiar H2O. The other is HDO, a naturally occurring variation in which one hydrogen is replaced by a heavier form, called deuterium.
By comparing the ratio of HDO to H2O in water on Mars today and comparing it with the ratio in water trapped in a Mars meteorite dating from about 4.5 billion years ago, scientists can measure the subsequent atmospheric changes and determine how much water has escaped into space.
The team mapped H2O and HDO levels several times over nearly six years, which is equal to approximately three Martian years. The resulting data produced global snapshots of each compound, as well as their ratio. These first-of-their-kind maps reveal regional variations called microclimates and seasonal changes, even though modern Mars is essentially a desert.
The research team was especially interested in regions near Mars’ north and south poles, because the polar ice caps hold the planet’s largest known water reservoir. The water stored there is thought to capture the evolution of Mars’ water during the wet Noachian period, which ended about 3.7 billion years ago, to the present.
From the measurements of atmospheric water in the near-polar region, the researchers determined the enrichment, or relative amounts of the two types of water, in the planet’s permanent ice caps. The enrichment of the ice caps told them how much water Mars must have lost – a volume 6.5 times larger than the volume in the polar caps now. That means the volume of Mars’ early ocean must have been at least 20 million cubic kilometers (5 million cubic miles).
Based on the surface of Mars today, a likely location for this water would be in the Northern Plains, considered a good candidate because of the low-lying ground. An ancient ocean there would have covered 19 percent of the planet’s surface. By comparison, the Atlantic Ocean occupies 17 percent of Earth’s surface.
“With Mars losing that much water, the planet was very likely wet for a longer period of time than was previously thought, suggesting it might have been habitable for longer,” said Michael Mumma, a senior scientist at Goddard and the second author on the paper.
NASA is studying Mars with a host of spacecraft and rovers under the agency’s Mars Exploration Program, including the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers, Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, and the MAVEN orbiter, which arrived at the Red Planet in September 2014 to study the planet’s upper atmosphere.
In 2016, a Mars lander mission called InSight will launch to take a first look into the deep interior of Mars. The agency also is participating in ESA’s (European Space Agency) 2016 and 2018 ExoMars missions, including providing telecommunication radios to ESA’s 2016 orbiter and a critical element of the astrobiology instrument on the 2018 ExoMars rover. NASA’s next rover, heading to Mars in 2020, will carry instruments to conduct unprecedented science and exploration technology investigations on the Red Planet.
NASA’s Mars Exploration Program seeks to characterize and understand Mars as a dynamic system, including its present and past environment, climate cycles, geology and biological potential. In parallel, NASA is developing the human spaceflight capabilities needed for future round-trip missions to Mars in the 2030s.
To view a video of this finding, visit:
More information about NASA’s Mars programs is online at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mars
White Paper on Reuse Policy Options to Help Meet Growing Demand for Water in Saudi Arabia
AL KHOBAR, SAUDI ARABIA —GE (NYSE: GE) will unveil an industry white paper on “Addressing Water Scarcity in Saudi Arabia: Policy Options for Continued Success,” at the Water Arabia 2015 Conference & Exhibition being held at Le Meridien Hotel in Al Khobar, February 17-19, 2015.
The white paper highlights four major water reuse policy options to governments including education and outreach, removing barriers, incentives, mandates and regulations. GE also is showcasing its advanced range of desalination and water reuse technologies at the exhibition.
Organized by the Saudi Arabian Water Environment Association and the Water Environment Federation, the Water Arabia 2015 Conference & Exhibition is the headlining event in the region, which hosts international and regional experts who discuss the challenges, opportunities and trends in the water sector. This year the theme is “Innovative & Reliable Water and Wastewater Technologies for Sustainable Water Quality.”
Co-authored by Colin Enssle, senior manager—Water and Process Technologies for GE Power & Water, and Jon Freedman, global government affairs leader—Water and Process Technologies for GE Power & Water, the white paper presents the water reuse landscape in the kingdom, the water reuse policy and regulations, a range of technology options to address water reuse challenges and success case studies from markets including Bahrain. It will be presented by Jon Freedman to industry experts and governmental officials on February 18 at the Water Arabia 2015 Conference & Exhibition.
“GE’s industry white paper, developed following extensive research of the kingdom’s water landscape, underlines our commitment to support Saudi Arabia in promoting water reuse, one of the strategies being adopted by the government to address increased demand,” said Heiner Markhoff, president and CEO—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water. “One of the challenges in implementing efficient water recycling and reuse programs is to find reliable data and information on policy options. The white paper presents strong policy options that are available to governments as well as how advanced technology platforms can help achieve the goal.”
According to research reports, Saudi Arabia aims to increase water reuse to more than 65 percent by 2020 and over 90 percent by 2040 by transforming its existing and planned wastewater treatment assets into source water suppliers across all sectors. Valued at over US$4.3 billion by Global Water Intelligence (GWI), the kingdom’s water reuse market is the third largest in the world. Over US$66 billion in long-term capital investments have been committed for water and sanitation projects in the kingdom in the next 10 years, while the government aims to achieve 100 percent reuse of wastewater from cities with 5,000 inhabitants or more by 2025.
“Our recommendations complement the recently launched National Water Strategy to address Saudi Arabia’s water challenges. With overall water reuse from treated wastewater at an impressive 30 to 40 percent, the kingdom has tremendous potential to enhance water reuse by over seven times to 241 million cubic meters per year,” added Jon Freedman.
The white paper highlights the water reuse patterns in the kingdom with agriculture accounting for the highest, followed by landscaping, industries and recreational purposes. GWI reports that water reuse will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 4 percent from 2,367 million cubic meters per day to 5,834 million cubic meters per day in 2035.
Water reuse is promoted in the kingdom through governmental decrees as well as the active participation of the private sector. The 9th Development Plan aims to increase treated wastewater reuse to 50 percent as one of its key goals. A new water law establishes a Supreme Council for Water Affairs and an independent regulator for water resources and water services and creates a water management department at the Ministry of Water & Electricity, which are among the projected policy goals in the sector for this year.
“GE’s white paper highlights many of the great steps the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has already taken, and discusses four policy options that could serve as a valuable starting point to evaluate the appropriate mix of policies that best fit the kingdom’s needs going forward,” said Jon Freedman.
The first recommendation on promoting education and outreach focuses on recognition awards and certification programs as well as information dissemination and educational outreach. Removing barriers highlights how financial, regulatory and technical barriers to reuse can be overcome. Incentives as a policy option evaluate the scope of direct subsidies, pricing mechanisms and structuring water rights, while mandates and regulations restrict potable water to human and food-related uses as well as encourage utility companies to develop plans for recycled water.
At Water Arabia 2015, GE is presenting a range of technology options that are highlighted in the white paper including membrane-based systems and advanced chemistries for 70 to 85 percent recovery, thermal evaporation, crystallization and biological systems for 98 percent recovery and state-of-the-art wastewater recovery systems.
With a strong industry track record in delivering over 800 million liters of water for drinking, irrigation and municipal uses across the Middle East and North Africa, GE has been closely associated with the region’s water industry. The GE Saudi Water & Process Technology Center in Dammam and GE Water & Process Technologies Regional Center of Excellence in Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates are among key regional investments by the company in supporting the industry and meeting the growing demand for water.
GE delivers drinking water to about 1 million people in Algiers daily through the Hamma Desalination Plant, one of the largest membrane desalination facilities in Africa, and also provides advanced technologies for the world’s largest wastewater treatment plant in Sulaibiya in Kuwait. The Sulaibiya plant now is set to become the world’s largest-of-its-kind facility that uses membrane technology following an agreement with GE to drive its expansion.
To download a copy of the white paper, please go to http://www.gewater.com/about-us/insights.html.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) imagines things others don’t, builds things others can’t and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the world. www.ge.com
About GE Power & Water
GE Power & Water provides customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally. Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry including renewable resources such as wind and solar; biogas and alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the world’s most complex challenges related to water availability and quality. Power & Water’s six business units include Distributed Power, Nuclear Energy, Power Generation Products, Power Generation Services, Renewable Energy and Water & Process Technologies. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE’s largest industrial business.
Join the conversation at our GE Hewar blog: http://middleeast.geblogs.com/.
Follow GE Power & Water and GE’s water business on Twitter @GE_PowerWater and @GE_Water.
Honeywell’s Assurance 360 Program Will Provide Services and Support to Sasol Synthetic Fuels and Chemicals Plant
JOHANNESBURG, – Honeywell (NYSE: HON) Process Solutions (HPS) today announced a five year agreement to provide comprehensive services and support for the control systems of the world’s largest coal-to-liquids (CTL) plant through its new Assurance 360 Services program.
HPS will support Sasol’s synthetic fuels and chemicals complex in Secunda, South Africa, providing diagnostic system monitoring, automated incident management, technical assistance, parts management, site-based support and ongoing system upgrades for the facility.
The Secunda facility converts coal into synthetic crude oil to produce fuels and a broad range of chemicals. It is one of the largest users of Honeywell automation technologies, which are used to control and monitor operations.
“Assurance 360 is a game-changer for services support in the industrial processing industry,” said John Rudolph, vice president of Honeywell Process Solutions. “Performance metrics are defined at the beginning of the program and the results directly impact the contract. In essence, the plant’s success is our success. Assurance 360 will give Sasol peace of mind knowing that its critical control systems will not only be maintained as with traditional service agreements, but also keep them updated and supported.”
Honeywell’s Assurance 360 services are multi-year cooperative service arrangements to maintain, support and optimize the performance of Honeywell control systems regardless of the industry or size of operations. These services transform how plant assets are managed, focusing on system performance and outcomes while allowing users to focus on operations. Honeywell performance specialists help reduce unplanned events, resolve problems faster, and improve performance to help create a more efficient plant. Industrial customers, such as Sasol’s Secunda plant, are able to customize the level of service they need or want, based on their requirements.
HPS has provided process automation technology and field equipment to many of Sasol’s facilities for more than 35 years, including the initial installations at the then Sasol II and Sasol III complexes in Secunda, South Africa.
In addition to HPS technologies, Honeywell’s UOP, which licenses technology to the refining, petrochemicals, gas processing and major manufacturing industries, has supplied technology and ongoing support to Sasol Synfuels since 1980. Sasol has licensed a number of technologies, including the UOP Benfield™ process to treat syngas, and the UOP CCR Platforming™ process to produce high-octane gasoline blending components.
Assurance 360 is an innovative approach to service management that offers two levels of support to meet different user needs:
Assurance 360 Optima offers dedicated resources for preventive and corrective maintenance, replacement parts in the event of a failure, system updates, cyber security tools and servers, and pre-defined risk sharing if the site experiences either a loss of control or loss of view due to covered system failures.
Assurance 360 Performa provides oversight on all aspects of system management with a focus on meeting or exceeding performance metrics through visualization, planning and targeted support when needed. Honeywell performance experts help and guide site personnel in preventive and corrective maintenance tasks as well as hardware and software upgrades.
Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com) is a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas; refining; pulp and paper; industrial power generation; chemicals and petrochemicals; biofuels; life sciences; and metals, minerals and mining industries. Process Solutions is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes UOP, a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries.
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.
The Rockefeller Foundation, World Bank Group Innovate to Improve Cities’ Access to Funding for Low-Carbon Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, —The World Bank Group, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, will expand its program to help cities unlock capital to deliver needed infrastructure for a climate-smart urban future.
The Foundation has provided a grant of US$1 million as seed funding for a new multi-donor trust fund to improve financial management and enhance creditworthiness of developing country cities through the Bank’s “City Creditworthiness Initiative.” The grant will enable close collaboration to bring the Bank’s Initiative to five cities over three years, which will include cities selected as part of the network for 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation .
“In the face of urbanization, globalization and climate change, creating infrastructure that builds resilience in cities is more critical than ever,” said Saadia Madsbjerg, managing director at The Rockefeller Foundation. “For nearly a decade, The Rockefeller Foundation has been working with cities to strengthen access to financing options to get these projects off the ground.”
In a rapidly urbanizing world, the demand for infrastructure is vast. According to estimates, the global investment shortfall in infrastructure is at least $1 trillion per year. Cities will require better access to capital markets and large scale project finance to pursue a low-carbon growth path. Today, just 4% of the 500 largest developing country cities have globally recognized credit ratings and only 20% in local markets, limiting their access to private capital.
The Bank’s “City Creditworthiness Initiative” aims to address this challenge by helping cities improve financial management and creditworthiness through a range of activities spanning several years – from training workshops to follow-up support for action planning, technical assistance for adaptation or mitigation projects, and fund raising.
“Achieving creditworthiness is a long journey, but all cities can benefit while they pursue this path by improving fundamentals. The support provided by The Rockefeller Foundation will enable us to help more cities achieve sustainable and inclusive growth in the long term, working with a broad range of partners focused on the cities and climate change agenda,” said Marisela Montoliu Munoz, director for urban and disaster risk management, World Bank Group Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice.
Under the “City Creditworthiness Initiative,” which was developed as part of a World Bank Group program to enable cities to strengthen climate action and avoid the prospects of a 4-degree warmer world – a future that would disproportionately impact poor or vulnerable people – four creditworthiness training workshops have been conducted since October 2013 in Nairobi, Seoul, Arusha and Bogota, helping 80 cities from 23 countries. Additional workshops are planned in Kigali, Kampala, and Amman, for cities in Rwanda, Uganda and West Bank Gaza respectively.
An advisory committee comprised of representatives from The Rockefeller Foundation, 100 Resilient Cities, the World Bank, the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) Initiative, and the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility – Sub-National Technical Assistance Program is selecting the five new cities which will receive support. The scope of work for each city will be developed in collaboration with municipal and government officials. All partners, including those from selected countries, will have a chance to review the action-plans and join forces in the design and implementation of the technical assistance programs.
UNESCO Biotechnology: Effective Solutions For Sustainable Development
A micro-symposium on the role of biotechnology in the post-2015 development agenda took place at UNESCO on 13 February 2015. It was an opportunity to discuss promising biotechnology applications that can contribute to sustainable development and poverty eradication, as well as the need to develop capacity in Science, Technology and Innovation, so that these solutions can reach their full portential. UNESCO’s work in this field was presented, particularly through the Regional Centre for Biotechnology – an education, training and research Category 2 Centre established in India under the auspices of UNESCO.
Current reviews show that Science, Technology and Innovation were critical in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Several MDG targets are falling short because of a lack of STI capacity, a valuable lesson that must be applied to the post-2015 agenda. “2015 is the decisive year for Millennium Development Goals, for the new global sustainable development agande, before the United Nations Conference on Climate Change – COP21” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. “Biotechnology is at the forefront of this battle, to improve the lives of millions of women and men throughout the world – by improving agricultural yields and food security, by developing alternative fuels.”
Technology and innovation have a role to play beyond industrial growth. They contribute to job creation and ensuring a sustainable environment. UNESCO’s work shows clearly that the role of technology and innovation is positive and critical at each and every stage of development. In fact, a much greater emphasis has been put on the role of technology and scientific research in implementing the future Sustainable Development Goal’s. For instance, Goal 3 aims at ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, to be accomplished by supporting research and development of vaccines and medicines; Goal 2 will focus on ending hunger, achieving food security, in part through technology development; and Goal 9: ‘Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation’ also places STI at the centre of sustainable development.
Both Irina Bokova and Ruchira Kamboj, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO, stressed the importance of biotechnology in providing effective and sustainable solutions for eradicating extreme poverty and hunger through increased crop yields, as well as improving maternal health and combating debilitating diseases.
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© UNESCO/ Nora Houguenade. Ruchira Kamboj, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO, and Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General, speaking at the micro-symposium on the role of biotechnology.
Since its emergence, the risks and benefits of modern biotechnology have been debated. It is revolutionary in its ability to transform life itself in order to generate new products and services, with potential societal impacts equal to those that followed to the information and communication revolution. Biosafety implications, ethical aspects and the cultural context must be considered with great care. With that in mind, more efforts are needed to reinforce capacities in developing countries, so they can become players in the new bio-economy.
The Regional Centre for Biotechnology has a role to play. It “embodies the ‘soft power’ of UNESCO today… bringing together Governments and civil society…joining education, research and training, to catalyse innovation for the benefit of all,” explained the Director-General. The scope of the centre was presented in detail by its Executive Director, Dr Dinaker Salunke, who shared advances and future plans with the participants. The Government of India’s vision is to include the UNESCO centre in a bio-cluster of three, including a Translational Centre and a Health Science Technology Centre, to develop a multidisciplinary approach, foster technology transfer and enterprise creation, and to take the research further than the lab, towards tangible products and services that will address current development challenges and benefit society.
The micro-symposiumcontinued with a panel discussion among leading biotechnology experts. Prof K. VijayRaghavan, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India, outlined India’s strategy to strengthen the role biotechnology to meet challenges related to health and agriculture, emphasising that one of the most important factors for any technology to flourish is the commitment and foresight of governments and that these governments should listen carefully to their scientific community. He also referred to Joseph Needham Paradox, the first head of the UNESCO Natural Sciences Sector, who had emphasised the importance of connecting science with local utility technologies in 1946. Prof Mauro Giacca (International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology), gave an overview of his centre’s success, which has led to the creation of several international centres modelled after ICGEB. It now counts with three components in Trieste, Cape Town and New Delhi, each with longstanding training courses and workshops. Prof Jacques Elion (Paris Diderot University Medical School) shed light on how biotechnology has provided effective solutions to combat sickle cell diseases, which plague a number of countries in Africa and Asia. Prof Rath (National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi) then gave an engaging talk on the complex administrative formation of bio-clusters and how they are now the current world model to translate research into products and services for the masses. He cited the two major examples in the Indian sub-continent, the Bangalore Bio-cluster and the New Delhi bio-cluster, which will include the UNESCO centre.
The event was closed by Flavia Schlegel, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, who emphasised that the potential benefits of biotechnology can only reach those who need it most if the capacity is there. Countries must be committed to developing the necessary capacity, both human and institutional, to take advantage of this cutting-edge technology and multi-trillion dollar industry. International and regional cooperation and the exchange of data are intrinsic elements of this path to development.
Dow Seals the Deal with Functionality and Style at ICE 2015
The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) is showcasing its packaging technologies that deliver optimum performance and shelf appeal at the International Converter Exhibition (ICE) in Orlando, Florida, February 10-12, 2015.
Dow’s broad set of adhesive, heat seal coating and sealant resin technologies provide excellent sealability, abuse resistance and optics for a variety of food, medical and other packaging applications. These qualities help meet brand owner needs for durable, attractive packaging, which appeals to today’s sophisticated consumer.
“As trends continue to shift, Dow offers a competitive advantage to its customers with an expansive technology portfolio, world-class fabrication and testing facilities and global R&D and technical service expertise,” said Badrish Krishnan, Market Manager for Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics. “Our complete adhesives product offering is based on leading technologies and expertise for lamination, coating and bonding in packaging applications that range from films to tapes and labels.”
Leading Adhesives & Sealants Capabilities
Dow recently added an adhesives lab and laminator to its Pack Studios Freeport, Texas, location. The new lab and laminator give Dow customers the convenience of developing and evaluating a variety of film structures on a small scale without having to interrupt their large-scale operations. Pack Studios enhances collaboration across the value chain to help customers adopt new packaging technologies quickly to meet their unique performance requirements and sustainability goals. With locations in North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America, Pack Studios offers customers a global network of labs equipped to collaborate with the right expert for any challenge.
Adding Style to Function
In addition to showcasing its world-class adhesive and sealant portfolio, Dow will discuss the latest package coating innovations that directly address consumer demands.
“As we work to enhance the total package, we are seeing a trend in consumer demand for more natural products,” said Krishnan. “Dow developed OPULUX™ Optical Finishes to help brand owners match their natural and organic products with more natural-looking packaging.”
OPULUX Optical Finishes is a portfolio of acrylic-based matte coatings that reduce glare and deliver a distinctive and luxurious look to product packaging.
Dow to Present at ICE
In addition to exhibiting, Dow senior research scientist and extrusion coating specialist Jim Cooper will present on Specialty Polymers used for Packaging Applications. He will discuss how polymers are used as tie layers and sealants in the extrusion coating and extrusion lamination process and highlight how recent innovations have impacted the space. Cooper’s presentation will take place Tuesday, February 10 at 10:30a.m. – 11:00a.m.
For more information about Dow’s broad portfolio of adhesives technology, Pack Studios and OPULUX™ Optical Finishes, please visit www.dowpackaging.com, or follow the business on Twitter at @DowPackaging. Visit Dow at the International Converting Exhibition at Booth #947.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2014, Dow had annual sales of more than $58 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 6,000 products are manufactured at 201 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
President Obama Calls on Congress to Protect Arctic Refuge as Wilderness
Each year, as the darkness of the Arctic winter brightens into spring, as the snow melts and the hills and valleys slowly turn green, the tens of thousands of members of the Porcupine caribou herd begin their great migration — traveling some 1,500 miles through Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to their calving grounds on the Coastal Plain.
This far northern region is known as “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins” to Alaska Native communities. The Refuge sustains the most diverse array of wildlife in the entire Arctic — home not only to the Porcupine caribou, but to polar bears, gray wolves, and muskoxen. Bird species from the Coastal Plain migrate to all 50 states of the country — meaning that no matter where you live, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is part of your landscape.
But the majority of the Refuge is not protected as wilderness, including the Coastal Plain. For more than three decades, some voices have clamored to drill for oil in the Coastal Plain — a move that could irreparably damage this ecological treasure and harm the Alaska Native communities who still depend on the caribou for subsistence.
Today, the Department of the Interior released a revised Comprehensive Conservation Plan to better sustain and manage the entire Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — and President Obama took it a step further and announced his plans to ask Congress to designate the Coastal Plain and other core areas of the refuge as wilderness:
The United States today is the number-one producer of oil and natural gas in the world, and we import less oil than at any time in almost 30 years. The Obama administration believes that oil and natural gas resources can be developed safely. Unfortunately, accidents and spills can still happen, and the environmental impacts can sometimes be felt for many years.
The Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge, one of the few remaining places in the country as pristine today as it was when the oldest Alaska Native communities first set eyes on it, is too precious to put at risk. By designating the area as wilderness, Congress could preserve the Coastal Plain in perpetuity — ensuring that this wild, free, beautiful, and bountiful place remains in trust for Alaska Natives and for all Americans.
Light-based Technologies: Sustainable Solutions For The Future
Over a thousand participants came to UNESCO on 19-20 January 2015 to learn about the many ways in which light is making a difference in our daily lives and exchange ideas on the solutions light-based technologies can provide to current global challenges. The 2-day opening ceremony of the International Year of Light (IYL2015) gathered leading scientists, including 5 Nobel Prize winners, as well as decision makers, NGO representatives and industry representatives to discuss all aspects of light, from the quantum to improved street lighting or affordable glasses.
The study of light has led to applications that have shaped our current information society. Fiber-optic communications enable the internet we use today. Lasers can encode hundreds of terabytes of data to store an ever growing knowledge base. Light-based technologies are helping us explore space with telescopes equipped with sensors that collect data from the ultraviolet to the infrared range of the spectrum, and even map our Universe in its infancy by capturing the cosmic microwave background – the relic radiation from the Big Bang. Remote sensing from satellites is also helping us to better understand our planet, predict the weather, and monitor and manage pollution.
Closer to home, the great strides made in medical imagery save lives: today diagnoses are made using non-intrusive, below the skin 3D imagery, and light-based therapies can target cancer cells selectively.
Practical applications that are available today can make the most difference in remote areas and developing countries, where millions live with no access to electricity. Something as simple as a source of light after dark can help a family out of poverty: children can study longer and learn more, parents can also remain active after dark. Sub-Saharan Africa, were 65% of the population is off the grid, also has the greatest exposure to sunlight in the world. Solar lighting (lamps that recharge during the day with solar energy) has proved to be a good alternative to kerosene lamps. Not only is kerosene more expensive in the long run and less efficient, as such lamps are too dim to read by, but it is also hazardous and the fumes are toxic. On a slightly larger scale, solar panels are providing power for community refrigerators to preserve medicine, for cellphones and other appliances, thus improving living conditions in villages.
Light provides efficient, renewable alternatives that can help us mitigate climate change and meet energy demands, by both providing energy and diminishing energy consumption. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), improved, efficient lighting could cut energy consumption for lighting by 50% and CO2 emissions equivalent to that of Germany could be avoided each year. Should we fail the transition to efficient lighting, energy consumption would grow by one third.
Light has always powered us, by turning CO2 and water into sugar and oxygen through photosynthesis, thus creating the fuel and oxygen we need. Now, engineers are making progress on artificial photosynthesis to generate fuel from sunlight. New materials are being developed to harness solar energy on urban surfaces. Such innovations could change the energy game completely.
Only a century ago, we could not imagine how far light would take us: what applications could be developed by studying its properties. The 21st century will depend as much on photonics as the 20th century depended on electronics. Phototonics, the science of generating and controlling particles of light (photons) underpins technologies of daily life, from smartphones to the Internet, to medical instruments, to lighting technology. These technologies were developed through centuries of fundamental research on the properties of light – starting with Ibn Al-Haytham’s seminal work, Kitab al-Manazir (Book of Optics), published in 1015 and including Einstein’s work at the beginning of the 20th century, which changed the way we think about time and light.
Today the search continues, and new facilities are being built to expand our knowledge, such as the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME). Modelled institutionally on CERN – with different scientific goals – and set up under the auspices of UNESCO, SESAME is an intergovernmental facility built in Jordan. When it starts operations in 2016, SESAME will provide a vast scientific potential for scientists from the Middle East and neighbouring countries, enabling them to determine the structure of complex biologically active molecules and viruses in order to improve medical remedies; to get insight into the interior and the three-dimensional micro-structure of objects such as materials of primary importance for high technologies, cultural heritage and archaeology; or to investigate magnetisation processes, which are highly relevant for magnetic data storage, to cite just a few examples. Those we can imagine today.
About the Year
The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL2015) has been the initiative of a consortium of scientific bodies together with UNESCO’s International Basic Sciences Programme. The Consortium brings together many different stakeholders including scientific societies and unions, educational institutions, technology platforms, non-profit organizations and partners form the private sector. The main objective of the Year, which is led by UNESCO, is to raise global awareness of how light-based technologies can provide solutions to the global challenges of sustainable development.
First USDA Forecast Shows Normal Water Supply Forecast for Much of the West Southwest, Sierras Remain Dry
WASHINGTON, – A normal water supply is predicted for much of the West, while the Southwest, Sierra Nevada region and Pacific Northwest are beginning the year drier than normal, according to data from the first 2015 forecast by USDA’s National Water and Climate Center (NWCC). California, Arizona and New Mexico as well as parts of Colorado, Utah and Nevada are experiencing prolonged drought, focusing attention again on the winter snowfall.
“Right now, snowpack and streamflow forecasts look pretty close to normal for much of the West,” NWCC hydrologist Cara McCarthy said. “A couple of major regional exceptions are the Southwest and California, which are unusually dry, once again.”
In Western states where snowmelt accounts for the majority of seasonal water supply, information about snowpack serves as an indicator of future water availability. Streamflow in the West consists largely of accumulated mountain snow that melts and flows into streams as temperatures warm in spring and summer. NWCC scientists analyze the snowpack, air temperature, soil moisture and other measurements taken from remote sites to develop the water supply forecasts.
Overall, the basins of the Missouri, Colorado and Columbia rivers are expected to receive near normal streamflows.
In the Pacific Northwest, although rainfall during the fall months has been above average, the current snowpack is far below normal because of higher than normal temperatures.
“This is just the first forecast of the season; everything can change,” McCarthy said. “A weak El Niño is forecast for this year, which might play a part in coming months.”
Although variable, El Niño conditions tend to deliver more than normal winter precipitation to the Southwest and less to the Pacific Northwest.
The NWCC, part of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, monitors conditions year-round and will continue to issue monthly forecasts until June. The water supply forecast is part of several USDA efforts to improve public awareness and mitigate the impacts of climate change, including drought and other extreme weather events. Through the creation of the National Drought Resilience Partnership, launched as part of the President’s Climate Action Plan, federal agencies are working closely with states, tribes and local governments to develop a coordinated response to drought.
Since 1939, USDA has conducted snow surveys and issued regular water supply forecasts. Other resources on drought include the U.S. Drought MonitorThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.. For information on USDA’s drought efforts, visit USDA Disaster and Drought Information. And to learn more about how NRCS is helping private landowners deal with drought, visit the NRCS’ drought resources.
New Actions to Reduce Methane Emissions Will Curb Climate Change, Cut Down on Wasted Energy
The United States is now the largest oil and natural gas producer in the world, and developing these cleaner-burning fuel sources to light and heat American homes and businesses is crucial to the President’s energy strategy. But while these important energy sources produce less carbon pollution overall, methane leaks throughout the oil and gas system are fueling climate change — and wasting valuable fuel that should be captured and used.
Methane — the primary component of natural gas and the third-largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions — is a potent climate pollutant, trapping 25 times as much heat as carbon pollution over the course of a century. The good news is emissions from the oil and gas sector are down 16 percent since 1990. However, without additional action, emissions from this sector are projected to rise more than 25 percent by 2025.
That’s why, today, the Obama administration is announcing an ambitious new goal to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40-45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. Achieving this goal would save up to 180 billion cubic feet of wasted natural gas in 2025 — enough to heat more than 2 million homes for an entire year.
To achieve this goal, we’re announcing a range of actions to tackle methane emissions throughout the oil and gas system. The Environmental Protection Agency will work with industry, states, tribes, and other stakeholders to propose common-sense standards this summer to reduce methane emissions from new and modified oil and gas wells. The Department of Energy will continue to drive technological advancement through new energy efficiency standards for natural gas and air compressors and a proposed $25 million in funding to develop and demonstrate technologies to identify and reduce natural gas leaks. The Department of the Interior will ensure that the federal government is leading by example by updating outdated standards to reduce wasteful venting and flaring of natural gas from wells on public lands.
Oil and gas companies can also choose to become power players in reducing harmful, wasteful methane emissions from existing sources. Voluntary efforts to reduce emissions by the oil and gas industry could realize significant reductions in a quick, flexible, cost-effective way. The Obama administration stands ready to work with companies, individually and through broader initiatives such as the One Future Initiative and the Downstream Initiative, to develop and verify robust commitments to reduce methane emissions throughout the oil and gas system.
Farmers across the country have already realized the economic and energy benefits of voluntarily programs to reduce methane emissions. Just last summer, the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Energy released a Biogas Opportunities Roadmap highlighting voluntary actions taken in partnership with the dairy industry — using biodigesters to capture and use methane emissions from agricultural waste.
Today’s actions on methane emissions are an important step to take on climate change, putting us on track to achieve President Obama’s goal of cutting net greenhouse gas emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. The impacts of climate change are already being felt in every sector of the economy — and for every decade of delay in reducing greenhouse gas pollution, the costs of climate change are projected to increase by 40 percent. Taking on this global challenge will take an all-hands-on-deck effort from government, industry, and communities across the country — and we’re committed to continuing America’s historic progress and leadership in tackling climate change.
You should also see:
President Obama’s plan to fight climate change
The U.S.-China joint announcement on our actions to reduce carbon pollution
The President’s remarks at the 2014 U.N. Climate Summit
President Obama’s science advisor answers your questions about climate change
Secretary Moniz Announces $125 Million OPEN Solicitation for Transformational Energy Projects
WASHINGTON – U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced today at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars that the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) is issuing its third open funding opportunity announcement, OPEN 2015, for up to $125 million. OPEN 2015 will support energy research and development projects from America’s top innovators for disruptive new technologies in transportation and stationary applications.
“OPEN 2015 highlights ARPA-E’s commitment to transformational energy innovations,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “We are excited to announce this open solicitation to support the development of a broad range of disruptive technologies, advancing our all-of-the-above energy strategy to ensure a secure, affordable and sustainable American energy future.”
ARPA-E has issued previous OPEN solicitations in 2009 and 2012. Open solicitations ensure that ARPA-E can support transformational projects outside the scope of existing ARPA-E focused programs. The projects selected under OPEN 2015 will pursue novel approaches to energy innovation across the full spectrum of energy applications.
For more information on OPEN 2015, please visit: http://bit.ly/OPEN2015
ABOUT ARPA-E
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) catalyzes the advancement of transformational energy technologies to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States by investing in high-potential, high-impact energy projects that are too early for the private sector. Launched in 2009, ARPA-E explores uncharted territories of energy technology to generate options for entirely new paths to create, store and use energy. Learn more at www.arpa-e.energy.gov. ARPA-E will host its sixth annual Energy Innovation Summit, Feb. 9 – 11, 2015 in National Harbor, Md. To learn more and register, visit www.arpae-summit.com.
USTDA Helps Improve Efficiency at New Water Treatment Plant in Brazil – Project Will Include U.S. Technologies in Design Plans
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a grant to help the Companhia Estadual de Águas e Esgotos (CEDAE), the primary water supplier and wastewater collection and treatment company in Rio de Janeiro, design and develop the New Guandu water treatment plant (WTP). The grant represents the Agency’s commitment to supporting U.S. industry participation in Brazil’s dynamic water and wastewater sector.
“The United States is pleased to support this project, which will highlight the benefits of U.S. water treatment technologies while helping CEDAE improve access to clean water for the people of Rio de Janeiro,” stated John S. Creamer, Consul General of the United States in Rio de Janeiro. The grant was signed by Consul General Creamer and by Wagner Granja Victer, President Director of CEDAE.
CEDAE estimates that the New Guandu WTP and accompanying system expansions are the largest undertaking in Brazil’s water supply sector in the last 20 years. CEDAE will construct a new 548 million gallon per day facility that will expand the existing system’s capacity by 30 percent, improving service to about nine million people in 12 cities across the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. New Guandu will complement the operations of the existing Guandu WTP, which is considered to be the world’s largest continuously operating water treatment plant.
Through the grant, CEDAE will select a U.S. contractor to conduct a value engineering review of the preliminary design for the new facility. The U.S. contractor will assess the existing design report and suggest advanced U.S. technologies that can improve the efficiency of the new plant’s operations, such as ozone, mixed oxidants, ultraviolet disinfection, membrane filtration, energy recovery processes, and energy efficiency equipment like integrated variable frequency drives.
The opportunity to conduct the USTDA-funded technical assistance with CEDAE will be competed through Federal Business Opportunities (FBO). A link to the FBO announcement will be posted to USTDA’s website at www.ustda.gov. Interested U.S. firms should submit proposals according to the instructions in the FBO announcement.
– See more at: http://www.ustda.gov/news/pressreleases/2014/LAC/Brazil/RioDeJaneiroCEDAEGrant_121914.asp#sthash.aJjQHiUZ.dpuf
Archer Daniels Midland Company Completes Sale of South American Fertilizer Business
CHICAGO, – Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) today announced that it has completed the sale of its South American fertilizer business to The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS).
“The completion of this sale is an important part of our ongoing portfolio management,” said ADM Chairman and CEO Patricia A. Woertz. “By selling our blending assets in Brazil and Paraguay, we are improving our returns and creating shareholder value. At the same time, we look forward to continuing to partner with growers in that important region through our grain origination and fertilizer distribution network.”
The transaction consists primarily of five ADM-owned blending facilities in Brazil and Paraguay. The Mosaic Company paid US$350 million for the assets; that purchase price included $150 million in working capital. As part of the transaction, ADM will purchase fertilizer from Mosaic and will continue to supply certain fertilizer customers in Brazil and Paraguay.
About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve the vital needs of a growing world. Today, we’re one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with more than 33,000 employees serving customers in more than 140 countries. With a global value chain that includes more than 470 crop procurement locations, 285 ingredient manufacturing facilities, 40 innovation centers and the world’s premier crop transportation network, we connect the harvest to the home, making products for food, animal feed, chemical and energy uses. Learn more at www.adm.com.
Virginia’s Innovative Market-based Approach to Improving Water Quality in Chesapeake Bay
WASHINGTON, – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy today joined U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Tom Vilsack, Mike Boots of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Commonwealth of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a private investor and an Appomattox, VA farmer to recognize an innovative, market-based nutrient trading program run by Virginia to improve the water quality of Chesapeake Bay.
At the McConnell Safety Transportation Operation Center, in Fairfax, Va., EPA, USDA, and CEQ highlighted the cost-effective program that has saved the Commonwealth more than $1 million, demonstrating an innovative means of meeting Clean Water Act stormwater requirements and Virginia state water quality goals for the Bay. The program encourages economic investment while reducing phosphorus pollution to local waterways in order to meet water quality goals for the Chesapeake Bay. It is expected similar programs will be established around the nation to provide new revenue sources for agricultural producers while reducing soil erosion and runoff.
“Virginia’s nutrient trading program is a strong example of how to create economic opportunity and new income for rural America while protecting and improving local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “The program is a win for the environment and our economy and we encourage states to look at Virginia as a model and a resource as they adopt similar programs.”
“USDA applauds the Commonwealth of Virginia for showing tremendous leadership on this issue,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Efforts like these provide new and additional income streams for farmers and ranchers, while improving water quality and saving Virginia money. I am hopeful this initiative can be replicated across the nation.”
“The Chesapeake Bay faces numerous challenges, and the Commonwealth of Virginia is responding with innovative thinking and collaboration across sectors,” said Mike Boots, who leads the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “Not only do creative approaches like these provide new markets for private investors and generate new revenue for farmers, they also bolster the strength of our natural resources, improving their resilience to threats posed by a changing climate and other stressors.”
“I am glad the federal government has chosen to recognize this innovative, pro-business program,” said Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. “Our nutrient credit trading system is building the New Virginia Economy by protecting our environment and controlling costs for the private sector and the Virginia taxpayer.”
Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality has created a demand and supply market for land conservation projects that are protective of water quality for future generations. The agency’s stormwater program requires reductions of phosphorus runoff from certain types of road construction projects that can be achieved by purchasing phosphorus credits from state-certified credit banks. Credits purchased are generated by Virginia farmers in the Potomac and James River watersheds, whose farming practices have permanently reduced the amount of phosphorus flowing into those rivers and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay. The farm practices are certified by the state as “nutrient credit banks” and come solely from private investors, reducing reliance on public funds and generating a new revenue stream for participating farmers. These credits cost VDOT approximately 50 percent less than other, more traditional engineered pollution reduction practices,
such as detention ponds, and underground filters. In addition, these banks advance other goals such as wildlife habitat, stream buffers and land preservation.
USDA video of the Virginia program was highlighted in today’s event: http://youtu.be/ucBFVeq-vdsThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.
By advancing the goals of improving the health and regional economy of the Chesapeake Bay as laid out in President Obama’s 2009 Executive Order, nutrient trading is giving farmers additional income opportunities that help keep agricultural lands in production and stretch limited budgets by tapping private sector investments.
EPA and USDA are working together to implement and coordinate policies and programs that encourage water quality trading and will release a web-based water quality trading roadmap tool in early 2015. As part of a joint memorandum of understanding to support trading and environmental markets, the two agencies are centralizing information for buyers and sellers to utilize water quality trading. This resource library will be searchable and help users find information specific to their needs. Both agencies will sponsor a national conference in 2015 for stakeholders to share experiences and move forward with trading as a valuable tool for driving environmental improvement.
Creating a Circular Economy: 2014 Report Chronicles Journey to Zero Waste – Updates on Recycling and Technologies
HOUSTON– Waste Management (NYSE: WM) today released its 2014 Sustainability Report, titled “Creating a Circular Economy,” which documents the company’s progress on recycling, energy production, transforming waste into valuable resources and helping businesses move toward zero waste.
“As our customers have become more focused on waste reduction, so have we,” said David Steiner, Waste Management president and CEO. “By finding new ways of extracting value from the materials we manage, we’re making advancements toward our long-term business strategy, and helping others do the same.”
“We believe we can reuse materials in a ‘circular economy’ that operates as a true closed-loop system, where little is wasted. There’s a lot of work ahead to make this vision a reality, but we’re committed for the long run because we see the potential to radically transform the way we all define — and interact with — waste,” continued Steiner.
In its latest Sustainability Report, Waste Management announced progress on:
Reducing waste. By working with a variety of businesses and organizations, Waste Management helped create customized solutions that lower waste production, increase reuse and improve the recyclability of products.
Growing recycling. The company extracted more than 15 million tons of materials from the waste stream in 2013. During this time, it also launched the Recycle Often. Recycle Right SM campaign to educate consumers on the simple actions they can take to grow and improve recycling.
Extracting value from organics. Organic materials comprise about 28 percent of the U.S. waste stream. This represents an opportunity to invest in processing facilities that create compost, as well as new technologies that produce biogas for fuel and electricity.
Lowering emissions. By the end of 2014, Waste Management will operate over 70 natural gas fueling stations to power its growing fleet of alternative fuel trucks, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The company currently operates more than 3,500 of these vehicles, the largest fleet of its kind in North America.
Harnessing energy at the landfill. When materials are disposed there’s still an opportunity to produce electricity using naturally occurring landfill gas. Waste Management currently uses this technology to provide enough energy for 472,000 homes annually.
Also included in the report are a number of statistics on the company’s environmental performance, from fleet emissions to wildlife habitat protection to the variety of materials managed each year.
Waste Management’s complete Sustainability Report can be viewed at wm.com/sustainability.
ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are the largest residential recycler and also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill-gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com.
– See more at: http://investors.wm.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=119743&p=irol-recentnewsArticle&ID=1999130#sthash.hm38ly5J.dpuf
Dow Announces Affiliation with the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap
MIDLAND, Mich. – Washing hands with soap is a proven way to help prevent the spread of life-threatening diseases, especially among children. In fact, nearly two million children under the age of five die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. Dow has joined forces with the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap (PPPHW) to promote this simple, healthy practice on an international scale.
Collaboration is a cornerstone of Dow’s citizenship approach. With a long history of experience in teaming with major personal care and home care companies, scientists from Dow’s Home, Institutional and Personal Care Solutions business are constantly working to develop innovative products that will help improve personal health and safety.
Dow previously worked with the PPPHW during Global Handwashing Day, a successful effort in raising awareness of the importance of handwashing with soap and water. The campaign was initiated by the PPPHW to reduce childhood mortality rates related to respiratory and diarrheal diseases and recognized DOW POLYOX™ Water-Soluble Polymers, technology that helps make soaps more affordable, last longer and feel better on the skin.
“We believe in the power of the human element to change the world. Dow places a high value on listening to our communities and we strive not just to be a good neighbor, but an excellent global corporate citizen,” said Ralf Brinkmann, business president, Dow Consumer Care. “This initiative has the power to change and save lives, and we are proud to contribute to building better, stronger, and more sustainable communities in the places where we do business.”
The Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap joins a number of leading non-profit organizations, peer companies and thought leaders that Dow has collaborated with to create a holistic approach that meets societal needs on many levels. These include the UN Global Compact, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Nature Conservancy, Acumen, and Keep America Beautiful.
PPPHW is a coalition of international stakeholders whose focus is handwashing and child health. Established in 2001, the partnership aims to give families, schools, and communities in developing countries the power to prevent diarrheal and respiratory infections by supporting the universal promotion and practice of proper handwashing with soap at critical times.
For more information, visit www.cleanhands.dow.com.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2013, Dow had annual sales of more than $57 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 6,000 products are manufactured at 201 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
Huntsman Initiates Significant Action to Build a Global Market Leading Pigments and Additives Business
THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) announced today that it is taking significant action to improve the global competitiveness of its pigments and additives business. As part of a comprehensive restructuring program, Huntsman plans to reduce its workforce by approximately 900 positions. Annual cost savings are expected to be approximately $130 million and will be achieved by the middle of 2016.
Separately, Huntsman is evaluating titanium dioxide (TiO2) capacity reduction options within its pigments and additives business.
Peter R. Huntsman, President and CEO of Huntsman Corporation, commented:
“We are in the process of creating a global market leading pigments and additives business with superior technology and cost competitive manufacturing. With the inclusion of the recently acquired Rockwood pigments and additives businesses we have the broadest product offering of specialized pigments in the industry. This restructuring will improve the competitiveness of our global pigments and additives business and allow us to compete more aggressively.
This is not the first time we’ve made significant efforts to restructure. Recently, we successfully completed major restructuring in our Advanced Materials and Textile Effects divisions, the annual benefits of which were approximately $150 million. We will leverage the learning and know-how from these efforts to deliver approximately $130 million of cost savings in our Pigments and Additives division. We will carry out these efforts in-line with local procedures and by working with relevant associate representative groups.
We are also taking steps that will lead to a successful future initial public offering of our Pigments and Additives division.”
About Huntsman:
Huntsman Cor poration is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals with 2013 revenues of approximately $13 billion including the acquisition of Rockwood’s performance additives and TiO2 businesses. Our chemical products number in the thousands and are sold worldwide to manufacturers serving a broad and diverse range of consumer and industrial end markets. We operate more than 100 manufacturing and R&D facilities in more than 30 countries and employ approximately 15,000 associates within our 5 distinct business divisions. For more information about Huntsman, please visit the company’s website at www.huntsman.com.
Dow Further Advances Portfolio Management Drive, Announces Divestments
MIDLAND, Mich. – December 05, 2014 -The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announced today that it has signed definitive agreements to sell its global Sodium Borohydride business to Vertellus Specialty Materials LLC (Vertellus) and its polyolefin films plant in Findlay, Ohio to Valfilm North America, Inc. (Valfilm), a wholly-owned subsidiary of VALGROUP Packaging Solutions. Both transactions are expected to close in the first quarter of 2015 pending regulatory approvals. Combined proceeds from the transactions total approximately $225 million.
Dow had previously announced its intent to divest its Sodium Borohydride business on Oct. 2, 2014, as part of the Company’s ongoing focus to maximize value across its integrated portfolio by reducing exposure to non-strategic businesses and assets. Both transactions are part of Dow’s ongoing drive to deliver $7 billion to 8.5 billion in gross proceeds by mid-2016.
“We continue to demonstrate our market-driven focus by selectively shifting our portfolio away from businesses that – while valuable – are no longer a strategic fit,” said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chairman and chief executive officer. “By narrowing our market participation and preferentially funding those businesses in which we have strong competitive positions in attractive markets, we continue to increase value that can be redirected for more strategic uses, such as funding targeted growth, reducing debt and rewarding shareholders.”
The divestiture of Sodium Borohydride includes a manufacturing facility located in Elma, Washington, the associated business, inventory, customer contracts and lists, process technology, business know-how and certain intellectual property. Approximately 75 employees globally are expected to transition employment status to Vertellus as part of the transaction. Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Vertellus will honor customer and supplier contracts and related agreements.
The sale of the Findlay plant includes assets and technology that produce a wide-variety of polyolefin films. In September 2014, Dow decided to close the facility at the end of January 2015, impacting approximately 70 employees. Valfilm intends to restart the facility in February 2015. The transaction is dependent on the final approval for all incentives by the State of Ohio.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2013, Dow had annual sales of more than $57 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 6,000 products are manufactured at 201 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
Boeing Completes First Milestone for NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Systems
NASA has approved the completion of Boeing’s first milestone in the company’s path toward launching crews to the International Space Station from the United States under a groundbreaking Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract.
The Certification Baseline Review is the first of many more milestones, including flight tests from Florida’s Space Coast that will establish the basis for certifying Boeing’s human space transportation system to carry NASA astronauts to the space station. The review established a baseline design of the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft, United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, and associated ground and mission operations systems.
“The work done now is crucial to each of the future steps in the path to certification, including a flight test to the International Space Station,” said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “This first milestone establishes an expected operating rhythm for NASA and Boeing to meet our certification goal.”
On Sept. 16, the agency unveiled its selection of Boeing and SpaceX to transport U.S. crews to and from the space station using their CST-100 and Crew Dragon spacecraft, respectively. These contracts will provide U.S. missions to the station, ending the nation’s sole reliance on Russia and allowing the station’s current crew of six to grow, enabling more research aboard the unique microgravity laboratory.
The CCtCap contracts are designed for the companies to complete NASA certification of their human space transportation systems, including a crewed flight test with at least one NASA astronaut aboard to verify the fully integrated rocket and spacecraft system can launch from the United States, maneuver in orbit, and dock to the space station, as well as validate all its systems perform as expected. Once the test program has been completed successfully and the systems achieve NASA certification, the contractors will conduct at least two, and as many as six, crewed missions to the space station. The spacecraft also will serve as a lifeboat for astronauts aboard the station.
During the review, Boeing provided NASA with a roadmap toward certification, including its baseline design, concept of operations and management and insight plans. The Boeing team also detailed how the CST-100 would connect with the station and how it plans to train NASA astronauts to fly the CST-100 in orbit.
“It’s important for us to set a robust plan for achieving certification upfront,” said Boeing Commercial Crew Program Manager John Mulholland. “It’s crucial for us to achieve our 2017 goal, and the plan we’ve put in place will get us there.”
By expanding the crew size and enabling private companies to handle launches to low-Earth orbit — a region NASA has been visiting since 1962 — the nation’s space agency can focus on getting the most research and experience out of America’s investment in the International Space Station. NASA also can expand its focus to develop the Space Launch System and Orion capsule for missions in the proving ground of deep space beyond the moon to advance the skills and techniques that will enable humans to explore Mars.
For more information about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
