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Gov. Herbert statement on the passing of Jim Hansen

SALT LAKE CITY (Nov. 14, 2018) – Gov. Gary R. Herbert has issued the following statement regarding the death of Jim Hansen, Utah's longest-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives:

"Former Congressman Jim Hansen was drawn into public service for all of the right reasons. As a private citizen he was unhappy with the water system in his hometown of Farmington, Utah, and wanted to improve it. His rule for getting involved in politics was "get involved because you have a cause, not because you want a job." His cause to fix the city's water system led to a storied career in public service that included time in the Utah State Legislature and the U.S. Congress. He will be missed. We need more public servants like Jim Hansen."

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Bishop Statement on Death of Rep. Jim Hansen
 

WASHINGTON — Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01) offered this statement following the death of former Utah Congressman James Hansen: 

“I will miss my friend Jim Hansen. My condolences go out to Ann and the rest of the Hansen family. As Utah’s longest serving House member and the first to hold a full committee chairmanship, we owe Jim a great debt. 

He was a trailblazer. Not just for Utah, but for me personally. I followed him into the state legislature, to the Speakership, as Chairman of the Western States Caucus, into the U.S. House, and finally as Chairman of the Resources Committee. I will be forever grateful for the time he took to mentor me in each and every one of these roles. His impact on my life, and many others, cannot be overstated.

"Jim accomplished much without ever succumbing to arrogance. He was a good man, a fine leader, and a cherished friend. He will be missed." 

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4 Ways Companies Can Go Green

By Turning Waste Into Resources 

As environmental protection becomes a bigger concern, more businesses are looking for ways to turn waste into a resource, or making expired products useful in different forms.

Recycling anchored the environmental awareness movement in the 1960s and ‘70s, and companies climbed on board, repurposing materials as a way to showcase environmentally-friendly practices. For example, the shoe company Nike, using recycled polyester, says it has preserved 3 billion plastic bottles since 2010. European furniture producer Pentatonic makes chairs by recycling its own products into new ones.

With “sustainability” and “going green” the modern environmental buzzwords, newer technology is bringing innovations for more disposal/reusable options. Companies, therefore, are better able to meet increased governmental regulations, help the community and perhaps boost their bottom line.

“Engaging with sustainability has become unavoidable for most companies,” says Barry Breede (www.koppersuip.com), author of Transforming the Utility Pole and chief innovation officer at Koppers Utility & Industrial Products.

“Some are looking at more aggressive approaches because government regulations start to take effect. Others are driven by their own internal goals to manage their waste stream in a more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective manner.”

Throw in the fact that landfills are quickly filling up across America, Breede says, and disposing of company waste in a responsible and forward-thinking way has never been more important.

At Walt Disney World, for example, food waste is turned into energy. In a nearby anaerobic digestion facility, the organic waste is converted into renewable biogas to generate electricity – enough to help power central Florida, including Disney’s hotels and theme parks. The remaining solid material is processed into fertilizer.

Breede says today’s primary disposal options that are environmental-friendly include:  

• Landfill-to-gas. As landfill operators have less space to offer, many have converted their landfills into energy-producing plants. As the material decomposes, it produces methane, which powers turbines. Over 400 such facilities are in operation in the U.S. and more are in development. “The Environmental Protection Agency has thrown its weight behind this option, since it turns already-existing landfill into a source of at least some value and reduces the greenhouse gas emissions,” Breede says. “It’s attractive to some utilities that are trying to comply with alternative energy mandates.”
• Waste-to-energy. This type of facility takes raw material waste and converts it to energy by incinerating it at a high temperature. Most of the raw material comes in garbage collections. “A facility will contract with a municipality to collect its garbage to fuel the plant,” Breede says. “This process either generates heat or electricity or provides boiler fuel to generate steam or gas energy.”
• Biomass. “This way is more desirable to a utility, such as one getting rid of wooden poles,” Breede says. “Biomass facilities are reliant on this type of feedstock as a fuel source, thus they’ll pay for the material. A cement company may use this waste stream as its primary energy source.”
• Circular model. “Rather than just treat the remaining raw material as waste to be gotten rid of, companies can innovate by turning that material into input for a new product,” Breede says. “The circular economy has emerged as a value generator from both the business and environmental point of view.”

“Most options involve a trade-off between affordability and a level of environmental stewardship,” Breede says. “But thanks to innovation and collaboration, these are ways for companies to be much kinder to the environment.”

About Barry Breede

Barry Breede (barrybreede.com), author of Transforming the Utility Pole, is the chief innovation and marketing officer at Koppers Utility & Industrial Products―a national leader in the sale of wood utility poles. He leads the company’s efforts in commercializing new business ventures, products, and services. Breede also assists Cox Recovery, a Koppers subsidiary providing utilities with environmentally-friendly methods of disposing of wood waste. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Barry has also worked extensively in the innovation area with several global companies including Electrolux AB, Umbro International, and Specialized Bicycles. Barry currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.

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Speaker’s Task Force on Intergovernmental Affairs Announces Hearing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Lee Lonsberry 202 225 0453

WASHINGTON – On Friday, November 16, 2018 at 8:30 AM ET in the Veterans’ Affairs Committee Hearing Room, Cannon 340, the Speaker’s Task Force on Intergovernmental Affairs will hold a hearing titled, “Federalism Fixes: Legislative Concepts to Improve Intergovernmental Relations.

WHAT:

Speaker’s Task Force on Intergovernmental Affairs hearing. “Federalism Fixes: Legislative Concepts to Improve Intergovernmental Relations”

WHEN:

Friday, November 16, 2018 at 8:30 AM ET

WHERE:

Veterans’ Affairs Committee Hearing Room, Cannon 340

Witnesses will include:

Hon. Beth Pearce, Vermont State Treasurer and President, National Association of State Treasurers

Britta Beckstead, Western Governors’ Association

David Hemingway, Re-Empowerment of the States Amendment

BACKGROUND: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced the creation of the Task Force, a bipartisan group of lawmakers focused on balancing the interests between federal and local governments. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) has been appointed Chairman of the Task Force.