Standards & Compliance Briefing: Prop.65 Reforms, ISO 14001 Revision, LEED-CI

by | May 9, 2013

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Governor Jerry Brown (pictured) has proposed reforms to California’s Proposition 65 chemical disclosure law, saying it has been “abused by unscrupulous lawyers.” The package of reforms will build on ongoing legislative efforts in the state, Brown said, and includes proposals to cap attorneys’ fees in Prop. 65 cases, change the situations in which warnings are needed, and require plaintiffs to better demonstrate the support for their claims.

The American Apparel & Footwear Association applauded the Prop. 65 proposal. The AAFA strongly opposes Prop. 65, saying the measure has become a “feeding frenzy for bounty hunters and litigants,” Just-Style reports. Meanwhile, in the Sacramento Bee, the Center for Environmental Health warned that if penalties are lowered too much, companies would lose their incentive to remove chemicals from products.

The International Standards Organization’s revision of the ISO 14001 environmental management standard will likely increase demand for regulatory compliance services, and may significantly change how companies treat environmental factors as part of their business goals, according to Enhesa’s Tjeerd Hendel-Blackford, writing for EHS Today. The first draft of the revision is expected this spring, with the final version due in 2015.

EMC‘s Durham Center of Excellence data center, Phases I and II, in Durham, N.C. has received LEED Commercial Interiors Gold certification, according to architects Symmes Maini & McKee Associates. The design cut EMC’s overall carbon footprint by 100 million pounds of CO2 and qualified for $660,000 in power company rebates, SMMA said. The project’s HVAC design provides over 5,500 hours of free cooling per year, or about 62.8 percent of cooling needs.

Standards are needed for the sustainability impacts of bioenergy crops, to harmonize efforts in the US, Brazil and Europe, according to Jody Endres, University of Illinois professor of energy and environmental law and chair of the Council on Sustainable Biomass Production (CSBP), interviewed for Science Daily. She said such an effort will be vital for the airline industry because of looming carbon reduction regulations in Europe.

NETA has released ANSI/NETA ATS-2013, Standard for Acceptance Testing Specifications for Electrical Power Equipment and Systems. This covers equipment including switchgear, transformers, circuit breakers, protective relays, rotating machinery, motors, capacitors, batteries and emergency systems, Electric Construction & Maintenance reports.

Multi-Contact, a provider of electrical connectors to the photovoltaic industry, has achieved ISO 14001 certification, according to Solar Novus Today. Bureau Veritas certified the company’s headquarters in Allschwil, Switzerland, as well as two subsidiaries in Weil am Rhein and Essen, Germany.

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