Industry News
>>SPFA Encourages Proper Insulation and Seal of Buildings to Reduce Asthma Triggers
Source: sprayfoam.org
The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA), the educational and technical voice to the spray polyurethane foam industry, today urged America’s consumers, businesses and builders to assist in the prevention of asthma and asthma related attacks through the use of responsible building materials and reduction of fossil fuel consumption in homes and commercial buildings. With an estimated 26 million Americans affected by the condition, and its proven direct link to air quality, the SPFA seeks to educate Americans on common ways to reduce its occurrence through the use of quality materials in the built environment.
>>DOE Announces $16 Million for 54 Projects to Help Commercialize Promising Energy Technologies
Source: energy.gov
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced nearly $16 million in funding to help businesses move promising energy technologies from DOE’s National Laboratories to the marketplace. This first Department-wide round of funding through the Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) will support 54 projects at 12 national labs involving 52 private-sector partners.
>>President Obama Signs TSCA Overhaul Into Law, as US EPA Begins Implementation
Source: natlawreview.com
On June 22, 2016 President Barack Obama signed into law the "Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act," the landmark legislation modernizing the decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The Lautenberg Act is the first substantive update of TSCA since it was passed 40 years ago in 1976 and signed into law by President Gerald Ford. The Lautenberg Act was approved by large majorities in both houses of Congress: a 403-12 margin in the US House on May 24, 2016, and by a unanimous voice vote in the US Senate on June 7, 2016.
>>AHRI, ASHRAE, DOE Partner to Fund Flammable Refrigerant Research
Source: ashrae.org
The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), ASHRAE, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are collaborating to fund research that will establish a more robust fact base about the properties and use of flammable refrigerants. This $5.2 million research program is part of an ongoing global effort to phase down the use of high-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and identify appropriate climate-friendly alternatives. Of the total, DOE is contributing $3 million, ASHRAE $1.2 million, and AHRI $1 million.
>>FYI Network and Loud TV's "Tiny House Nation" Utilizes Demilec Spray Foam Insulation
Source: prnewswire.com
Season three of FYI's hit television series "Tiny House Nation," produced by Loud TV, details the challenges and creative solutions for individuals and families trading their big lifestyles for the benefits of living tiny. In the recent episode, "Seven's Company," Demilec, one of North America's largest manufacturers of spray foam insulation and polyurea products, provided spray foam insulation to outfit a 545-square-foot home that would accommodate seven people, a couple and their five sons.
>>U.S. Chemical Production Edges Higher in May
Source: americanchemistry.com
According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) edged higher by 0.1 percent in May, following a 0.1 percent decline in April, and a 0.5 percent increase in March, as measured on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis. In May, all regions posted small gains.
>>Alliance To Save Energy’s CarbonCount Scoring Tool Brings Transparency To The Green Bond Market
Source: ase.org
The Alliance to Save Energy ("the Alliance") announced today the first application of its unique CarbonCount™ scoring system to a green bond issued by a global bank and financial services firm. The Alliance has certified that Deutsche Bank’s HA Rooftop I, LLC green loan – a pool of residential solar loans – is reducing 0.18 tons of CO2 for each $1,000 of the asset’s value.