News Roundup
News Roundup for September 2
CHINESE VOLT
Chevy Volt in China
Who says everything is made in China? Two American-made Chevy Volts arrived in Shanghai this week. The plug-in hybrids will be used as part of the VIP fleet for World Expo 2010 Shanghai. General Motors plans to start selling the Volt in China next year, making it one of the first overseas markets to get the car. “GM has made a long-term commitment to bringing our industry-leading technology to China,” said Kevin Wale, president of the GM China Group.
COPPER LAW
Austin, Texas, is the latest location to enact a law aimed at fighting copper theft. The ordinance requires scrap dealers to get a city permit. They will also have to keep records of most transactions, including a photocopy of the seller’s identification and noting the license plate of the seller’s vehicle. Austin Energy, the municipal utility, applauded the new law, noting that over the last five years it has investigated 31 incidents of copper theft or attempted theft. In one case, a suspect who broke into a substation was electrocuted.
BIG SOLAR
Another hurdle has been cleared in efforts to build what would be the world’s largest solar power plant. Solar Millennium LLC plans to build the 968-megawatt facility near Blythe, Calif., on land owned by the federal Bureau of Land Management. BLM has issued a final environmental impact statement, which remains open for public comment through Sept. 18. The project has already received a recommendation for approval from the California Energy Commission. Solar Millennium hopes to begin construction by the end of the year.
GREEN TENNIS, ANYONE?
Organizers of the U.S. Open are working to make the tennis tournament “eco-friendly.” About 60 percent of the vehicles being used to transport players are hybrids, and wind energy certificates will be supplied to match the electricity consumed during this year’s event. There are also plans to recycle the more than 18,000 tennis ball cans expected to be used. Officials also said that the cooking oil used at the stadium in Flushing, N.Y., will be recovered for use as biodiesel fuels.
―Based on news and wire reports
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