Kathleen Chuchra-Zbytniuk

November 11, 2011

In the early 2000's, investigators from the Environmental Protection Agency and Immigration and Customs Enforcement participated in "Operation Cool Breeze" and busted the Freon smuggling enterprise of three brothers, Amar, Ahed, and OmranAlghazoulis. The brothers were buying R-12 Freon smuggled into the United States from Mexico. R-12 Freon was banned in the United States under the Montreal Protocol as an ozone depleting substance. The brothers operation was suspected to be linked to funding terrorist organizations but these allegations could not be proven. Freon smuggling operations persist with another ozone-depleting refrigerant HCFC-22. This summer, the same investigators participated in "Operation Catch-22" that resulted in the 18 month prison sentence of a Miami man for smuggling $1.5 million worth of HCFC-22 into the United States.

John McArdle, Three Freon-Smuggling Brothers, a Lingering Mystery,Greenwire, (Nov. 9, 2011), http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2011/11/09/1.

A superior court in Vermont allowed the utility, Green Mountain Power Corp. to continue blasting a crane path for the construction of 21 wind turbines. The land adjacent to Green Mountain Power Corp.'s wind turbine project is owned by Don and Shirley Nelson. The Nelsons are prevented from using some of their property due to the blasting and are challenging the blasting as inference with the exclusive use of their property. They are appealing the decision to the Vermont Supreme Court. Protesters are attempting to prevent the blasting by camping out on the Nelsons property despite a court order barring them from the blasting zone.

Terri Hallenbeck, Neighbor Appeals Decision Over Lowell Wind Project Blasting, Burlington Free Press(Nov. 9, 2011), http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111109/NEWS07/111090305/Neighbor-appeals-decision-over-Lowell-wind-project-blasting?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE.

The Greater Hartford Transit District received a $295,398 grant from the EPA for repowering six diesel powered transit buses in an effort to reduce diesel emissions. The buses operate in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The grant covers 75% of the costs to repower the engines and is expected to greatly reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions. The EPA has also granted funds to other New England entities and environmental agencies to repower older diesel engines.

Paula Ballentine, EPA Provides the Greater Hartford Transit District with $295,398 to Reduce Emissions with Transit Bus Engine Repowers, EPA (Nov. 7, 2011), http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/e59e1789c00883dc85257941006c1ac5?OpenDocument.

The governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, is not likely to join other Northeast states supporting a federal rule requiring coal-fired plants to reduce particle and ozone-creating pollutantsby the November 14 deadline. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection says that due to New Jersey's high air pollution standards the rule would have little impact on power plants in the state. However, environmental groups point out that the rule would reduce pollution blown into New Jersey from other states.

Carolyn Beeler, As Deadline Looms, Christie Shows No Sign of Backing EPA Pollution Rule, newsworks (Nov. 7, 2011), http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/health-science/item/29420-pollute.

Ten Northeast states and the District of Columbia have created the Northeast Electric Vehicle Network to work towards the goal of reducing dependence on of oil in the region. The Network will raise funds from public and private sources to build electric vehicle infrastructure, such as charging stations in the Northeast. They hope that the efforts will increase the use of electric vehicles by residents and businesses. The Department of Energy granted the Network $994,500 to begin planning.

Amy Cholia, 11 Northeast States Team Up to Create an Electric Vehicle Charging Network, smartplanet (Nov. 4, 2011), http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/transportation/11-northeast-states-team-up-to-create-an-electric-vehicle-charging-network/1187.