CAGW Questions Healthcare Plan Options Presented to the Dougherty County Commission

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On behalf of its 24,965 members and supporters in Georgia, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today called for the public release of the details related to how insurance broker Kirk Rouse made recommendations to the Dougherty County Commission on changes to the health care plan for county employees. CAGW President Tom Schatz sent a letter to the county commissioners expressing concerns and asking questions about the process.

Schatz wrote, "The Commission ... has an obligation to select a plan through an open, fair and competitive bid process that provides the best possible quality health care at the lowest possible cost. ... Mr. Rouse owes the Commissioners and the taxpaying public a full accounting of how he arrived at his recommendations. He should reveal all options that were available to him. Simply comparing various forms of exclusive deals for Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is not the kind of rigorous exercise that the county employees and the public deserve."

The letter questioned whether or not a formal request for proposal was issued, whether competitive bids were considered that did not require exclusive bids for Phoebe Putney or Palmyra Medical Center, what kind of criteria Mr. Rouse used, and how he reached his recommendation for the commission.

Mr. Schatz's letter added, "Basic free market principles dictate that identifying an alternative health care plan that offers a choice should provide better savings than an exclusive arrangement with either hospital. Dougherty County taxpayers deserve the benefit of any additional savings that can be achieved by identifying a plan that offers in-network choice. Mr. Rouse has not done his job until he has explored this option for the county employees and taxpayers."

The Dougherty County Commission is scheduled to meet Monday, November 17, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. at the Central Square Government Center, 222 Pine Avenue, Albany, Georgia to make a final decision on the proposed changes to the County employee health care plan.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

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Waste Management and Sony Electronics to Host Free Electronics Recycling Event

PRNewswire/ -- To encourage consumers to recycle electronic devices in an environmentally sound manner, Sony Electronics Inc. and Waste Management Recycle America are asking Atlanta-area residents to take action and recycle their old electronics for free Nov. 22 at Turner Field from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first 2,000 participants to drop off their unwanted electronics will receive a free, environmentally friendly cloth tote.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 82 percent of the 2.25 million tons of old TVs, cell phones and computer products generated in the last two years ended up in landfills. By recycling old electronics products, useful materials -- such as glass, plastic and metals -- can be collected and re-used in the manufacture of other products. Since their partnership began, Sony Electronics and Waste Management have collected more than 11.1 million pounds of electronics waste, and the companies anticipate that number will grow exponentially as they continue to host events throughout the country.

Typically, residents would need to pay for their electronics to be properly collected and recycled, but as part of their ongoing efforts to help consumers recycle electronic devices safely, Sony Electronics and Waste Management are picking up the tab for this weekend's event, where any brand of electronics will be collected for free. In addition, the companies have committed to collecting and processing these items in an environmentally sound manner.

Both Sony and Waste Management are signatories to the Basel Action Network's Manufacturers' Commitment to Responsible E-Waste Recycling. The actions signify the companies' agreement to conduct their electronics recycling programs transparently and in accord with rigorous environmental and worker safety standards, and adhere to measures to prevent the export of hazardous e-waste to developing countries.

The event is part of Sony Electronics' ongoing Take Back Recycling program, which provides free recycling for Sony products. This national effort is also bringing attention to recycling e-waste and educating the public that there are alternatives to trashing electronics, and that -- through recycling -- natural resources can be used again and greenhouse emissions are reduced in the process.

"Sony Electronics intends to lead the industry in environmental stewardship by providing consumers with end-of-life solutions through our Take Back Recycling Program," said Mark Small, vice president of environment, safety and health for Sony Electronics. "These special recycling events help us inform consumers that with Waste Management, Sony Electronics has established a local permanent drop-off location which they can use all year long to recycle their electronics when unplugged for the last time."

This coming February, all television stations will transition from broadcasting on analog airwaves to digital. Some older televisions will not be able to pick up the digital transmission, so Sony Electronics and Waste Management are taking a proactive approach to this issue by offering residents a permanent network of drop-off points that gives consumers a convenient way to recycle their old televisions through the Take Back Recycling Program, through which this weekend's event is possible.

"People are seeking services to help them recycle electronic waste responsibly and economically," said Matthew Coz, vice president of Growth and Commodity Sales, Waste Management Recycle America. "We hope to collect as much recyclable material as possible through this free event. It is our way of demonstrating a shared commitment with the community, by providing outstanding customer service and environmental stewardship."

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New UGA Biomass Technology Dramatically Increases Ethanol Yield from Grasses and Yard Waste

University of Georgia researchers have developed a new technology that promises to dramatically increase the yield of ethanol from readily available non-food crops, such as Bermudagrass, switchgrass, Napiergrass—and even yard waste.

“Producing ethanol from renewable biomass sources such as grasses is desirable because they are potentially available in large quantities,” said Joy Peterson, professor of microbiology and chair of UGA’s Bioenergy Task Force. “Optimizing the breakdown of the plant fibers is critical to production of liquid transportation fuel via fermentation.” Peterson developed the new technology with former UGA microbiology student Sarah Kate Brandon, and Mark Eiteman, professor of biological and agricultural engineering.

The new technology features a fast, mild, acid-free pretreatment process that increases by at least 10 times the amount of simple sugars released from inexpensive biomass for conversion to ethanol. The technology effectively eliminates the use of expensive and environmentally unsafe chemicals currently used to pretreat biomass.

The technology is available for licensing from the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc., which has filed a patent application.

Inexpensive waste products—including corn stover or bagasse, the waste from corn and sugar cane harvests, fast-growing weeds—and non-food crops grown for biofuel, such as switchgrass, Napiergrass and Bermudagrass, are widely viewed as the best sustainable resources for ethanol made from biofuels.

“Using non-food crops that can be grown on marginal lands, like grasses, and fibrous waste streams like corn stover, is important because of the ongoing food-versus-fuel debate,” said Peterson. “When agricultural crops, such as corn or potatoes, are grown for biofuels production, the cost of the starting material may fluctuate greatly because of competing demands for food and feed. The trade-off with using a biomass like grasses is that grasses are harder to break apart than corn or potatoes, and the cost of making the same fuel, like ethanol, rises.”

Developing an efficient, cost-effective process to convert the fibrous stalks, leaves, and blades of plant wastes into simple sugars is the biggest challenge to bio-based ethanol production. Thick, complex plant cell walls are highly resistant to efforts to break them down.

Currently, woody biomass requires soaking under high pressure and temperatures in expensive, environmentally aggressive bases or acids before it is subjected to enzymes that digest it, producing simple sugars. The harsh pretreatment solutions subsequently must be removed and disposed of safely. They also cause formation of side products that can slow down the conversion of the sugars into ethanol.

In contrast, the environmentally friendly UGA technology eliminates the expense of harsh pretreatment chemicals and their disposal, and the formation of side products is minimal.

“The new technology has commercial application for the biomass industry, including producers of sugar cane, corn, switchgrass, Napiergrass and other woody biomass crops,” said Gennaro Gama, UGARF technology manager responsible for licensing this technology. “It may also help renewable energy and biofermentation companies—and local governments.

“By allowing for the use of myriad raw materials, this technology allows more options for ethanol facilities trying to meet nearby demand by using locally available, inexpensive starting materials,” he added. “This would greatly reduce the costs and carbon footprint associated with the delivery of raw materials to fermentation facilities and the subsequent delivery of ethanol to points of sale. Local production of ethanol may also protect specific areas against speculative fluctuations in fuel prices.

“It’s easy to imagine that this easy-to-use, inexpensive technology could be used by local governments, alone or in partnership with entrepreneurs, to meet local demand for ethanol, possibly using yard waste as a substrate,” he said.