Tag Archives: epa

Absolute Fuels Guilty in $42 Million Bio-Diesel Credit Scam

A bio-diesel fuel company owner was sentenced to 188 months in prison for crimes connected to an illegal fuels scheme and also fined $175,000 and ordered to pay nearly $55 million in restitution. In what appears to be a badly run government program of renewable fuel tax credits, Jeffrey Gunselman, 30, the owner of Absolute Fuels was able to defraud the Environmental Protection Agency for more than a year by falsely representing that he was in the business of producing bio-diesel fuel. Continue reading

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EPA Proposes Stricter Emissions Standards, Lower Sulfur Fuel. Big Battle between Oil and Auto Industries Coming over Tier 3

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed new standards for vehicles and fuels that are the strictest in the history of the agency. EPA said the regulations would reduce both tailpipe and evaporative emissions from passenger cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty passenger vehicles, and some heavy-duty vehicles. Continue reading

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EPA Reports Significant Gains in Fuel Economy During 2012

In its annual report that tracks the fuel economy of vehicles sold in the United States, EPA today said that between 2007 and 2012 fuel economy increased by 16% while carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have decreased by 13%. In 2012, EPA said the one-year increase of 1.4 miles per gallon for cars and trucks was “significant.” Continue reading

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EPA Announces Membership of Great Lakes Advisory Board

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced on behalf of 16 federal agencies the membership of the first advisory board to support implementation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative covering the largest surface freshwater system on Earth. Continue reading

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Clean Green Fuel Owner Guilty in $9 Million in Bio-Diesel Scam

A U.S. District Judge today sentenced Rodney R. Hailey, of Perry Hall, Maryland to nearly 12 years and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for selling $9 million in renewable fuel credits that he falsely claimed were produced by his company, Clean Green Fuel, LLC. Hailey, age 34, was convicted in June of 2012 on eight counts of wire fraud, 32 counts of money laundering, and two counts of violating the Clean Air Act. He has been detained since the guilty verdict.

Hailey made more than $9.1 million from selling the false credits, and used the proceeds of the scheme to purchase luxury vehicles, including BMWs, a Mercedes Benz, a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati and others, as well as real estate and more than $80,000 in diamond jewelry. In all of these transactions, Hailey generally used cash or checks drawn on accounts he controlled to make the purchase, including a check for $645,330.15 to buy his home in Maryland. Continue reading

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EPA Banning D-Con Mouse and Rat Poisons Because of Children

About 10,000 children a year are accidentally exposed to mouse and rat baits, and EPA has worked with companies to ensure that products are both safe to use around children and effective for consumers, EPA said in a statement. Reckitt Benckiser, the British maker of D-Con brand products, is the only producer of poisons that has refused to adopt EPA’s safety standards for all of its consumer use products. Continue reading

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EPA Report Shows Air Pollution Continues to Decline in the U.S.

Toxic air pollution in the U.S. dropped 8% in 2011 from a year earlier because of decreases in hazardous air pollutant emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency,. However EPA said that total releases of toxic chemicals increased for the second year in a row. The Agency, which is under constant attacks from Republican party members some of whom want to abolish it, publishes an annual Toxics Release Inventory or TRI report. Continue reading

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EPA Hydraulic Fracking Study Now Due in Late 2014

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA said in a “progress report” that the outlines for a study on hydraulic fracking, aka fracturing, are now complete. EPA emphasized though that it has not drawn conclusions about the potential impacts of controversial hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, which will be made in the final study. Continue reading

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EPA Releases Annual Enforcement Results

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA today issued its annual enforcement results, which the Agency said showed significant environmental and public health protections achieved during 2012. EPA said that there was a reduction of 2.2 billion pounds of air, water and land pollution, and 4.4 billion pounds of hazardous waste, as well as $252 million in civil and criminal penalties levied. Continue reading

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EPA to Review Consumer Reports Data Claiming Ford C-Max and Fusion MPG Claims are Bogus in Real World Driving

The U.S. Environmental Protection agency will review Consumer Reports data claiming that Ford’s 47 mpg hybrid mileage claims were not realistic during real world – as opposed to computerized dynamometer – driving conditions. Continue reading

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EPA Releases 2013 Vehicle Model Fuel Economy Guide

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has just released the 2013 Fuel Economy Guide, which covers efficient and low-emission vehicles in a variety of sizes. Continue reading

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Food Fight over Ethanol as Special Interest Groups Trade Charges

Two special interest groups are sparing in public over the cost implications of a long-standing federal energy policy that mandates the use of ethanol and ever increasing amounts of bio-fuels in an attempt to free the United States from importing oil sold by terrorist supporting nations. In 2012 about 9% of all transportation fuel used will be from so-called renewable sources. Continue reading

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BP Barred from Federal Contracts as Oil Spill Costs Mount

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has “temporarily suspended” BP Exploration and Production, BP PLC and affiliated companies from new contracts with the federal government. In a statement EPA said, “BP’s lack of business integrity as demonstrated … Continue reading

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Louisiana Generating to Pay $14 Million for Clean Air Act Violations

Louisiana Generating has agreed to a settlement under the Clean Air Act at its Big Cajun II coal-fired power plant in New Roads, which will result in the elimination of more than 27,300 tons of harmful emissions per year Continue reading

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Chinese Motorcycles, RVs and Engines Violate Clean Air Act

Senior executives at two vehicle and engine importers in California will pay a $50,000 penalty because the products sold were in violation of Clean Air Act regulations. The defendants, Yuan Cheng International Group, Inc. (YCIG) and NST, Inc. (NST), located in Montclair, California, allegedly imported and sold vehicles and engines from China that had excessive levels of emissions. Continue reading

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