Research

Alternative Energies -- Truly Renewable

An Important Precedent Set:

"Firm [Covanta] Withdraws Request for Trash-Burning Subsidy" Wall Street Journal, December 9, 2011.

Anaerobic Digestion

The Lure of Manure, Minnesota 2020-Hindsight, January 13, 2012.
Harvest Power Provides Sustainble Solutions from Organic Waste, Clean Technica.com, October 21, 2011.
San Jose Advances Waste-to-Biogas Facility Plans, Biomass Magazine, August 2009. (For similar Minnesota project, click here.)
Wild Rose Farm's Anaerobic Digester by William Katra, April 11, 2009.
Xcel Investing in Manure Power, Star Tribune, March 4, 2009.
Anaerobic Digestion in Tulare, California; CA Energy Commission, June 14, 2008.
A First for the U.S.: Company Feeds Biomethane into Natural Gas Pipeline, Biopact, January 22, 2008.
Biogas & Anaerobic Digestion, Penn State University.
A.D. for Garden Refuse, Sacramento, CA; April 2005.
Sacramento, CA Signs A.D. Agreement with Sweden, June 29, 2006.
Anaerobic Digestion, California Integrated Waste Management Board, October 21, 2008.
"With 14 million pounds of cow waste generated in Oregon each day, there's a lot of potential energy just waiting to be utilized." Smart Energy--Biogas Projects.
Northwest Project to Build Tire-Filled Digester, Biogass Magazine.
AgStar Program Supports A.D., US Environmental Protection Agency, October 30, 2008.
"Saddled with Level of Dioxin, Town Considers an Odd Ally: The Mushroom", "I-Team Update: Secrets in the Soil"
Haubenschild Farms Anaerobic Digester, The Minnesota Project, August 2002.

Wind

Wind Energy Driving Down Consumer Electric Rates, cleantechnica.com, October 25, 2011.
Wind Powering America (Wind Maps & Resource Potential), US Dept of Energy: Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, August 3, 2011.
Wind or Solar Power Can Now Be Stored as Liquid Air, CalFinder, 4/2/11.
Massive Offshore Wind Farm Approved in UK, care2, February 25, 2011.
Global Wind Capacity Increases by 22% in 2010 - Asia Leads Growth, Global Wind Energy Council, February 2, 2011.
Wind Power Now Competitive with Coal in Some Regions, grist, 2/7/11.
Blown Away by Brazil's Booming Wind Energy Industry, evwind, January 19, 2010.
Spain to Build World's Largest Wind Turbine, inhabitat.com, December 2, 2010.
Denmark's Wind of Change, Time Magazine, February 25, 2009.
South Korea Planning Massive Off Shore Wind Farm, Alternative Energy, November 17, 2010.
Wind Power Without the Blades: Big Pics, DiscoveryNews, October 2010.
Offshore Wind Can Deliver Cleaner, More Affordable Energy & More Jobs Than Offshore Oil, Environmental News Network, October 8, 2010.
How Wind Turbines Affect Your (Very) Local Weather, Scientific American, October 4, 2010.
Wind Drives Growing Use of Batteries, nytimes.com, July 28, 2010.
The US, Saying YES to Offshore Wind Farms, CARE2, June 27, 2010.
Airborne Wind Turbines?, Alternative Energy News, June 16 2010.
US [Wind] Transmission: Have the Northeast States Got It Right?, Alternative Energy News, June 11, 2010.
Clever Idea Floats More Than a Turbine, Alternative Energy News, June 10, 2010.
Jellyfish Wind Appliance: Plug-In Wind Power, Clarian Technologies, June 2010.
Bladeless Wind Turbine - Inspired by Nicola Tesla, Alternative Energy News, May 18, 2010.
Wind Power Myths Debunked, IEEE-PES (Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers-Power Energy Society), December 2009.
Cape Wind Decision May Take Green Power National, grist, April 29, 2010.
Giant Gravel Batteries Could Make Wind Power a Reliable Energy Option, PopSci, April 27, 2010.
$3m Awarded to Airport-Friendly Wind Turbine Pioneers, BrighterEnergy.org, April 9, 2010.
Wind Industry Growing in Blue & Red States Alike, grist, April 12, 2010.
A Gust of Energy, grist, January 22, 2010.
One Doctor's Quest to Sound the Alarm on "Wind Turbine Syndrome", grist, November 16, 2009.
The Long & Wind-Powered Road, PBS NOW, October 29, 2009.
Denmark's Wind of Change, Time Magazine, February 25, 2009.

Bioaccumulation

Because the harmful effects of incineration are cumulative, they may take years or decades to finally overpower our immune systems. Independent scientists (researchers who have not been paid by those in the incinerator and garbage-processing industries, who stand to profit by “proving” that burners are safe) studying the effects of burner emissions are discovering alarming relationships between the incidences of serious diseases – cancers, reproductive system disorders, immune system disorders, heart and lung disease, asthma and other breathing disorders (especially the increases in childhood asthma), ADHD and other brain-function disorders in children, and fetal health disorders – and patients’ proximity to burners. For current research, see:

Air Pollution Linked to Learning and Memory Problems, Depression, Science Daily, July 5, 2011.
Public Policy Position: Energy [NO SUPPORT for Energy Production through Biomass/Waste Combustion], American Lung Association, June 11, 2011.
Minnesota Nurses Association Letter to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, November 8, 2010. MNA Resolution.
Acid Rain is Back, & Thanks to Farming, Worse Than Ever, grist, June 24, 2010.
Does America Cause Cancer?, grist, May 6, 2010.
North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians Opposes Incineration, April 19, 2010.
Air Pollution Increases Infants' Risk of Bronchiolitis, Science Daily, November 7, 2009.
Duval County, Florida Medical Society Opposes Incineration, 2/10.
Massachusetts Medical Society Opposes Biomass Plants, Greenfield Recorder, January 26, 2010.
Climate Advocates Should Build Ties with the Public-Health Community, grist, December 8, 2009.
America's Most Toxic Cities, Forbes, November 2, 2009.
Facilities Releasing TRI [Toxics Release Inventory] Chemicals to the Environment -- for MN, Scorecard; The Pollution Information Site.
"The Price of Pollution: Cost Estimates of Environment-Related Childhood Disease in Minnesota"
Minnesota Ranks #7 in Top Ten States in U.S. Incinerating PVC's
Pollution Can Change Your DNA in 3 Days, Study Suggests, National Geographic, May 17, 2009.
"Using the Precautionary Principle: A Citizen's Guide" by Paul Connett, November 17, 2009.
Connection Between Plastics in Environment & Rising Obesity Rates, PBS NOVA: Ghost in Your Genes, 2007.
MPCA Sees Rise in Mercury Levels in Northern Pike, Walleye from State Lakes
"Lead, Smoke Exposure in Kids Linked to ADHD"
"Lead Exposure Endangers Children"
"An American Life Worth Less Today"
"Lobbyists Fight Clean Air Rules"
"The Health Effects of Waste Incinerators: Risk Assessment"
"MPCA Air Quality Index"
China's Incinerators Loom as a Global Hazard, NYTimes.com, August 12, 2009.
"Dioxin and Breast Milk: the French Island Incinerator"
"The Inuit's Struggle with Dioxins and Other Organic Pollutants."
"Dioxin Documentation"
Panel Finds Smog-Mortality Link, National Academy of Sciences, April 23, 2008.
BodyBurden: The Pollution in Newborns, Environmental Working Group, July 2005.
Toxic Link to Endometriosis, Endometriosis Association, 2005.
Prevent Cancer Now: Let's Say "No" to Incineration in Canada
Sexual Maturation in Relation to Polychlorinated Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Environmental Health Perspectives, August 2002.

Energy Conservation

Forget the Prius! Retrofitting Old Homes Saves More Energy, CARE2, May 11, 2010.
Aerogel: The Future Material of Today, CARE2, May 7, 2010.

EPA/MPCA Regulation

Just because an incinerator – using biomass, garbage, coal or any other solid fuel – meets the current EPA guidelines for emissions does NOT mean that those emissions are safe to humans or to the environment at large.

New EPA Mercury Rules are a Bona Fide Big Deal, grist, December 21, 2011.
Polluters Fined, Must Fix Problems, Star Tribune, October 1, 2011.
Obama Wins Cap and Trade War to Cut Ozone Pollution, Clean Technica, September 18, 2011.
Lawsuit Targets Carbon-Pollution Exemption for Wood-Burning Power Plants, The Institute for Southern Studies, August 16, 2011.
Federal Agencies Sign Environmental Justice Memorandum of Understanding, EPA, August 4, 2011.
EPA's Decision Not to Regulate Biomass Carbon Emissions is a Big Mistake, Dogwood Alliance, July 19, 2011.
New Study Uncovers Additional $10.5 Billion in Annual Benefits & Nearly 80,000 More Jobs from EPA's Prposed Utility Toxics Rule, HazMatManagement, July 14, 2011.
EPA Reduces Smokestack Pollution, Protecting Americans' Health from Soot & Smog, EPA, July 7, 2011.
EPA Proposes New Emission Standards for Power Plants, NYTimes, March 16, 2011.
Clean Air Act Saves Lives AND Money, EPA-Office of Air & Radiation, March 2011.
EPA Updates National Air Toxics Assessment, epa.gov, March 11, 2011.
EPA Establishes Clean Air Act Standards for Boilers & Incinerators, epa.gov, February 23, 2011. Comments by Biomass Busters, February 26, 2011.
Enviro Group, EPA Settle Air Pollution Case, Center for Biological Diversity, February 14, 2011.
Putting EPA's Announcement on CO2 from Power Plants in Context, grist, December 23, 2010.
Center for Biological Diversity Files Petition to Correct EPA Claim that Biomass is Carbon Neutral, examiner.com, July 28, 2010.
EPA Sets Stronger National Air Quality Standard for Sulfur Dioxide; First New S02 Standard in 40 Years Will Improve Air Quality for Millions, EPA, June 3, 2010.
U.S. EPA Regulates Greenhouse Gases for Large Industrial Sources, Environment News Service, May 14, 2010.
Emissions Standards for Boilers & Process Heaters & Commercial & Industrial Solid Waste Incinerators, EPA, April 29, 2010. For comments by Alan Muller, Energy & Environmental Consultant, click here.
EPA to Cut Polluters More Slack, Clean Skies Network, March 9, 2010.
3M Haz Waste Incinerator - Some Thought-Provoking Facts Not Covered in the Media, by Alan Muller, March 16, 2010.
3M Hopes to Allay Community Concern Over Cottage Grove Incinerator, Pioneer Press, March 15, 2010.
Cottage Grove Officials Burning Over 3M Plans, Star Tribune, March 7, 2010.
Idaho, Four Other Western States Named in EPA Lawsuit, Idaho Statesman, February 1, 2010.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know about EPA Greenhouse Gas Regulations but were Afraid to Ask
Shortcomings of Dioxin Monitoring
"EPA Region 5 Reaches Agreement with Perham Facility"
"EPA's New Pesticide Testing is Outdated, Crude"
Clean Water Laws are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering, NYTimes, 9/13/09.
"Lawsuit Challenges Bush-Era Exemptions on Burning Waste"
"EPA a Failure on Chemicals, Audit Finds"
"EPA Overstating Enforcement Record"
"GAO Questions EPA Plan to Ease Farms' Emissions Rules"
"EPA Lets Electronic Waste Flow Freely, GAO Report Says"
"Industry Eyes Upcoming 'Waste' Definition to Boost Energy Supply"
"EPA Ignored Advisers' Guidance"
“Bush’s EPA Is Pursuing Fewer Polluters”
"Hundreds of EPA Scientists Report Political Interference Over Last Five Years"
"White House Pressured EPA"

Global Warming

EIP Report: Waste-to-Energy Incinerators Pollute More Per Hour of Energy than Coal-Fired Power Plants and Are Not Renewable, Environmental Integrity Project, October 13, 2011.
New Study Suggests EU Biofuels Are As Carbon Intensive as Petrol, University of Leicester, November 4, 2011.
Debunking the Biomass Myth, Center for Biological Diversity, August 2011.
Berkeley Researchers Say Carbon Pollution Can Be Turned Into Energy, inhabitat, August 9, 2011.
The False Promise of Biofuels, Scientific American, August 10, 2011.
What's the Cost to Slow Global Warming? $500 Billion a Year, Tiny Green Bubble, April 9, 2011.
Biomass Reality Check: Lessons Learned in Massachusetts, Masssachusetts Forest Watch, March 2, 2011.
Scientists' Letter to Washington State Legislature: Burning Biomass Can Increase Total Carbon Emissions, February 2, 2011.
The New Biomassters - Synthetic Biology & the Next Assault on Biodiversity & Livelihoods, ETCgroup, November 2, 2010.
Report: Warmest June on Record Globally, CNN World, July 18, 2010.
Evidence of Climate Change Springs Ahead with Blooming Wildflowers, grist, June 23, 2010.
Net Benefits of Biomass Power Under Scrutiny, New York Times, 6/19/10.
Massachusetts Study: Wood Power Worse Polluter Than Coal, The Associated Press, by Steve LeBlanc, June 10, 2010.
90 Scientists Urge US Congress to Improve Carbon Accounting for Biofuels and Bioenergy, May 17, 2010.
The Wrong Kind of Green, The Nation, March 4, 2010.
If It Does Matter Where CO2 is Released, Cities are in Trouble, grist, March 17, 2010.
Wood-Fueled Biomass Power Plants & CO2 Emissions, Massachusetts Forest Watch, March 24, 2010.
Cap-and-Dividend is SOOO the New Cap-and-Trade, Care2 Newsletter, February 20, 2010.
Biomass Blunder: USDA Advocates Burning Wood for Electricity, CARE2, March 6, 2010.
Why Biomass Wood Energy is Not the Answer, Counterpunch.org, January 12, 2010.
Health & Safety Risks of Carbon Capture and Storage, Journal of the American Medical Association/JAMA, January 6, 2010.
Cap and Dividend, On the Commons, 2010.
"The Story of Cap & Trade", by Annie Leonard, a ten-minute, highly-accessible video about why Cap & Trade is NOT a solution to global warming.
Green Nightmare: Burning Biomass is Not Renewable Energy, Huffington Post, December 17, 2009.
"Low-carbon Future: We Can Afford to Go Green", New Scientist, December 2, 2009.
"They'd Shoot Trees, Wouldn't They? Climate Laws Encourage Deforestation, Scientists Say", Wall Street Journal, October 22, 2009.
"Who Says It's Green to Burn Woodchips?", The Independent, 10/25/09.
"Al Gore Calls on World to Burn Less Fuel & Wood to Curb 'Black Carbon'", April 28, 2009.
Biofuels Deemed A Greenhouse Threat, New York Times, February 8, 2008.
Study: Bio-fuels may actually be accelerating global warming, Chicago (AFP), February 14, 2009.
Next Generation Biofuels: Bursting the New 'Green' Bubble, ETC (Action Group on Erosion, Technology & Concentration), January 15, 2009.
"Hoodwinked in the Hothouse: False Solutions to Climate Change"
"A Red Flag on Green Energy Plan" by Mary Stuart Booth, MA Environmental Energy Alliance, Boston Globe, May 22, 2009.
Persistence Stops a Train--& Global Warming Slowed, grist, August 27, 2009.
"Fuzzy Logic on Wood-burning" by David Baumann, The Berkshire Eagle, April 11, 2009.
"Risky Business: Burning Wood & Other Biomass for Energy"
"Wood Ash: The Unregulated Radwaste
"The Clean Energy Scam" by Michael Grunwald from TIME Magazine, March 27, 2008.
"Particles Cause Climate Change: Why Wood Burning is Not Carbon-Neutral" from Science Daily, July 19, 2006.
"Black Carbon Emerges as a Main Contributor to Global Warming" from World Resources Institute, March 30, 2008.
Wood is New Coal as Polluters Use Carbon-Eating Trees, Bloomberg.Com, June 2, 2009.
Damage to Forests from Climate Change by Megan Dold, IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organization), April 17, 2009.
Key Role of Forests "May Be Lost" by Mark Kinver, BBC News, April 18, 2009.
Read Rabl, A., A. Benoist, et al. (2007). "Editorial - How to Account for CO2 Emissions from Biomass in an LCA." International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 12(5): 281.
Incineration of Municipal Solid Waste: Impact on Global Warming, CitizensWasteInfo, 2006.
"Potential of Cellulosic Production from Municipal Solid Waste"
"The Biofuel Illusion"
"Global Civil Society Opposes Charred Earth Policy", Rainforest Alliance, Hamburg, Germany, April 6, 2009.
"Woodchips With Everything", The Guardian, March 24, 2009.
"Biochar: Another False Solution to Climate Change", Organic Consumers Association, March 20, 2009.
"Stop Promotion of Biochar!", Ecological Internet, April 2, 2009.
"Chemicals: Scientists Find New Toxin in Pine Tree Fires"
"Poultry-Powered Plants Pollute More Than Coal?
"Why are biofuels losing steam in Europe . . . and barreling ahead in the U.S.?"

Green Jobs

Investing in genuinely non-toxic, sustainable energy production has the potential to create many more new, clean and green jobs for the state of Minnesota and our nation than out-dated incineration technology. Even the Blue Green Alliance (a consortium of environmental groups and labor unions) promotes this possibility.

More Jobs, Less Pollution, GAIA, November 15, 2011.
Retooling Green Jobs for the Next Generation, grist, March 10, 2010.
A Big Breakthrough on Green Jobs, grist, September 14, 2009.
"UN Reports Big Jump in 'Green Energy' Investment"
California Sticks Toe in Green Chemistry Pond, Miller-McCune.com, July 27, 2009.
200 Green Business Ideas, Fast Company, July 23, 2009.
Green Bounty: Historic Navajo Green Jobs Legislation, grist, July 22, 2009.
Silicon Valley VC Sees Bright Future for Green Tech, grist, July 20, 2009.

Incineration -- "High Tech"

NAB has learned through its research that there is no technology that is functional today that eliminates the dangerous toxins and particulate matter created by incineration. The danger of fire when incinerating biomass is not to be underestimated. See:

[IN OUR BACKYARD--D.E. facility touted as high-tech & very green!] St. Paul Heat & Power Facility Pays $55,000 to Resolve Air Quality Violations, MPRNews, August 19, 2010.
Evaluation of Various Solid Biomass Fuels Using Thermal Analysis & Gas Emission Tests, National Research Institute of Fire & Disaster, April 18, 2011.
Sewage Sludge from Incinerator Free Mecklenburg, NC, Central Piedmont Sierra Club, September 2010.
'Green' Biomass Isn't Always So Clean, i watch (Center for Public Integrity), April 26, 2011.
Garbage Gasifier Proposed in Palisades, MN, Guest Editorial by Alan Muller, Aitkin Independent Age, June 30, 2010.
IBA (Incinerator Bottom Ash) Banned from Use in Highway Projects, News-UK Win, January 29, 2010.
An Industry Blowing Smoke:10 Reasons Why Gasification, Pyrolosis, & Plasma Incineration Are Not 'Green Solutions', by David Ciplet, GAIA, June 2009
Say "No!" to TDR (Tire-Derived-Fuel)
Greenaction Comments in Opposition to Sun Energy Group's Permit Application for a Plasma Arc Facility in New Orleans, July 8, 2009.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Moves Away from Gasification & Pyrolysis Consideration Says the New Report Commissioned by the State, gaia, December 22, 2008.
Summary of Studies on Emissions of PAH's, N2O, & CO from Waste Coal Fluidized Bed Combustors (FBCs), Energy Justice Network, 2001.
Gasification by Alan Muller, 2010.
Plasma Arc Technology for Municipal Solid Waste: A Proven Technology or Incinerator in Disguise?, Greenaction for Health & Environmental Justice & GAIA, March 10, 2008.
Doctors Say: Be Careful, St. Lucie County; Make Geoplasma Prove Its Claims About Proposed Arc Incinerator, TC Palm, September 5, 2008.
"Sacramento City Council Rejects Plasma Arc Incinerator Project"
For some background You-Tubes on Plasma Arc, see:Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, PhD, Environmental Consultant.
For more info, see memo to NAB from Neil Tangri of www.no-burn.org
and Florida Plasma Arc Facility from Bradley Angel of Greenaction.
Thermoselect Reality Check, Greenaction, 2006.

Particle Pollution

Particle Pollution has hit the mainstream media!

The YOU Docs: Time to get particular about particle pollution, by Michael Roizen, MD & Mehmet Oz, MN, Pioneer Press, August 7, 2009.

Second Opinion: The Medical Profession Diagnoses Biomass Incineration, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, September 6, 2011.
Proposed Gasification Plant Would Trash Our Health, CrossRoadsNews.com, Dr. Jewel Crawford, MD & Darren Harper, MD, June 4, 2011.
Interview with David Thornton, MPCA Assistant Commissioner, Transit for Livable Communities, 12/30/2010 (acknowledges MN particulate problem)
Last Pure Air Particles on Earth Captured for Climate Science, treehugger.com, September 22, 2010.
Association Between Fine Particulate Matter & Diabetes Prevalence in the U.S., American Diabetes Association, July 5, 2010.
Lawsuit Filed to Prevent Particulate Air Pollution, Center for Biological Diversity, April 29, 2010.
Stunning Research Shows High Potential for DNA Damage from Nanoparticles, NaturalNews.com: source-Nature Nanotechnology, Nanoparticles Can Cause DNA Damage Across a Cellular Barrier, November 5, 2009.
Dirty Air in Californina Caused $193 Million in Hospital-Based Medical Costs During 2005 to 2007, Rand Corporation, March 2, 2010.
Outdoor Wood Burners to go Up in Smoke: Stillwater [MN] Set to Pass Nuisance Law, St. Croix Valley Press, March 11, 2010.
Aerosols [tiny airborne particles] May Drive a Significant Portion of Global Warming, NASA, April 8, 2009.
Bad Breath: Studies are homing in on which particles polluting the air are most sickening - & why, by Janet Raloff, Science News, July 18, 2009.
EPA: Toxic Air Pollution Poses Increased Cancer Risk in 600 Neighborhoods Nationwide, by Dina Cappiello, Associated Press, June 3, 2009.
Air Quality in Minnesota: Emerging Trends, 2009 Report to the Legislature, MPCA, see pg. 5 for "Fine & Ultrafine Particles" pollution which is our biggest health concern regarding biomass burning.
Particulate Emissions & Health: Proposed Ringaskiddy Waste-to-Energy Facility--Ireland, June 2009.
Pollution Link to Asthma in Womb, BBC News, February 15, 2009.
Black Carbon Pollution Emerges as Major Player in Global Warming, ScienceDaily, March 24, 2008.
"Wood Smoke is Rich in Dioxins and PCB's
Burning Contaminated Wood Releases Dangerous Toxins
"Changes in Lung Function and Airway Inflammation . . . in a Woodsmoke-Impacted Urban Area"
The Smokestake Effect: Toxic Air & America's Schools, USA TODAY, 12/08.
Nanoparticles Damage Brain Cells, Environmental Health News, November 17, 2008.
The Health Effects of Fine, Ultrafine and Nanoscale Particulate Emissions from Incinerators The smaller the particulate size, the more insidious and negative its effect on our health.
Radioactive Americium 241 in the Waste Stream, by Joseph Miller, 8/09.
Study Reveals Air Pollution is Causing Widespread & Serious Impacts to Ecosystems, The Nature Conservancy & Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, July 21, 2008.
Breathing Dust and Soot Raises Risk of Stroke, Environmental News Service, June 2, 2008.
Air Pollution Linked to Blood Clot in Legs, Washington Post, May 12, 2008.
Aquatic Nanoparticles: Between Water and Rock Science is discovering new information about nanoparticles and their behavior and possible hazards.
"Air Pollution Blamed for 3% Deaths in U.S."
Sexual Maturation Disrupted by PCAH's from Incineration, Environmental Health Perspectives, August 2002.

"Waste to Energy" is Wasteful & Uneconomical!

EIA Releases New Generating Plant Capital Cost Data, Institute for Energy Research, November 23, 2010. (This report confirms the VERY high cost of using MSW to generate energy; this explains the requirement for municipal subsidies! -- produced by U.S. Energy Information Administration. For the original 189-page report, see: http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/beck_plantcosts/pdf/updatedplantcosts.pdf .)
Burning Public Money for Dirty Energy, gaia, November 15, 2011.
Burning More Wood is for Cavemen, TimesArgus.com, December 26, 2010.
Harrisburg Incinerator Operator Files Bankruptcy Objection, Bloomberg Businessweek, October 26, 2011.
Harrisburg Financial Collapse Was Predicted, whptv.com, 9/30/2011.
Pennsylvania County Gets $34.7 Million Bill for Harrisburg Debt, businessweek.com, August 24, 2010.
An Incinerator Becomes Harrisburg's Money Pit, New York Times, May 21, 2010.
Burning Trash and Cash: Taxpayers Still on the Hook for Incinerators Born in 80's Waste Crisis, Hill Country Observer-Cambridge, NY, by Tracy Frisch, May 2010.
Waste-to-Energy Incineration is Both Noxious and Expensive, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, February 1, 2010.
A Burning Issue The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis thinks that incinerators are bad news for local government and taxpayers and explains why incineration is a financial burden on the municipalities that bought into it.
Continued Reliance on Incineration is an Economic Threat, by Joseph Miller, Oregon Physicians for Responsibility, January 20, 2010.
Biomass is Not "Clean", EcoLaw, December 2009.
20 reasons why incineration is a losing financial proposition for host communities from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
Incineration of Municipal Solid Waste: Understanding the Costs & Financial Risks, Durham Environment Watch, April 2006.
Waste Incinerator Myths (PDF)
List of Malfunctions Known in Municipal Waste Incinerators, by Neil J. Carman, Ph.D., Clean Air Program Director, Lone Star Chapter of Sierra Club. Dr. Carman spent 12 years inspecting incinerators & industrial facilities for the state of Texas, working on enforcement cases & lawsuits against polluters.
Long Contracts . . . 10 Key Questions, Friends of the Earth, April 2009.
Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Funding for Waste Infrastructure, Friends of the Earth, August 2008.

Zero Waste

For current info on Zero Waste, see the following websites: American Environnmental Health Studies Project, Zero Waste International Alliance, Grassroots Recycling Network, & California Resource Recovery Association.
Zero-Waste Family Maintains Normal Lifestyle, Huffington Post, 2/21/11.
US EPA report of Sept. 2009 shows how waste reduction & recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Non-profit Product Policy Institute (PPI) mission is to prevent waste & promote sustainable production & consumption practices through good public policy & governance.
Recyling Becomes a Growth Business, Star Tribune, December 11, 2011.
GreenBlue Works to Take the Confusion Out of Recycling Labels, GreenBiz.com, October 20, 2011.
Scavengers Leave Dumps to Speak Out at U.N. Climate Conference, Mother Nature Network, December 3, 2010.
Waste Not: Seattle's Road to Zero Trash, YES!, August 16, 2010.
Maine Town Rolls Out Trash Metering, Environmental News Network, August 23, 2010.
U.K. Retools Trash Policy to Hit Zero Waste, GreenBiz.com, July 30, 2010.
UN Incineration Plans Rejected by World's Rubbish-Dump Workers, guardian.co.uk, August 5, 2010.
"Garbage Dreams", film preview by Mai Iskander w/ GAIA, May 2010.
Los Angeles Will Pay Residents to Recyle, Good Blog, March 11, 2010.
"Built to Trash: Is Heirloom Design the Cure for Consumption?", In These Times, October 21, 2009.
Nudging Recycling from Less Waste to None, NYTimes, October 20, 2009.
Slide Show Demonstrates Zero Waste on Nantucket Island, NYTimes, October 8, 2009.
BEWARE! Is It Really Zero Waste?
Soil Is the Solution, 6th Annual Zero Waste International Alliance Conference, November 2009.
What You Should Know About Plastics & the Benefits of Plastic Recycling, Clean Energy Coalition of W. Wisconsin, January 2009.
Wastepickers of the World Unite at Climate Talks, Google.com, 11/8/09.
Austin, Texas - Zero Waste
95% of Cape Town's Green Waste Recovered for Organic Composting, Organic Consumers Association, September 17, 2009.
It's Garbage--& it's on the St. Paul Council's Agenda, Star Tribune, August 5, 2009.
Carver County Composting a Model for the Nation, KARE 11, August 2, 2009.
One Silver Lining of the Economic Downturn, Star-Tribune, August 2, 2009.
A Scrap of Decency, NYTimes.com, August 4, 2009.
Plastic Bags Outlawed in Mexico City, Los Angeles Times, August 24, 2009.
New Washington County Waste Center to Open in August 2009, click.
The Nation's Most Ambitious Recycling Law, by Gavin Newsom (Mayor of San Francisco), HuffingtonPost.com, June 23, 2009.
San Francisco OK's Toughest Recycling Law in U.S. by John Cote', S.F. Chronicle, 6/10/09.
The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard, a 20-minute, highly-accessible video about how to move toward sustainability and zero waste.
What a Waste; Recycling Food, by Addie Broyles of Austin,TX American-Statesman, Star Tribune, June 14, 2009.
Downtown Atlanta Recycles Itself into a Zero Waste Zone by Erin Levin, April 23, 2009.
If Frederick County, MD Does not Proceed with an Incinerator, What is the Alternative? by Caroline Eader, April 16, 2009.
Reduce Trash Sent to Incinerator, Cape Cod Times, March 17, 2009.
A Trashed Economy Foretold: Intake at Landfills Has Been Falling, Washington Post, March 14, 2009.
New Project to Make 11 Islands Waste-Free, Associated Press, February 12, 2009.
Resources Promoting Waste Minimization & Opposing Incineration, Oregon Physicians for Responsibility, January 2009.
Austin Passes First Zero Waste Plan in Texas, January 16, 2009.
Zero Waste Activism Takes on Global Warming, Rachel's Democracy & Health News #989, December 11, 2008.
Pollution Credits Let Dumps Double Dip, Wall St. Journal, 10/20/08.
Ten Points on Zero Waste, Guy Crittenden, July 22, 2008.
Zero Waste for Zero Warming, GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives), 2008.
Recycling Means Business, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 2006.
St. Paul Environnmental Roundtable (a very forward-looking set of recommendations adopted by St. Paul City Council in April 2006)
European Parliament Adopts Strict Waste Reduction Law, 2/13/07.
Oakland resolution, 2006.
San Francisco resolution, 2002.
The State of Delaware, one of the most pro-business states in the nation, passed strict legislation banning the construction of new garbage incineration facilities.
Executive summary (PDF) of the report "Resources up in Flames: The Economic Pitfalls of Waste Incineration versus a Zero Waste Approach in the Global South"
Aiming for Zero Waste: Ten Steps to Get Started at the Local Level (PDF)

Research

Alternative Energies -- Truly Renewable

An Important Precedent Set:

Anaerobic Digestion

Distributed Energy - Microgrid - Smart Grid

Fuel Cells

General

Geothermal

Kinetic Energy

Organics Recycling

Solar