EnviroPolitics Free, 30-day Trial Subscription  
A daily compendium of environmental and political news and information              

EnviroBusiness News…. July-June, 2007

Hill International gets $6M Middle East contract Hill International, a construction consulting firm,
said it was selected to provide project management services on a mixed-use project in Qatar. The 30-month contract is valued at $5.9 million, the Marlton, N.J., company said. The project in Doha, Qatar, entails a 1.6-
million-square-foot complex that will have two mid-rise towers with commercial, retail, residential and hotel
space. Hill has consulted on projects throughout the Middle East. Philadelphia Business Journal 7/11/07

Fox Rothschild again expands NJ presence In its effort to become larger, Fox Rothschild has looked
to the smallest of firms. In the past year, the firm has acquired several boutiques ranging in size from two to
more than 50 attorneys. That strategy has continued with the addition last week of Roseland, N.J.-based
Goldman & Kramer LAW.com 7/10/07

Experts wonder: Is Pittsburgh missing out on green building? A longtime local green builder, Chris
Klehm can view Pittsburgh's progress as a green city based on how and where he's building his business.
These days, his business is in consulting, and in Las Vegas. Pittsburgh Business Times 7/9/07      

Persistent NY landowner wins quest to build lake-front development It took 13 years, but Sheldon
Gold, a New York City landlord, received permission to build 18 luxury homes on the shores of Burden Lake
in Rensselaer County. "It's been a drain on me but it's something I wanted to do," said the 81-year-old Gold. 
Located on the east side of the largest of three lakes that are collectively known as Burden Lake in the town
of Nassau, the pristine woodlands will be divided into 18, five-acre lots, 14 of which will have lake frontage.  Altogether, Gold owns about 118 acres sandwiched between the lake and the Burden Lake Country Club,
an 18-hole golf course off Totem Lodge Road. Gold believes it's the largest piece of undeveloped lake-front
 property between New York City and Lake George The (Albany) Business Review 7/9/07 

Investors foresee bright future in alternative energy Most U.S. investors see putting money into
alternative energy companies as both potentially lucrative and a way to support the environment. But while
many might see opportunity, few are taking it Associated Press 7/9/07 

PPL to host canoeists during Susquehanna sojourn PPL’s Holtwood Environmental Preserve will welcome nearly 100 canoeists as they make their way down the Susquehanna River during the 17th annual Susquehanna Sojourn. Sponsored by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the seven-day canoe trip will take place from July
16-July 22. This year, the Susquehanna Sojourn will be canoeing the section of the Susquehanna from Safe
Harbor Dam in Lancaster County, Pa., to the Chesapeake Bay PPL news release 7/9/07

For job market, green means growth The greening of industry is creating a constellation of new careers, and they're not your everyday forestry professions Forbes 7/8/07

Aqua America subsidiary makes Texas acquisition Bryn Mawr, PA-based Aqua America Inc. said Tuesday that its Aqua Texas Inc. subsidiary has bought the water systems of Harper Water Co. for $1.5M.
The systems serve seven residential communities housing more than 2,000 people in Kerr and Gillespie counties and are located close to Aqua Texas' existing operations near Kerrville and Fredericksburg.
Philadelphia Business Journal 7/3/07

Rohm and Haas announces 2Q charges Rohm and Haas Co. said Monday it will take a combined $39M  charge during the second quarter.  The Philadelphia chemical maker said it will take a $28M pre-tax charge caused by higher maintenance and freight costs as well as loss of production among other issues at its Deer Park, Texas, facility. In addition, it will take an $11M pre-tax charge for a write-off associated with its investment in Elemica, an online chemicals e-marketplace site. The charges will have a roughly $28M, or 13 cents a share, impact on earnings for the quarter. Philadelphia Business Journal  7/2/07 

Penn Virginia company buys coal reserves in Illinois, Kentucky Penn Virginia Resource Partners LP said Monday it has acquired 60 million tons of coal reserves for $51.9M in two transactions. The Radnor, Pa., partnership acquired the fee or lease rights to 51 million tons of coal reserves, a preparation plant and coal-handling facilities in western Kentucky from a private seller for $42M in cash. The reserves are located on 17,000 acres on the Green River in Webster and Hopkins counties and are yielding 3.1 million tons of coal
per year. PVR expects cash flow from the coal royalty payments and charges associated with coal-handling assets, prior to financing costs, to be $4.8M over the next 12 months. Philadelphia Business Journal 7/2/07

NY natural gas production highest ever Natural gas production from wells in New York state last year reached record levels, the state Department of Environmental Conservation reported Monday. Total reported
gas production was 55.157 billion cubic feet, just above last year's record total of 55.156 bcf. The DEC said
that figure represents a better than 50 percent increase since 2003 and 200 percent increase since 1996.
The 2006 production, which was enough to supply the natural gas needs of nearly 800,000 homes for a year, was driven by prolific wells in the Trenton Black River formation in the Finger Lakes region. Also, oil production in the state increased 51 percent from the previous year for a total of 319,099 barrels reported by purchasers, responding to high oil prices. (Albany) Business Review 7/2/07 

Nomination for New York's Public Service Commission post withdrawn State Sen. Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno has confirmed that the governor's nomination of Angela Sparks-Beddoe to be a commissioner on the Public Service Commission has been withdrawn. Calling the appointment "controversial from the start," Bruno said the Senate did not consider the nomination while he waited for an inspector general's investigation "into serious allegations of improper activities and inappropriate pressure brought by the governor's staff." Sparks-Beddoe, 42, would have earned $129,000 a year on the Public Service Commission. She is president
of Energy East Management Corp. in Saratoga Springs, an arm of the organization that owns New York State Electric and Gas. Gov. Eliot Spitzer's Jan. 24 nomination of Sparks-Beddoe was considered controversial by some, including Gordon Boyd of Saratoga Springs consulting firm Energy Next. Boyd said this spring that Sparks-Beddoe's previous actions while she was a lobbyist for NYSEG were considered adversarial toward
the PSC. Spitzer's office was not immediately available for comment. (Albany) Business Review 7/2/07

Pietragallo law firm opens Philadelphia office Pietragallo Bosick & Gordon LLP, Pittsburgh's eighth-largest law firm, has opened a Philadelphia office. The firm added two veteran lawyers in that city as partners. They are Joseph Mancano, previously a shareholder in Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's Philadelphia office, and Joseph Vaughan, who had operated the Vaughan Law Offices LLP in West Chester, Pa.
Pittsburgh Business Times 7/2/07

USGBC to boost LEED energy performance standards As part of the U.S. Green Building Council's
Climate Change Agenda, the group's membership have overwhelmingly voted to approve a 14 percent increase
the requirements for energy performance within the LEED standards. The change will require all LEED certified
projects to achieve at least two "Optimize Energy Performance" points, which will improve the energy
performance of all LEED certified green buildings by 14 percent for new construction and 7 percent for existing
buildings GreenerBuildings   6/28/07 

Cozen O'Connor establishes board of directors Philadelphia law firm Cozen O'Connor says it has appointed members to its first-ever board of directors. The initial board will consist of the firm's management committee and an additional nine geographically dispersed firm partners. For this year, these nine board members were appointed by founders Stephen A. Cozen and Patrick J. O'Connor and advisory committee member John J. Cunningham. Beginning next year, board members will be elected by shareholders of the
firm on a staggered term basis. Philadelphia Business Journal 6/25/07

Philadelphia chemical firm closing Baltimore plant FMC Corp. has decided to close its Baltimore agricultural plant by next March and take a $125M to $135M charge over the next five quarters as part of discontinuing those operations. The Philadelphia chemical company (NYSE:FMC) said it would outsource
the plant's operations to several of its manufacturing partners. FMC said the move, part of a plan to utilize
"lower-cost manufacturing locations," will boost income from continuing operations by $5M to $6M this
year and by $25M to $30M a year starting in 2009 Philadelphia Business Journal 6/21/07 

Public Service Enterprise Group's board names Richard J. Swift as Presiding Director
The board of directors of Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) has named Richard J. Swift as its
presiding director. Swift has been an external member of the board since 1994 and is a retired chairman,
president and chief executive officer of Foster Wheeler Ltd. Swift’s appointment is effective immediately
and will run for two years. In his capacity as presiding director, he will chair executive sessions of the
board and provide feedback to the chairman.  He will advise the chairman on the quality and timeliness
of information provided to all directors. In addition, he will help establish agendas for board meetings and
will help review and convey appropriate communications from shareholders to the board PSEG  6/20/07  

Environmental Attorney joins law firm as shareholder Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla in Middletown,
NJ, announces that Marc D. Policastro has joined the firm as a shareholder. Policastro, of the firm’s Environmental and Land Use Practice Areas, concentrates his practice in development, environmental  compliance cases, transactional matters, land use, zoning and business counseling.
He has represented developers, lenders, borrowers and municipal boards in myriad and
use contexts, including commercial and residential development. He concentrates on complex remediation cases and general environmental compliance counseling. He has significant experience in Industrial Site Recovery Act, Spill Act, and related hazardous substance regulatory matters. Policastro also has significant experience in redevelopment
of contaminated sites. Policastro is listed in Chambers USA - America’s Leading Business Lawyers 2006-2007 in the Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use practice area. In September 2004, he was selected by the New Jersey Law Journal for inclusion in its top "40 Under 40" list, noting the leading 40 attorneys in the state under the age of 40. Policastro is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and its Land Use and Environmental Law Sections, the Monmouth County Bar Association and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York. 6/20/07

Hillier merging with U.K. firm Hillier Architecture, New Jersey's largest architectural design firm,
is merging with U.K.-based RMJM in a $30 million deal to be announced today, creating an international
"super-studio" of 1,000 designers. The merged company will be called RMJM Hillier in the United States,
where it will be based in Hillier's offices in Princeton, with other sites in New York, Washington, D.C.,
and Philadelphia. The company will also have offices in 16 cities on four continents: North America,
Europe, Asia and the Middle East Star-Ledger 6/19/07 
Town OKs 10-year lease to clean up coal mining debris A planned $30M waste coal energy plant
slated for Clairton, PA took a preliminary step forward this week. Jefferson Hills officials approved a 10-year
lease with Clairton-based Buena Vista Energy LLC on June 11 to allow the company to sift waste coal from
a pile of decades-old coal mining debris on a 70-acre parcel west of the Ravensburg Bridge. The 40-year-old
bridge connects two spurs of Clairton, where the plant will be built, although the coal pile is in Jefferson Hills.
David Fiore, CEO of Buena Vista Energy, said this week an affiliate, Community Energy Group LLC, would
build and run the plant, which will convert waste coal and sewage sludge into diesel fuel. Fiore said he is in
the process of closing on the purchase of 10 acres along Route 837 in Clairton to build the plant. The
property is a former steel manufacturing facility directly across from U.S. Steel Corp.'s Clairton Coke Works,
and Clairton officials have signed a letter of intent to assist Community Energy in building the plant, Fiore said. Pittsburgh Business Times 6/18/07

Magazine names K&L/Gates top corporate firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP
was cited as the best corporate law firm in Pittsburgh, according to the seventh annual Legal Industry
Research Study conducted by Corporate Board Member magazine and FTI Consulting. The study identifies
the top five corporate law firms in 25 major metropolitan areas, according to directors serving on the boards
of publicly traded companies listed with the three major exchanges: NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange
and American Stock Exchange. Among Pittsburgh's top five, Reed Smith LLP ranked second, switching
places with K&L Gates from their respective 2006 rankings. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC placed third,
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC was fourth and Cohen & Grigsby PC was fifth. The ranks for those
three firms were the same as last year. Pittsburgh Business Times 6/15/07

Growmark FS honored with ERA award Growmark FS, LLC of Upper Deerfield Twp., NJ, has been
selected as one of five regional Environmental Respect Award (ERA) winners for 2007. ERAs, sponsored
by CropLife magazine and DuPont Crop Protection, are the agricultural industry's highest recognition for
environmental stewardship among U.S. agricultural retailers -- those who serve farmers and ranchers with
the nutrients, pest control and agronomic information and services critical to effective crop production
Bridgeton News  6/15/07

Johnson Matthey, a world leader in advanced
materials technologies, is pleased to announce
that Amy Donohue-Babiak has joined the Law
Department as Associate General Counsel at the
North American Corporate office based in Wayne,
Pennsylvania. 6/14/07

PSE&G endorses new transmission lines for long-term electric reliability in New Jersey
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) today endorsed construction of several new 500-
kilovolt transmission lines that will significantly improve the long-term reliability of the electric system
that serves New Jersey customers. The utility supports construction of three additional 500-kilovolt lines
to reinforce transmission facilities on existing rights of way: 
• An 80-mile line from Camden County (New Freedom) north to Middlesex County (Deans)
• A 30-mile line from Somerset County (Branchburg) to Essex County (Roseland)
• A 135-mile line from Luzerne County, PA to Essex County (Roseland).
“These new transmission lines are essential for New Jersey to meet the growing demand for electricity
over the long term,” said Ralph LaRossa, president and chief operating officer of PSE&G. “PJM
Interconnection, the regional transmission organization, has already identified a number of areas in which
additional transmission facilities are needed to ensure the continued reliability of our region’s electric grid
and our state’s economic growth. While long-term reliability is driving the need to build these lines, we
also expect that they will eventually ease transmission congestion and lower electric prices for our
customers.” In April, the U.S. Department of Energy designated New Jersey and surrounding areas as
critical congestion areas, highlighting the need for transmission investment. News release 6/8/07

Worldwide Wholesale Floor joins effort to keep our planet green Worldwide Wholesale Floor
Coverings is introducing an environmentally friendly carpet-recycling program — the Rip-Up, Remove,
Recycle Guarantee Home News Tribune 6/7/07

New Jersey law firm goes out of state for next leader For the first time in the history of McCarter
& English, the Newark, NJ law firm that traces its roots back more than 160 years, the person who
oversees its strategic vision will not be a New Jerseyan. Star-Ledger 6/6/07

New Jersey-based Covanta acquires two California biomass energy facilities Covanta Holding
Corporation (NYSE: CVA), a developer and operator of large scale Energy-from-Waste and renewable
energy projects, announces its agreement to purchase two biomass energy facilities and a biomass energy
fuel management business from The AES Corporation, all  located in California's Central Valley. These
facilities will add 75 megawatts to Covanta's portfolio of renewable energy plants, which currently includes
four biomass facilities and more than 30 Energy-from-Waste facilities. Covanta agreed to pay approximately
$51M for the assets. In addition, Covanta expects to invest between $15 and $20M in capital improvements
to increase the facilities' productivity and environmental performance. News release 6/6/07

Morris Land conservancy seeks members The conservancy, which has launched its Spring Membership Drive, has worked with more than 43 municipalities in 11 counties during the past 10 years, impacting more
than half of NJ's counties and benefiting millions of residents throughout the state. In addition, the conservancy
 says it has helped preserve more than 11,000 acres and has helped towns receive $124M in grants to purchase and protect land throughout northern New Jersey  Daily Record 6/5/07

Sunoco Logistics completes deal for Syracuse terminal Sunoco Logistics Partners LP says
it has completed buying 50 percent of a refined products terminal in Syracuse, N.Y., for an undisclosed
sum. The seller was the Mobil Pipe Line Co. unit of Exxon Mobil Corp. The terminal has 550,000 barrels
of storage capacity. Sunoco Logistics operates refined-product and crude-oil pipelines and terminals. Oil
refiner and gas retailer Sunoco Inc. owns the general partner and 41.4 percent of its limited partnership
units. Both Sunoco Logistics and Sunoco are based in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Business Journal 6/4/07

Southern California jury orders NJ firm to pay $5.2M in asbestos case A jury has ordered a
New Jersey-based engineering and construction firm Foster Wheeler Corp to pay $5.2M in an asbestos exposure case, determining the company acted with malice. The verdict last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court ordered the company to pay the survivors of Richard Walmach, a career naval machinist who died in 2006 after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer related to asbestos exposure. Walmach
died after filing the suit, which claimed the company failed to disclose asbestos risks. The company is a longtime supplier of boilers, steam generators and other power equipment to the U.S. Navy AP  6/4/07