Environmentalists sue Bush Administration

In December, a coalition of environmental organizations which includes CTA, Sierra Club and Greenpeace, announced that it is suing the Bush Administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its continued failure to take action on global warming. "The EPA's stalling tactics are doing real damage in the fight against global warming," said Joseph Mendelson, Legal Director of the International Center for Technology Assessment (CTA), one of the plaintiffs. "It's time for the Bush Administration to get its head out of the sand." Bush's stance on the Kyoto protocol and clean air plan were cited as two factors for the push.

Siemens Westinghouse signs long-term service plan contracts

The Instrumentation & Controls Division of Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation (SWPC) headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, announced it has signed Long Term Service Plan (LTSP) contracts with eight customers in recent months. The scope of the awarded LTSP's include free failed parts replacement, hotline support, and field service support. The companies were not named.

Canada gives thumbs-up to Kyoto

In the week before Christmas, Canada ratified Kyoto; however, implementation is contingent upon ratification by other countries. According to Lehman Brothers, this would negatively impact most, if not all, oil and gas operations in Canada; they describe the potential cost of Kyoto as "currently unclear."