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...While the eyes of the
world are focused on BP's activities in the Gulf, the company's
various divisions continue kucoin to conduct business as usual,
including a recent deal that includes technology licensed from
the University of Florida.
BP Biofuels of North America
entered an agreement to acquire Verenium Corporation's
cellulosic biofuels business for $98.3 million, the companies
announced last week.
That includes Cambridge, Mass.-based Verenium's technology that
uses enzymes to produce ethanol from woody and fibrous
materials, a process developed by UF Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences microbiologist Lonnie Ingram.
BP will take over a demonstration plant in Jennings, La., a
research and development facility in San Diego and is building a
biofuels plant in Highlands County....
from:
BP Biofuels takes over ethanol process developed by UF
by Anthony
Clark, Business editor, The
Gainesville Sun, Wednesday, July 21, 2010
(Click
here to read entire article)
The
debate over the use of corn-based
ethanol still makes news!!
from:
Ethanol gets skewered by recent CBO assessment
by Tom Philpott, July 16,
2010
"...The
CBO had been charged by Congress to calculate just what the
public is getting for its investment in ethanol production:
specifically, the $0.45/gallon tax credit that gasoline blenders
get for mixing ethanol into the fuel supply. In 2009, 10.8
billion gallons of corn ethanol got used in such a manner,
costing the federal Treasury $5.16 billion in reduced tax
revenue....
...The CBO report states the case bluntly: "Because the
production of ethanol draws so much energy from coal and natural
gas, it can be thought of as a method for converting natural gas
or coal to a liquid fuel that can be used for transportation."
The CBO is referring to the fact that it requires lots of energy
to convert a bushel of corn into engine fuel, and most ethanol
plants are powered by natural gas; the rest by coal. And that
doesn't account for the vast amount of synthetic nitrogen
fertilizer needed to grow the corn in the first place.
Synthesizing nitrogen, too, requires huge amounts of natural
gas....
►
Click here to read entire article
►
Click here to go the CBO (Congressional Budget
Office) report:
Using Biofuel Tax Credits to Achieve Energy and Environmental
Policy Goals
►
Another CBO Report:
Impact of Ethanol Use on Food Prices and Greenhouse-Gas
Emissions
"A group dedicated to strengthening
Letterkenny asked the owner of the Cumberland Valley Business
Park to transfer the land to Letterkenny to improve the depot's
military value. The request came less than two days after
Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for "closer, harsher
scrutiny" of Pentagon spending.
"What he said was coded talk to plan for another BRAC (base
realignment and closure commission)," said Dr. John Gray,
retired top-ranking civilian at Letterkenny.
BRAC planners look at "military value" and other issues when
judging installations...." from: 100 acres to go back to
Letterkenny Army Depot By Jim Hook,
Senior writer, Public Opinion, May 11, 2010 (Click
to read entire article)
"A tentative agreement between
Chambersburg Area school board and Team Letterkenny will return
108 acres of land to Letterkenny Army Depot. The board is
expected to overturn its 4-4 Wednesday vote that blocked the
deal....
...(Jerry) Warnement says the 108 acres are crucial to the
depot's survival. If the depot gets the land back, it will
immediately get to work building additional housing facilities
on-base for military employees, as well as morale, welfare and
recreation amenities....
...(Mike) Ross met with School Board President Stanley Helman,
who agreed to work to a resolution. In return, the depot will
maintain the softball field and make it available to the
district for use.
"The school board supports all actions to expand Letterkenny
Army Depot and grow jobs in Franklin County," (Stanley) Helman
said in a Team Letterkenny press release. "I look forward to
working with Team Letterkenny and the School Board to bring this
request to successful resolution...." from:
School district to return 108 acres to Letterkenny
by Rob Luff, Public
Opinion, April 24, 2009
"Chambersburg Area school board
voted down a request by Team Letterkenny to give 108 acres of
land back to Letterkenny Army Depot. Jerry Warnement of Team
Letterkenny says that land is imperative to preserving Franklin
County's number one employer, and by extension, the county's
economy....
Another BRAC is likely to occur soon, and Warnement said the
depot needs that land back so that it can provide Army housing
facilities, morale, welfare and recreation utilities.
With those utilities, it has a better chance for surviving the
next BRAC, because it is competing with four other depots that
do provide those amenities to military bitmex employees.
If a BRAC closes the depot, Franklin County could lose about
3600 jobs...."
from:
School district to keep Letterkenny land
by
Rob Luff, Public
Opinion, April 23, 2009
Excerpt from May 1998 letter to the BRAC
Environmental Coordinator re: use of land to be given to CASD:
"4.C - Barracks and
Residential Housing Area
This area consists of Kenny
Gardens, a former residential housing facility for military
personnel with families. It also has numerous
military-style wood structure buildings that provide office
space for depot operations. There are two areas on this
parcel that provide recreational opportunities.
School district proposed use includes leasing Kenny Gardens to
PA Minor Judiciary for housing district justices and judges as
they receive training in other areas of the depot."
►
Click
here to read the entire 1998 CASD Reuse letter to BRAC describing what
the CASD would do with the land if given it by LIDA.
► Click
here for a few photos of the Kenny Gardens and other CASD
buildings at LEAD almost 5 years after LIDA deeded the property
to the School District on January 30, 2003.
►
Add
or update your email address and/or your snail-mail address to
our lists for updates about CASD and the LEAD land by clicking
here!
What is "upcycling?" "...take waste, process it,
and turn it into a useful product.
The initial business plan was written for a business plan
contest sponsored by the Princeton Entrepreneurship Club.
The following summer, Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer made arrangements
with Princeton Dining Services to accept dining hall waste and
process it in their prototype 'Worm Gin'. The waste turned
out to be a bit messier than they had anticipated, but they
perservered....
...TerraCycle has been named one of the 100 most innovative
companies by Red Herring magazine and been awarded the
Environmental Stewardship Award from Home Depot Canada...."
Click to go to TerraCycle, Inc.
PA 33rd Senatorial District
race!!! "Alloway
said he would bring the DEP office back to Franklin County.
He also said the state doesn't need new laws but, rather,
enforcement of the current laws.
He said land preservation is important for this area...." from:
33rd Senatorial District candidates discuss the issues
by Roscoe Barnes III,
Public Opinion, 4/4/2008
"Alloway, of Chambersburg, Pa., the last of the four to address
the question, cited the need for better planning. He was the
only candidate to suggest reopening a local Department of
Environmental Protection office, an idea praised by DeEtta
Antoun, director of Citizens for a Quality Environment.
"Who doesn't want clean air and clean water?" Alloway asked.
"The question is, how are we going to do it? How are we going to
pay for it and how are we going to get it done? We need to
reopen the DEP and fund it properly."... from:
Pa. Senate candidates take questions at Fayetteville forum
by Chris Carter,
Herald-Mail.com, 4/4/08
►
The Franklin County PA Department of Environmental
Protection (PA DEP) closed its Chambersburg office in September
2005 after providing much needed local environmental
protection services to Franklin County for 18 years.
"Plans
for a "big box" retail store west of Chambersburg are making
their way through the approvals process. Design engineers have
submitted plans for connecting a 151,765-square-foot store to
sewer in Hamilton Township. Lennon, Smith, Souleret Engineering
Inc. of Coraopolis, however, have yet to submit a land
development or subdivision plan to Hamilton Township
Supervisors....
...Lennon, Smith, Souleret has designed projects for Wal-Mart,
Target and Home Depot. The company was the engineer for a
Wal-Mart Supercenter project localbitcoins abandoned in Kilbuck Township,
Allegheny County, when the construction site slid onto Pa. 65 in
September 2006....
...The "Hamilton Township Retail Center" would be built on 50
acres owned by H. Huber McCleary at Lincoln Way West (U.S. 30)
across from Warm Spring Road (Pa. 995), according to the sewage
planning module. The store would be at the rear of the lot, near
Crottlestown Road. A road, Commerce Drive, would connect Lincoln
Way to Crottlestown Road behind the township garages. The store
would have a main entrance with a grocery canopy on the left
side and a general merchandise canopy on the right.
The proposed store would be slightly smaller than the
184,000-square-foot Wal-Mart in Waynesboro and larger than the
133,000-square-foot Target at Chambersburg Crossing..."
from
Big
retailer--perhaps Wal-Mart--planned for Hamilton Township
by Jim Hook, Public
Opinion, July 1, 2008
June 30, 2008: Rumors have circulated for some time that
Walmart would be building a new store on Route 30, West of
Chambersburg, in Hamilton Township. It now appears that Walmart
may be seriously considering a new store north of Route 30 near
the entrance to Warm Spring Road? Have any plans been shown to
Hamilton Township officials? When will the public learn what is
planned?
"Americans waste more than 40 percent
of the food we produce for consumption. That comes at an annual
cost of more than $100 billion. At the same time, food prices
and the number of Americans without enough to eat continues to
rise...." from
WastedFood.com, Jonathan Bloom's website/Blogsite.
"...When you’re looking for it, you see food waste everywhere–at
restaurants, in large portions and even in your own
refrigerator. If more and more people recognize their own food
waste, we can take a bite out of this problem...."
(Click to wastedfood.com)
Important corn ethanol article!! "...the
green-fuel boom touted as a clean, eco-friendly alternative to
gasoline is proving to have its own dirty costs. Growing corn
demands lots of water, and, in eastern Colorado, this means
intensive irrigation from an already stressed water table, the
great Ogallala Aquifer. One sign of trouble: in just the past
two decades, farmers tapping into the local aquifers have helped
to shorten the North Fork of the Republican River, which starts
in Yuma County, by 10 miles. The ethanol boom will only hasten
the drop further, say scientist and engineers studying the
aquifers. The region's water shortage has pitted water-hungry
farmers against one another. And lurking in the cornrows:
lawsuits and interstate water squabbles could shut down eastern
Colorado's estimated $500 million annual ethanol bonanza with
the swing of a judge's gavel. Collectively, "[ethanol] is
clearly not sustainable," says Jerald Schnoor, a professor of
engineering at the University of Iowa and co-chairman of an
October 2007 National Research Council study for Congress that
was critical of ethanol....
...the effort to keep the good times rolling
locally has actually fueled a bitter Hatfield-vs.-McCoy
atmosphere in these parts. "There's definitely tension between
families," one long-time Yuma corn farmer said, who requested
anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. Here's the
trouble: eastern Colorado is painfully dry, but it sits on top
of one of the world's largest underground freshwater oceans—the
Ogallala Aquifer, which stretches from Montana to New Mexico.
Seepage from the Ogallala in eastern Colorado creates the
headwaters for the North Fork of the Republican River, which
flows past the Adamson family farm and into Nebraska and Kansas.
But before the Republican reaches the border, 4,000 groundwater
wells tap the Ogallala, which depletes the river further and
faster than rain or winter runoff can recharge it. Near Yuma
County, the water table has dropped more than 100 feet in the
past few decades, drying out Adamson's post holes."...
from:
Liquid Gold: Ethanol is supposed to be good
for the environment. But producing green fuel can cost a lot of
water. by
Jim Moscou, Newsweek Web Exclusive,
February 21, 2008
(Click to read)
December 14, 2007
"...Kinsley Construction
Inc., York, is the apparent low bidder for a contract to widen
the bridge to five lanes at Interstate 81's Exit 20. PennDOT
opened bids Thursday morning....
The new bridge will include two lanes of traffic in both
directions, a center left-turn lane and a 5-foot-wide sidewalk
along the south side edge.
The two-span bridge will be 70 feet wide -- more than twice as
wide as the existing 30-foot-wide bridge....
...About 12,100 vehicles daily travel
over the bridge. Trucks from Letterkenny Army Depot and
Cumberland Valley Business Park use it to access I-81, as do
vehicles going to Chambersburg Mall...."
York bidder may get contract to replace I-81 overpass at Pa. 997 by Jim Hook,
Public Opinion, 12/14/2007
December 12, 2007
"Bids
to widen the Pa. 997 bridge over Interstate 81 at Scotland are
to be opened Thursday....
One lane of traffic will be maintained on the bridge throughout
the construction period, according to Punt.
There will be no detour.
Traffic will travel the existing bridge while half of the new
bridge is built. Traffic will then shift to the new bridge, and
the other half of the bridge will be constructed and the old
bridge demolished.
The bridge at Exit 20 is in the worst condition of the 19
highway bridges crossing I-81 in Franklin County, according to
PennDOT inspection records. The bridge, built in 1963, is also
well-known for congestion...."
Bids to be opened Thursday for long-awaited bridge work at I-81,
Pa. 997 by Jim Hook,
Public Opinion, 12/12/2007
November 28, 2007
"The Army's top brass will honor
Letterkenny Army Depot civilian workers today for their role in
winning the third and fourth Shingo awards for the depot.
Letterkenny, the Army's only depot to win a Shingo Medallion
three years in a row, is the largest employer in Franklin
County.
Business Week has referred to the Shingo Prize as the "Nobel
prize of manufacturing" because it establishes a standard for
world-class excellence...."
Letterkenny earns Shingo prizes by
Jim Hook, Public Opinion, 11.29.07
(Click here)
Also see:
Brass salutes civilians: Letterkenny collects its Shingo awards by
Jim Hook, Public Opinion, 11.30.07
(Click to read)
November 27, 2007
Greene Township Supervisor's
Meeting, Franklin County
Greene Township
Supervisors approved a $200,000 Ag Preservation Disbursement
specifically for the preservation of 3 Greene Township farms.
This Disbursement will be combined with the Franklin County
Commissioner's Ag Preservation Program and state moneys to
purchase the development rights to the farms. Chairman,
Dave Jamison said that this is Greene Township money going to
preserve Green Township farms and will, thereby, help control
some of the growth in the Township.
Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania website
(Click)
November 23, 2007 NEW in
Franklin County, PA
"The Army has spent $118 million studying and cleaning up
tainted soils and groundwater at the depot north of Chambersburg
since 1982. The Army and its tenants has been one of the largest
employers in Franklin County since its inception during World
War II. Vehicle repair was Letterkenny's bread-and-butter for
decades....
...LIDA has been successful in attracting new industry despite
limited-depth excavations imposed by environmental conditions.
About 200 acres could get a clean bill of environmental
health because groundwater under it is clear of contaminants...."
25-year depot cleanup hits milestone
by Jim Hook, Public Opinion,
November 23, 2007
How has the BRAC 95 land
helped Franklin County?
►
LIDA's
Cumberland Valley Business Park (CVBP) currently has 40
businesses as tenants. These businesses employ 1,020
people.
Just a snapshot of the LIDA sales:
→ November
2007: Franklin County Area Development Corp. (FCADC) agreed to
pay $286,650 for 6.37 acres.
→
September 2007: A.C. Fergusson agreed to purchase 17 acres for
$1,660,000.
→ June
2007: $500,000 from a sale of 22 acres to FCADC
→ May
2006: LIDA approved the sale of three acres for $95,000 to G&R
Enterprise LLC for a proposed car wash and coffee shop.
→
Approximately 40 acres with WWII vintage warehouses is being
lease-purchased by The Woods Company--purchase price $2.1
million.
- $1 million lease-purchase agreement
with MAC Builders LLC, for 10 acres
- Bell Trucking purchased 3 acres at
the corner of Letterkenny Road West & Carbaugh Avenue for
$90,000.
►
$24 million Franklin County Jail is not included
in the above CVBP tenant/employee numbers. Franklin County Jail
has 135 employees and 370 inmates (could expand to hold
700).
→
County
Commissioner, Warren Elliot referred to the Jail as the "largest
construction project in the county's history..."
Public Opinion, May 2007
►
Letterkenny Army Depot currently has approximately
3,000 employees.
►
Chambersburg Area School District (CASD) uses
buildings on their land for Manito students and the sports
fields for practice sessions.
►
Local residents and The Fitness Club members
use the CASD area nearby roads for walking and running.
►
Rocky Spring Golf Course; United Churches of
Chambersburg; housing for Army personnel; LIDA created a large
wetland with a Growing Greener to process run-off
The preceding is not a complete listing.
(Click to a list of other CVBP tenants)
Water supplied to CVBP, the Army, the Jail, and School District
is from the Letterkenny Reservoir in Roxbury and goes through
the LIDA Franklin County General Authority's water treatment
plant.
Franklin County Elected Representatives:
Congressman Bill Shuster
United States House of Representatives
1108 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-3809
202-225-2431
202-225-2486 (fax)
Email a message to Rep. Shuster at:
http://www.house.gov/shuster/zipauth.htm
Rep.
Shuster's office in Chambersburg, PA:
100 Lincoln Way East, Suite B
Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-264-8308
717-264-0269 (fax)
Rob Kauffman
89th District State Representative
District Offices:
166 South Main Street
Chambersburg PA 17201
Tel: 717-264-3943
Fax: 717-264-2893
9974 Molly Pitcher Highway
Shippensburg PA 17257
Tel: 717-532-1707
Fax: 717-532-5043
Capitol Office:
163 East Wing
PO Box 202089
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2089
Tel: 717-705-2004
Fax: 717-783-1341
Email:
rkauffma@pahousegop.com
Website:
http://www.repkauffman.com/
July 19, 2007
Greenway and Open Space Plan for Franklin County, Public Meeting
was
held Thursday, July 19th in the Commissioners Meeting Room, 14 North Main
Street, Chambersburg at 10:00 AM.
"...The
Franklin County Planning Commission has outlined greenways -- linear open spaces
for walking, bicycling or canoeing -- that could enhance the quality of life in
the county.
The commission will present its countywide Greenways and Open Space Plan from 2
to 4 p.m. and again from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Norlo Park Community
Center off U.S. 30 south of Fayetteville. The public is invited to comment on
the draft plan....
"...Developing greenways and open space can provide recreational opportunities,
protect water quality and diminish flood risks," said Phil Tarquino, director of
the Franklin County Planning Office.
"The economic benefits of greenways and open space have been well established,"
Franklin County Planner Dan Wolfe said. "They attract new residents and
encourage new companies to locate in a region. They spin off new business
opportunities, such as bike and boat rentals, trailside restaurants and
lodgings. We have some of the most beautiful natural resources in the
commonwealth right here in Franklin County, and a network of greenways and open
space will allow us to tap into their economic potential."
Recreation gets a close look: County looks for ways to enhance use of greenways
by Jim Hook, Senior writer,
Public Opinion, May 22, 2007
(Click
to read entire article)
►
Click for more
about Implementing the Plans
-
Greene Township adopts Transportation
Impact Fee Ordinance, March 28, 2007
"Developers in Greene Township will help pay for road
improvements that are to maintain traffic flow on existing
roads once their developments are built.
Greene Township supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to
impose transportation impact fees across the township. They
approved the ordinance a day after adopting a $12.8 million
road improvement plan. Impact fees will pay a share of the
highway projects on the list. Impact fees are expected to
raise $7.8 million from development.
The one-time fees vary according to the seven geographic
transportation zones covering the township. The fees range
from $1,008 to $2,531 per additional vehicle added to
evening rush hour. Commercial and residential developers or
builders will pay the fee when they apply for building
permits....
"...I think we have a good
product," Supervisor Dave Jamison said. "It's final for at
least the next year when we will discuss it further...."
...DeEtta Antoun, director of Citizens for a Quality
Environment, commended the supervisors, their staff and
consultants for the "forward-looking" measure that will help
the township keep pace with development...."
Supervisors vote to impose fees by
Jim Hook, Senior Writer, Public Opinion,
March 29, 2007
►
Transportation Capital Improvement Plan approved
March 27, 2007, Pages 1-12
(Click to read pdf file)
►
Exhibit 3 Implementation Schedule -
from the
Transportation Capital Improvement Plan
(Click to read pdf file) Use the Zoom Tool for a
better view of page details
►
Exhibit 4 Project Costs -
from the
Transportation Capital Improvement Plan
(Click to read pdf file) Use the Zoom Tool for a better
view of page details
►
Click for
Greene Township website
-
"A $12 million road
improvement plan in Greene Township would be financed by new
development. An advisory committee to the Greene Township
supervisors is to unveil the plan on Thursday. Building a
home in Greene Township is expected to become more expensive
as developers pass down the cost of township transportation
impact fees, ranging from $1,147 to $3,095 per home.
Commercial developers also would pay the fee calculated on
each vehicle trip they add to rush-hour traffic…."
"...The Greene Township Impact Fee Advisory Committee hosts
a public hearing about the township's proposed
transportation impact fees at 7 p.m. Thursday in the
municipal building, 1145 Garver Lane, Scotland. A copy of
the transportation plan can be reviewed at the township
office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays." Excerpts from:
Fees
may hike new home costs by Jim Hook,
Public Opinion, January
23, 2007
►
Costs & Revenues of Residential Development:
A Workbook for Local Officials and Citizens
-
Community Impact Model in
PDF (Click)
►
Penn State website: Community Impact Model
(Click)
-
Antrim Township's Conservation by Design Ordinance -
Click to go to webpage
-
Randall Arendt - an advocate of "conservation planning"
(Click to
website)
-
The Conservation Fund
(Click to website)
-
"Green Buildings" Info
(Click to PADEP website for this info)
-
The Nature Conservancy's Conservation by Design page
(Click to website)
-
Pennsylvania Greenways
(Click to
website)
-
The Economic Impact of
Base Closure: Letterkenny Army Depot and Franklin County
by Center for Land Use Study:
Shippensburg University, Jack Benhart, Ph.D.; Brendan
Finucane, Ph.D.; Kurt Fuellhart, Ph.D.
(Click to read)
-
Information about
Bridge on Route 997 over Route 81
(Click to go to page)
-
Franklin County, Pennsylvania Planning Commission
(Click to
website)
-
Protecting Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) from encroachment
(Click for more information)
-
Greene Township, Franklin County, Comprehensive Plan
(Click here to review the First Final Draft Comprehensive Plan)
Greene Township's
Comprehensive plan is available through their office
for a $25.
--all documents and maps are in PDF format
"State Rep. Rob
Kauffman (R-Cumberland/Franklin) extends congratulations to
DeEtta Antoun on being appointed to the Department of
Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Citizens Advisory Council....
"At
Kauffman’s recommendation, Antoun was recently appointed by
Speaker of the House John M. Perzel (R-Philadelphia) to the DEP
Citizens Advisory Council. DeEtta has been the director of
Citizens for a Quality Environment in Chambersburg since
2004...."
►
Click
to read the entire announcement on Representative Rob Kauffman's
website
►
Click
to learn more about the Citizens Advisory Council to DEP
"Smart growth recognizes connections between
development and quality of life."
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(Click)
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