GreenClips.12 12.07.94 GOP SEEKS REGULATORY OVERHAUL, BUSINESS WANTS FLEXIBILITY No where in House Republican's "Contract With America" does the word environmental appear. Instead the pact calls for regulatory reform, suggesting use of three tools to challenge environmental laws-risk assessment, burdensome costs, and property rights. Corporate America, however, may prefer the certainty of complying with EPA rules over unpredictable jury verdicts brought about by privatizing environmental protection. According to Wilma I. Delaney of Dow Chemical Co., "We're not looking to roll back regulations. But we want the flexibility to meet the goals in the most cost-effective manner." –Business Week, December 12, 1994, p. 103, by Mary Beth Regan. COMMERCIAL BUILDING ENERGY USE RISES According to the US Department of Energy, demand for energy in the commercial building sector grew 1.0% in the1980's. The top energy uses in commercial buildings were space heating 35%,lighting 18%, water heating 9%, office equipment 7%, cooling 5%, and ventilation 5%. -Environmental Building News, November/December, p.3. CLOUD GEL AVAILABLE IN 1995 Cloud Gel is a new energy control glazing system for building windows. On sunny days a polymer and water gel between layers of glass turns opaque white, transmitting only 10% of the incident solar energy. One application of Cloud Gel uses an electric current to warm the gel and opaque the window. -Environmental Building News, November/December, p. 4. WETLANDS TREATS ALUMINUM PROCESSING WASTE A 40-acre constructed wetlands provides secondary and tertiary treatment of 600,000 gallons of waste water per day at Logan Aluminum in Russellville, Kentucky. Twenty-six separate primary and secondary mechanical systems pre treat wastewater before it enters the wetlands. The wetlands-unlike other options considered by Logan-stabilize pH, reduce suspended solids, and remove nutrients. After the wetlands treat the water, it is pumped into a two million gallon storage tank for reuse inthe manufacturing process. -BioCycle, November 1994, p. 80, by Becky Gillette. PENTAGON GOES GREEN Inspired by the recent White House green retrofit, the Pentagon invited the nation's leading architects, mechanical engineers, and environmental experts to their 6 million sq ft / 25,000-employee building. The team examined opportunities for retrofits to achieve greater efficiency and sustainability. The budget for the project is $1 billion, and the work will likely take a decade or more to complete. -The Rocky Mountain Institute Newsletter, p. 7, Fall/Winter 1994. TOLL ROAD GETS GREEN LIGHT A federal appeals court approved a proposed toll road through a greenbelt in Orange County, California after environmental lawsuits had halted it. Environmentalists specifically opposed a 4.5-mile middle section of the tollway that runs though the Laguna Greenbelt. According to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Federal Highway Administration's environmental review adequately addressed the likely effect on parkland, wildlife, and air quality. The court also said a 1991 federal law, passed at the request of the tollway planners, largely exempted the project from an earlier federal law that restricts road-building through parks. -Associated Press, December 2, 1994.