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Tools to Follow the Money Tip of the Week - Attend Reverse Tradeshows and Exhibit Tradeshows of your Area Chapters of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing. A Reverse Tradeshow by NIGP is the most awesome experience I have ever had visiting a Tradeshow. Each Governmental Agency Exhibiting will assist you on how to become their Vendor. Check out this NIGP Directory for Chapters in your Service Area: NIGP Chapter Websites 

Here is an Example by the Oregon Chapter, of their Reverse Tradeshow coming up March 16, 2010. Oregon Public Purchasing Association Reverse Trade Show 

To locate City, County and State Purchasing Offices go to my ” Tools to Follow the Money ” Blog Entry, there you will find a complete Directory of Governmental Resources.

01/29/10 Presidio & Valentine, TX - Presidio received a $12.25 million grant to construct a new wastewater treatment facility, Valentine received a $2.5 million grant to install a wastewater collection and treatment facility - the Alpine Avalanche: Read More 

01/29/10 San Juan County, NM - Contract Awarded to a Phoenix company, Shiya-Strephans Contracting for the $3.2 million sewer line extension project in Kirtland - the Daily Times: Read More 

01/29/10 Beaver Dam, WI - Up-Date on Beaver Dams $20 Million Wastewater Treatment Facility Up-Grade - the Daily Citizen: Read More 

01/29/10 Dinuba, CA - $611,000 Stimulus loan received to install improved motors, pumps, lighting systems and controls to improve the energy efficiency of its wastewater reclamation plant - Yuba Net: Read More 

01/29/10 Westborough, MA - $7.04 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants and State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing will be used toward a $64 million upgrade to the Westborough Wastewater Treatment Plant - Community Advocate: Read More 

01/27/10 State of Massachusetts - Governor Patrick and Congressman Neal noted that $185 million in federal recovery funds for water infrastructure improvements will support statewide construction projects worth nearly $800 million, maintaining and creating thousands of jobs across Massachusetts, including $15.1 Million to upgrade the wastewater treatment facility in Sturbridge - the Gov Monitor: Read More 

01/26/10 Homer, IL - Contracts Awarded to Schomburg & Schomburg of Danville in the amount of $2,548,097 for construction of a waste water plant, and to Cross Construction of Urbana in the amount of $7,098,058 for the construction of the collection system, all Stimulus funded - the News Gazette: Read More 

01/26/10 Marlborough, Westborough, MA - $3.7 million in stimulus money for Marlborough and $7 million for Westborough to upgrade their Wastewater Treatment facilities - the Metro West Daily News: Read More 

01/26/10 Maynard, MA - $9.5 million in low-interest loans and $1.2 million in Stimulus grants are to fund Towns Wastewater Treatment Plant Up-Grades - Maynard Beacon Villager via Wicked Local: Read More 

01/25/10 Provincetown & Wellfleet, MA - $21.83 million in total grants for Provincetown with another $6 in grants for Wellfleet to cover Water and Wastewater Projects - Wellfleet/Provincetown Banner via Wicked Local: Read More 

01/25/10 Portland (Jay County), IN - $27,924 ARRA Energy Grant Awarded for solar water heating for a waste water treatment facility - Winchester News Gazette: Read More 

01/25/10 Putnam, CT - $15 million for a massive upgrade of the town’s wastewater plant and the expansion of Putnam’s well field - Norwich Bulletin: Read More 

01/23/10 Charleston, IN - $1.3 Million Stimulus Loan to pay for Sewer Line Extensions to Highview and Lakeview subdivisions - News and Tribune: Read More 

01/23/10 Perquimans County, NC - $3 million ARRA Grant was awarded for improvements to Winfall Water Treatment Plant - the Daily Advance: Read More 

If you get an Error Message from any “Read More” Hyperlink, let me know and I will try to restore the Link - Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net or Phone: (239)340-9371 - www.GeneratorDealerMarketNews.com

Chuck Stolberg was one of the first people I met in the pump industry. We immediately connected. We were both former sportswriters who made the transition from newspapers to the world of pumps. “The pump industry can be a sport,” he told me when I joined him and his wife, Carol, for a lovely dinner in St. Louis in the spring of 2008. “The good news . . . we are all on the same team.”

It is with great sadness that the entire Pumps & Systems family says goodbye to Stolberg, long-time executive director of the Submersible Wastewater Pump Association (SWPA) and a loyal member of the P&S Editorial Advisory Board. He was an engaging man with a passionate dedication to work and family. It was my pleasure to know him.

He was 61.

Stolberg led the development of SWPA engineering guides such as The Submersible Pump Handbook and The Submersible Grinder Pump Handbook, as well as educational PowerPoint-based programs focused on promotion of submersible pump technology.

“He has been the backbone of the Association for decades,” says Bob Domkowski, business development manager for ITT Water & Wastewater and a SWPA Executive Board Member. “Through his tireless efforts, the Association membership grew, serving the needs of the member submersible pump manufacturers. Under his leadership, membership statistical reporting programs were expanded and the annual Submersible Pump Industry Outlook and SWPA college scholarship programs were initiated.”

Stolberg was involved in SWPA for about 25 years and served as executive director most of that time.

“He has always been the driving force behind the organization, and has used his extensive industry knowledge and contacts to develop and improve the SWPA organization to the point it is today,” says Chris Caldwell, director of engineering for ABS USA and president of SWPA. “Chuck was a very kind and gentle man, with a friendly easygoing nature. He cared deeply about the SWPA organization and its members. I will miss his knowledge and leadership, but the organization will continue, and we are determined to recover from this loss.”

Stolberg is survived by his wife, three children and seven grandchildren. Please leave your comments to this post, and I will be sure to send your condolences to his family.

Tool to Follow the Money Tip of the Week - Onvia Government Analytics: Recovery.org for Business - I noticed Water Projects mentioned.

To locate City, County and State Purchasing Offices below go to my “Tools to Follow the Money” Blog Entry, there you will find a complete Directory of Governmental Resources.

01/22/10 Jemez Pueblo, NM - The Jemez Pueblo Indian Tribe is to use Stimulus Grants and Loan to build a 30 acre Solar Farm. Their plans are to sell the electrical power to finance the construction of New Drinking Water Systems - Native American Times: Read More 

01/22/10 Wheaton, IL - Work is under way on a $16 million, nearly 3-mile wastewater pipeline that is funded entirely through federal stimulus grants and loans the Chicago Tribune: Read More 

01/21/10 Rock County, WI - A $6 Million Jobs Training Stimulus Grant includes training Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators - GazetteXtra: Read More 

01/20/10 Wrightstown, NJ - A $750,000 Defense Department grant will pay for a $500,000 wastewater-management plan to help accommodate new development near Fort Dix - Philadelphia Inquirer: Read More 

01/18/10 Logan, UT - Stimulus Funds to partially cover the installation of a power-generating micro-turbine inside a culinary water line - the Herald Journal: Read More 

01/17/10 Catawba County, NC - $2.7 million water loop in the Blackburn-Plateau area. Half of the Stimulus money is a zero-interest bond and the other half is grant funding. The Hickory Daily Record: Read More 

If you get an Error Message from any “Read More” Hyperlink, let me know and I will try to restore the Link - Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net  or Phone: (239)340-9371 - www.GeneratorDealerMarketNews.com

Follow the Money Tip this Week – Federal Bid Opportunities for Pumps, Water & Wastewater Treatment Plants - www.FBO.gov  - Type in Pump, Water or Wastewater for Keyword then hit Search. Some are labeled as Recovery Projects.

To locate every City, County, State and Federal Purchasing Agency mentioned below; refer back to my Blog Section:  Tools to Follow the Money 

01/15/10 Newark, DE - University of Delaware is awarded a $1.1 Million National Science Foundation Research Grant to study Delaware Estuary mud - Udaily: Read More 

01/14/10 Paso Robles, CA - Awarded a contract to the engineering firm Black & Veatch for final design of the city’s wastewater treatment plant upgrade - Paso Robles Press: Read More 

01/14/10 Georgetown, IN - $3.5 Million in Stimulus Funds awarded for new Wastewater Treatment Plant Construction - The News and Tribune: Read More 

01/13/10 New Buffalo, MI - OK is given to proceed on $3.7 Million Stimulus Funded Water Treatment Plant - South Bend Tribune: Read More 

01/12/10 La Salle, IL - Awarded a contract to replace the wastewater treatment plant’s aeration catwalks to La Salle-based Valley Fabrication - News Tribune: Read More 

01/11/10 Corinth, MS - P.F. Moon and Co. of West Point, Ga., was awarded the contract to construct the water treatment plant. The contract to build the water transmission and distribution lines from the treatment plant to Corinth was awarded to Kajacks Contractors of Maumelle, Ark - IStock Analyst: Read More 

01/08/10 Maryville, IL - Over $1.2 Million Stimulus Funds were awarded for Water System Improvements including a booster pump station - The Edwardsville Intelligence: Read More 

01/08/10 Kingston Water District in Shoshone County and the city of Weston in Franklin County each receive $600,000 low interest Stimulus Loans for Drinking Water Projects - Idaho Business Review: Read More 

If you get an Error Message from any Read More Hyperlinks, let me know and I will try to restore the Live Link - Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net or Phone: (239)340-9371 – www.GeneratorDealerMarketNews.com

Top level industry executives are returning to basic business fundamentals in order to survive in an economic climate that remains uncertain. Each January, Pumps & Systems publishes a report on the State of the Industry. As a sign of the times, this year we decided to take a new spin and focus specifically on “Succeeding in Today’s Economy.”

We once again asked a distinguished panel of industry executives to comment on business trends and strategies and more important, we asked them to forecast ideas for moving forward in 2010.

Based on their expert insight, the impact of the Stimulus Package continues to be a common topic of discussion. The industry is finally feeling some positive effects from the bill that has promised to provide a multi-billion dollar boost to the pump industry, particularly in the water and wastewater sectors.

Most executives are not waiting on (or counting on) government funds. They are focusing on business fundamentals and finding creative ways to produce more efficient products and services. Key strategies on the minds of industry executives include managing talent, streamlining processes, reducing operating costs, improving plant performance, managing and controlling inventory, becoming globally diverse and continuing to focus on improving technology.

According to Grundfos Pumps USA President Dennis Wierzbicki, managing supply chains will also be an important strategy for 2010. “As the U.S. begins to grow again, and it will, manufacturers’ approach to markets will be critical for supply chain partners to understand,” he says. “Confusing people in the supply chain will only make it difficult to sell your products and more important for end users to get access.

“Beyond this, the basic business axioms will be needed. Continue to improve processes to be more efficient for the customer and reduce costs. Continue to focus on inventory management, manufacturing excellence and relationship management with shareholders.”

One theme that seems to be a unanimous strategy for companies to succeed in today’s turbulent economy is a continued focus on the customer. “In the end, it is the customers’ perception that matters,” Wierzbicki says. “Interestingly enough, the customers’ needs are what always seem to provide the compass to develop plans.”

Follow the Money Tip this Week - American Recovery Act Stimulus Awards & Contracts for Pumps & Systems - Type in Pump, Water or Wastewater for Keyword then hit Search at: Stimulus Watch.org

To locate every City, County, State and Federal Purchasing Agency mentioned below; refer back to my Blog Section:  Tools to Follow the Money 

01/08/10 Lorain County, OH - $5 Million in ARRA Stimulus Funds to pay for 37 Miles of new Sewer Lines being installed - The Chronicle Telegram: Read More 

01/08/10 Marianas Islands, Saipan - $2.8 Million in ARRA Stimulus Funds approved for CUC Water and Wastewater Projects - Saipan Tribune: Read More 

01/07/10 Clovis, NM - $1 Million approved for Wastewater Re-use Project moving water from the Treatment Plant to Industrial Uses - Clovis News Journal: Read More 

01/07/10 Newark, DE - University of Delaware receives EPSCoR Grants to research the distribution of PPCPs in Delaware water systems - Udaily: Read More 

01/06/10 Bayonne, NJ - $5.6 million contract to build a 262-foot windmill that will power a sewage pump station awarded to Fai Gon Electrical Contractors - the Jersey Journal: Read More 

01/05/10 Prescott, AZ - Bid Award for Water Improvements and various wastewater improvements to CLM Earthmovers, LLC, in an amount not to exceed $1,313,693.46 – Prescott News: Read More 

01/05/09 Evesham, NJ - $3.5 Million in Stimulus Funds will now allow the Evesham Municipal Utilities Authority will move forward with a much needed sewer system project - The Marlton Telegram: Read More 

01/01/10 Laramie, WY - $1.2 Million in ARRA Stimulus Funds will contribute toward $2.5 Million Damaged Water Line Project - Laramie Boomerang: Read More 

If you get an Error Message from any Read More Hyperlinks, let me know and I will try to restore the Live Link - Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net or Phone: (239)340-9371

In a previous blog I made reference to the potential impact of pending environmental regulations.  Now I would like to comment specifically on Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS).  A great deal of money and resources have been focused on curtailing the release of new greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere.  The choices are really simple:  emit less carbon dioxide through a combination of conservation, efficiency improvements, nuclear power, and alternative energy, or continue to burn fossil fuels, but somehow capture and subsequently sequester the resulting carbon before it enters the atmosphere. 

As stated in my earlier blog we will all feel the impact of the regulations currently being debated in DC.  Unless you have been in a coma for the past couple of years or on another plant you have been exposed to the debate over CO2 emissions and the various technologies to mitigate same specifically CCS technology.  What will this technology cost, short term and long term and how will this impact the bottom line at the power generator and the end user?  The jury is still out on the actual cost however I would like to address some very valid concerns over the financial impact. 

First I would like to “clear the air” on global warming.  CO2 emission is an international issue therefore corrective action requires worldwide participation (think jet stream).  Successful implementation of a CO2 emissions program can and will only be successful if we have the buy in and full cooperation of every CO2 emitting country in the world.  Has this happened, what was agreed on in Copenhagen?  The simple answer is nothing yet the US continues to push forward with the Climate Change Bill and Cap and Trade to address a debatable global warming issue.   Whether you agree with the current mindset or not, the fact remains that legislation to regulate the emissions of greenhouse gases is presently before Congress, and will likely become law this year, or next.  If you think we are in an economic crunch now wait until our politicians in DC pass the current legislation.  CCS alone will require millions of dollars in upgrades, who is going to pay for the necessary modifications required to meet the proposed emissions standards?  The power utilities will have to raise capital to add the additional equipment and like any other publicly traded company the capital investment will impact their stock value.  By the way, this is assuming the plant can be upgraded many older plants will not be able to meet the new standards.  Now add to the equation the additional power (parasitic load) required to run the CCS process, according to EPRI “There will inevitably be additional costs associated with CCS.  EPRI’s latest estimates suggest that the cost of electricity from new coal plants (IGCC or supercritical PC) designed for capture, compression, transportation and storage of the CO2 will be 40-80% higher than the cost of electricity of a conventional supercritical PC plant..”  I have heard up to 80,000 additional horsepower which will reduce the net MW output of the plant further reducing the plants profit margin.  The power company has no choice but to pass the cost on to the consumer. 

What is CCS and how does it work?   Carbon Capture and Sequestration is a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CCS captures the CO2 emissions from coal power plants and other industrial sites and injects the CO2 into underground porous rock formations in hopes of permanent sequestration.  It complements two other major approaches for greenhouse gas reduction, namely improving energy efficiency and increasing use of non-carbon energy sources.  All three approaches will need to make significant contributions in order to meet the objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that is the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.  

There are two primary types of carbon capture as applicable to the power generation industry:

Pre Combustion – This technology is part of what is being pushed as “clean coal.” Some proposed new coal power plants are Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle plants (IGCC) which uses pre-combustion carbon capture. Pre-combustion CO2 capture relates to gasification plants, where fuel is converted into gaseous components by applying heat under pressure in the presence of steam. CO2 can be captured from the synthesis gas that emerges from the coal gasification reactor before it is mixed with air in a combustion turbine. The most common configuration involves gasification with air or oxygen.

Post combustion – attempts to capture CO2 after the fuel has already been burned. This includes the carbon scrubbers systems and could potentially be applied to all existing power plants. Pulverized coal plants, which comprise 99 percent of all coal-fired power plants in the United States, burn coal in air to raise steam. CO2 is exhausted in the flue gas at atmospheric pressure and a concentration of 10-15 volume percent

Compression, transportation and sequestration are the other three components of the CCS process:

• Compression - CO2 compressors represent a large fraction of the enormous capital and operating cost penalties of any CCS system. The CO2 compressor power required for a pulverized coal power plant with an amine-based capture is approximately 8-12% of the plant rating, depending on conditions.

• Transportation - Pipelines are the most common method for transporting large quantities of CO2 over long distances. CO2 pipelines are operated at ambient temperature and high pressure, with primary compressor stations located where the CO2 is injected and booster compressors located as needed further along the pipeline.  Some facilities transport the CO2 by ship for injection in depleted off shore oil wells

• Sequestration - Geologic sequestration is a form of direct sequestration where CO2 is stored in underground formations, such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs, unmineable coal seams, and saline reservoirs.

  Both the coal industry and the Obama administration endorse CCS. Obama supported $3.5 billion for CCS of the $790 billion Stimulus Package and has made CCS a cornerstone of renewable energy policy.

Facts:

• The CCS process is energy intensive itself – adding upwards of a 30% energy penalty to the production of electric power. Thus, CCS perversely compounds the carbon problem it is intended to correct.  

• Plants that would readily support CCS by converting coal into gaseous form to allow capture of the CO2 emissions before gas is burned are very costly.  

• No CCS plants currently exist on a large commercial scale.

• It’s expensive – conventional coal-fired plants are not configured to support the CCS solution.

Concerns: 

If the climate bill is made law and carbon sequestration is implemented, the U.S. will have little further incentive to invest in renewable sources of energy as well as nuclear and so we stand to lose a unique opportunity to rebuild the U.S. economy on a sustainable basis and revive America’s standing as an industrial leader in the world.   The cost of electricity production is always higher when applying carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. However, CO2 certificate prices are expected to increase over the next decades, so CO2 avoidance will become more favorable. According to some industry insiders compared to today’s level, the costs of electricity could be 20-150% higher due to the costs for emission allowances. 

Our future is in the hands of politicians, do they have our best interest in mind?  That is for you to decide, based on their past rack record I have my doubts.  Failure to take all the facts into consideration rather than making political decisions based on questionable information could be the economic undoing for us all.

I expect Stimulus News for Water & Wastewater Projects to thin out somewhat after the EPA February 17, 2010 Deadline. All EPA Funded Projects are to have started Construction or at least have Construction Contracts signed by the Deadline Date. Funds not committed with Contracts by that time are to go back in the pool for reconsideration on other projects.

The Top Clean Water and Nuclear Clean up Stimulus Contact Award in 2009 went to CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company for $1,359,715,229: Read ARRA Project Summary 

12/31/09 Chatham, ME - $40 Million in Stimulus Grants and Low Interest Loans coming for Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion - Cape Cod Times: Read More 

12/31/09 New York States 2009 Wastewater Stimulus Contribution of $74 Million is small compared to an aging system estimated to cost $36.2 Billion to upgrade - ABC News: Read More 

12/31/09 Gregg County, TX - County to use Stimulus Funds for the Purchase of 5 Back up Generators, 3 are for Wastewater Treatment Facility - Longview News Journal: Read More 

12/29/09 Columbia, MO - Stimulus Funds to contribute toward $62 Million Wastewater System Improvements replacing 20 year old Pumps and Motors - Columbia Tribune: Read More 

12/29/09 USDA Secretary of Agriculture announces $116.9 Million for Rural Water Projects in 19 States: Read Details in USDA Press Release 

12/29/09 Lincoln Sanitary District and Mars Hill Utility District, ME - Awarded $4 Million in Stimulus Grants and Loans for Rural Water Projects - MPBN; Read More 

12/28/09 Camden County, TN - Water Plant Project funded with Stimulus Money is back on track. George Raper & Son of Elizabeth City is expected to win the contract - The Daily Advance: Read More 

12/27/09 Montgomery, NJ -Eagle Contracting Services Inc., of Burlington awarded a contract for the Skillman plant upgrade for $11,189,514 - Central Jersey.com: Read More 

To locate City, County and State Purchasing Offices go to my “Tools to Follow the Money” Blog Entry, there you will find a complete Directory of Governmental Resources.

If you get an Error Message from any Read More Hyperlinks, let me know and I will try to restore the Live Link - Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net or Phone: (239)340-9371